Playoffs Week 4: Friday's Roundup

Felix Hernandez (hiding, second from left) gave up 4 homers
to the Nationals. Here, he gets counseling from gravel-voiced
singer/songwriter Tom Waits. 

Studs: Did every NL player make the Studs/Duds list today, or does it just seem like it? Well, most of the Giants and Nationals certainly did. Buster Posey (FF) went 5 for 5 with a triple, 3 runs and 3 RBIs. Hunter Pence (Misfits) had 3 singles, 3 RBIs and 2 runs. Angel Pagan (RR) was a homer short of the cycle, scored twice and drove in 1. Anthony Rendon (RR) went 4 for 4 with a homer, a double and 2 runs. Wilson Ramos (RR) hit a pair of solo homers. Jordan Zimmermann (Rookies) fanned 8 and gave up 2 runs in a 6-inning win. Jacob deGrom (AL) struck out 5 and allowed an unearned run in a 7-inning win. Josh Harrison (AL) was a homer short of the cycle and had a run and an RBI. Hanley Ramirez (PYB) was a triple short of the cycle and drove in 2. 

Duds: Wily Peralta (RR) got blasted for 6 runs in a 3-inning loss and posted a minus-5. Dee Gordon (E-3) went 0 for 6 with 2 Ks and an error. Russell Martin (RMH) and Starling Marte (RMH) each went 0 for 3 with an error. Lucas Duda (Misfits) went 0 for 4 with an error. 

Semifinal matchups (top 2-week total advances)

Fresh Fish 116 (311), Ryan's Rangers 107 (264)

Misfits 82 (245), Tanana in the Tailpipe 94 (225)

Consolation matchups

Rookies 110, Arbitration Losers 106

Danger Zaun 95, E-3 90

Pitch You Blockhead 94, Rocky Mountain High 72

Playoffs Week 4: Thursday's Roundup

Jay Bruce needs a vacation, perhaps down Mexico way.

Studs: Mike Minor (PYB) doubled, singled, drove in a run and scored. He also struck out 5 and allowed 1 run in a 7-inning win. Billy Hamilton (DZ) singled, doubled, stole a base, drove in 2 and scored twice. 

Duds: Corey Dickerson (DZ) went 0 for 3 and was caught stealing. Jay Bruce (PYB) went 0 for 5 with 5 Ks. 

Semifinal matchups (top 2-week total advances)

Fresh Fish 82 (277), Ryan's Rangers 79 (236)

Tanana in the Tailpipe 81 (212), Misfits 71 (234)

Consolation matchups

Arbitration Losers 66, Rookies 60

E-3 72, Danger Zaun 66

Pitch You Blockhead 69, Rocky Mountain High 68

Playoffs Week 4: Wednesday's Roundup

The Phillies finally found a team they could beat.
A Little League team.

Studs: Clayton Kershaw (FF) struck out 10 and allowed an unearned run in an 8-inning win. Buster Posey (FF) homered, singled twice and drove in 3. Marlon Byrd (FF) hit a 2-run homer, singled twice and scored twice. Mat Latos (RMH) gave up 4 runs but struck out 10 in a 7-inning victory. 

Duds: Ryan Braun (RR) went 0 for 4 with 2 Ks and an error. Matt Carpenter (Tanana) went 0 for 3 with an error. Scooter Gennett (FF) went 0 for 4 with an error. Starlin Castro (Tanana) and Casey McGehee (FF) each went 1 for 4 with an error. Steve Cishek (FF) pitched an inning and made an error. 

Semifinal matchups (top 2-week total advances)

Fresh Fish 82 (277), Ryan's Rangers 72 (229)

Tanana in the Tailpipe 72 (204), Misfits 64 (227)

Consolation matchups

Arbitration Losers 58, Rookies 55

E-3 71, Danger Zaun 51

Rocky Mountain High 64, Pitch You Blockhead 45

Playoffs Week 4: Tuesday's Roundup

These two guys combined for 36 FBLG points.

Studs: Madison Bumgarner (Misfits) struck out 13 in a 1-hit shutout. Justin Morneau's eighth-inning double saved Tanana in the Tailpipe from enduring a perfect-game bonus for Reid's ace. Tyson Ross (Tanana) doubled, scored, struck out 6 and allowed 1 run in a 6.1-inning win. Buster Posey (FF) hit a 2-run homer and a solo homer. 

Duds: Nolan Arenado (RR) went 0 for 3 with an error. Ian Desmond (DZ) singled and scored, but he was caught stealing and made an error. Miguel Montero (E-3) went 0 for 5 with an error. 

Semifinal matchups (top 2-week total advances)

Fresh Fish 44 (239), Ryan's Rangers 42 (199)

Tanana in the Tailpipe 63 (194), Misfits 60 (223)

Consolation matchups

Rookies 41, Arbitration Losers 36

E-3 46, Danger Zaun 22

Pitch You Blockhead 40, Rocky Mountain High 33

Playoffs Week 4: Monday's Roundup

A.J. Burnett won for the first time since the all-star break.

Studs: A.J. Burnett (E-3) fanned 12 and allowed 1 run in a 7-inning victory against the Nats. Jeff Samardzija (PYB) struck out 10 and allowed 2 runs in an 8-inning win. Jared Cosart (FF) struck out 4 and allowed 1 run in a 7.2-inning win. Aramis Ramirez (Rookies) was a triple short of the cycle, drove in 3 and scored 2 runs. Christian Yelich (Tanana) doubled, singled twice, drove in 2 and scored twice. 

Duds: Joe Panik (PYB) went 0 for 4 with 2 Ks and an error. Jordy Mercer (Misfits) and Jhonny Peralta (FF) each went 1 for 3 with an error. Nolan Arenado (RR) went 1 for 4 with an error. 

Semifinal matchups (top 2-week total advances)

Ryan's Rangers 37 (194), Fresh Fish 29 (224)

Misfits 24 (187), Tanana in the Tailpipe 21 (152)

Consolation matchups

Rookies 25, Arbitration Losers 9

E-3 33, Danger Zaun 10

Pitch You Blockhead 31, Rocky Mountain High 6

Week 22 (Playoffs, Week 4) Transactions and Lineups

Players acquired

Pitch You Blockhead sign SP Mike Minor (August move #3).

Misfits sign C Michael McHenry (August move #3).

Arbitration Losers sign SP Jake Peavy (August move #2).

Danger Zaun sign C Travis d'Arnaud (August move #2) and SP Trevor Cahill (August move #3).

Players released

SP Jason Hammel

OF Seth Smith

2B Aaron Hill

1B Jordan Pacheco

SP Jesse Hahn

SP Travis Wood

SP Kyle Hendricks

SP Henderson Alvarez

SP Shelby Miller

Lineup changes

E-3: none.

Fresh Fish: Bench OF Matt Kemp; activate OF Jayson Werth.

Rookies: Bench 2B Kris Negron and SP Jimmy Nelson; activate 2B Tommy La Stella and SP Kyle Lohse.

Rocky Mountain High: none.

Pitch You Blockhead: Bench SS Yangervis Solarte and SP Ryan Vogelsong; activate OF Marcell Ozuna, SP Mike Minor and SS Hanley Ramirez (from DL).

Tanana in the Tailpipe: Bench SP Kevin Correia; activate SP Jon Niese.

Ryan's Rangers: Bench SP Gio Gonzalez; activate SP Francisco Liriano.

Misfits: Bench SP Aaron Harang and OF Gregory Polcanco; activate SP Alex Wood and OF Charlie Blackmon.

Arbitration Losers: Bench SP Wade Miley; placed OF Michael Cuddyer on DL; activate SP Jake Peavy, SP Jacob deGrom (from DL) and OF David Peralta.

Danger Zaun: Bench C Devin Mesoraco; activate C Travis d'Arnaud and SP Andrew Cashner (from DL).

Playoffs Week 3: The Check Swing

As the playoff battles continue in FBLG, we pause for a look at this year's undrafted studs. You might be surprised to see who's not on the list. (Sorry, Oscar Taveras and Gregory Polanco!)

1. Danger Zaun (3,654 points): You need a flow chart to track all the pitching changes this team has made this year. The scuttlebutt is that Tim Belcher is up next if anyone else gets hurt. US: Corey Dickerson has been a monster for the Rockies and for DZ. Only 5 NL outfielders have more homers.

2. Fresh Fish (3,642 points): Rick's team is in the hunt for the rare dual title — the playoff crown and the overall points championship. It's definitely the right year to have a bunch of Marlins. US: Casey McGehee has 61 RBIs to go with that .295 average.

3. Ryan's Rangers (3,481 points): The Fightin' BALCOs have cooled lately, and they'll need a big week to advance to the finals. Wily Peralta and Chase Anderson will have to do better than this week's minus-2 in 3 combined starts. US: Anderson had a remarkable 5-game stretch in which he picked up 4 wins and didn't allow more than 2 runs.

It's easy to forget Corey Dickerson spent time in Triple-A this year.

4. Tanana in the Tailpipe (3,455 points): Where have you gone, Adam Wainwright? At least Bryce Harper has rediscovered his power stroke. Now get Starlin Castro back immediately. US: Remember how good Alfredo Simon was in the first half? Matt certainly does.

5. E-3 (3,435 points): Adam's team continues to make like the 1964 Phillies. It seems like these guys have an early tee time they don't want to miss. You know it's bad when Johnny Cueto posts a 1-point week. US: Adam's roster looks almost the same as it did on draft day, which says a lot. Even the new faces are castoffs from other teams. We'll leave this space blank, then.

6. Arbitration Losers (3,415 points): Hey, Michael Cuddyer is back! Hey, Michael Cuddyer is hurt again! So it goes for Tim's team. On the bright side, Denard Span had another big week. US: Josh Harrison is hitting .850 since the all-star break. Or maybe it just seems that way.

7. Pitch You Blockhead (3,399 points): Martin Prado put up a 27-point week, and Zack Greinke pitched well despite an elbow scare. Who would have anticipated a Panik-Solarte middle infield in FBLG? US: How do we choose between Marcell Ozuna and Seth Smith? Easy. We'll go with the guy who isn't the Padre. (Sorry, Scott.)

8. Misfits (3,355 points): Is Reid's team really on the brink of advancing to the finals? Some things just don't make sense — like what the heck happened to Wilin Rosario this year? And why did it take this long for someone to acquire Lucas Duda? US: We all knew Aaron Harang's ridiculous start was a mirage, but he's been a strong contributor all year.

9. Rocky Mountain High (3,290 points): Asdrubal Cabrera and Starling Marte combined for 46 points and have shored up two positions crippled by injuries to powerful Rockies. US: Is it too soon to choose Cabrera?

10. Rookies (3,248 points): New acquisitions Ike Davis and Kris Negron entered the lineup for Henry's team, then promptly lost their jobs. It's been that kind of season for the Rookies. US: Tommy La Stella has run hot and cold, but he's been a nice pickup at second base.

Playoffs Week 3: Sunday's Roundup

Serving up a gopher ball to Ruben Tejada?
That's a paddlin'.

Studs: Lucas Duda (Misfits) homered twice, singled and drove in 5. Mike Fiers (DZ) struck out 7 and allowed 2 runs in a 7-inning win. 

Duds: Kevin Correia (Tanana) allowed 3 homers and 7 runs (only 5 earned) in a 3-run loss. Gregory Polanco (Misfits) fanned in all 3 at-bats.

Semifinal matchups (top 2-week total advances)

Fresh Fish 195, Ryan's Rangers 157

Misfits 163, Tanana in the Tailpipe 131

Consolation matchups

Pitch You Blockhead 167, E-3 125

Danger Zaun 197, Arbitration Losers 162

Rocky Mountain High 183, Rookies 171