Wednesday, October 7, 2015

FBLG 2015 Position Leaders

What picture to use for this post? Why, Pedro Alvarez trying to play defense, of course!
Which FBLG teams got the most from each position this year? Here's how it breaks down. The players discussed in the analysis didn't necessarily score all the points at that spot for the team but were at least the main contributors.

First base


  1. Soler Eclipse 478 (18.38 per week)
  2. Chateau Marmol 426 (16.38)
  3. Retire 21 404 (15.54)
  4. Arbitration Losers 372 (14.31)
  5. Already Zaun 367 (14.12)
  6. Rookies 328 (12.62)
  7. Fresh Fish 324 (12.46)
  8. Misfits 312 (12.35)
  9. The Bryce is Right 318 (12.23)
  10. Pitch You Blockhead 274 (10.54)
Analysis: To the surprise of no one, Paul Goldschmidt (SE) and Anthony Rizzo (CM) led the charge here. Joey Votto's (R21) amazing second half propelled him into third place. Injuries led to disappointing years from Lucas Duda (Bryce) and Freddie Freeman (FF). Being crappy led to a disappointing year from Pedro Alvarez (Misfits, Bryce), who it must be noted finished with 27 homers and 23 errors as a first baseman. TWENTY-THREE ERRORS.

Second base

  1. Retire 21 431 (16.58)
  2. The Bryce is Right 365 (14.04)
  3. Rookies 356 (13.69)
  4. Fresh Fish 354 (13.62)
  5. Arbitration Losers 327 (12.58)
  6. Chateau Marmol 320 (12.31)
  7. Misfits 285 (10.96)
  8. Already Zaun 285 (10.96)
  9. Pitch You Blockhead 283 (10.88)
  10. Soler Eclipse 230 (8.85)
Analysis: Anyone who guessed that Dee Gordon (R21), Matt Duffy (Bryce) and D. J. LeMahieu (Rookies) would lead the way here is some sort of deranged genius. (Like Joe Maddon.) Meanwhile, established players like Kolten Wong (PYB), Neil Walker (CM, AZ), Daniel Murphy (Misfits) and Howie Kendrick (AL) struggled or were injured or both. Brandon Phillips (FF) had a nice bounce-back year. This position promises to be a crapshoot for the 2016 draft.

Shortstop

  1. Already Zaun 339 (13.04)
  2. Retire 21 313 (12.04)
  3. Arbitration Losers 310 (11.92)
  4. Rookies 297 (11.42)
  5. Chateau Marmol 287 (11.04)
  6. Soler Eclipse 268 (10.31)
  7. Fresh Fish 259 (9.96)
  8. The Bryce is Right 253 (9.73)
  9. Misfits 252 (9.69)
  10. Pitch You Blockhead 251 (9.65)
Analysis: You'd think the AZ owners would be thrilled to lead at this spot, but they expected more from first-round pick Troy Tulowitzki, especially given that he was healthy enough to play 130 games. Jung-ho Kang (R21) was a revelation in his first year in the majors, while Freddy Galvis (Rookies) and Brandon Crawford (CM) gave their teams an unexpected boost. Youngsters Wilmer Flores (PYB) and Chris Owings (Bryce) disappointed.

Third base

  1. Pitch You Blockhead 459 (17.65)
  2. Already Zaun 393 (15.12)
  3. Chateau Marmol 378 (14.54)
  4. The Bryce is Right 374 (14.38)
  5. Fresh Fish 374 (14.38)
  6. Rookies 300 (11.54)
  7. Retire 21 296 (11.38)
  8. Arbitration Losers 276 (10.62)
  9. Misfits 270 (10.38)
  10. Soler Eclipse 208 (8.00)
Analysis: Welcome to superstardom, Nolan Arenado (PYB)! 42 bombs and 42 doubles made him one of the league's best hitters. Matt Carpenter (AZ) hit more homers this year (28) than he had in his career entering the season (25) and also led the league with 44 doubles. Kris Bryant (CM) showed why he would have been a top pick this year had he been eligible. On the other end of the spectrum, injuries slowed Anthony Rendon (AL) and David Wright (FF), but at least Rick got an out-of-nowhere star turn from Yunel Escobar.

Catcher

  1. Arbitration Losers 405 (15.58)
  2. Soler Eclipse 322 (12.38)
  3. Retire 21 309 (11.88)
  4. Pitch You Blockhead 293 (11.27)
  5. Rookies 277 (10.65)
  6. Fresh Fish 272 (10.46)
  7. The Bryce is Right 250 (9.62)
  8. Already Zaun 242 (9.31)
  9. Chateau Marmol 221 (8.50)
  10. Misfits 212 (8.15)
Analysis: Buster Posey (AL) was his usual stellar self, driving in nearly 100 runs and posting a 135 OPS+ to run away with the points crown at this spot. Derek Norris (SE) got off to a torrid start but crashed late, still managing 50 extra-base hits, 62 RBIs and throwing out an amazing 44 runners (out of 126 attempts which, wow) to take the second slot. The Nick Hundley/Travis d'Arnaud combo platter overachieved for Retire 21, while injuries/struggles hampered Devin Mesoraco (Misfits), Yasmani Grandal (CM) and Wilson Ramos (Bryce).

Outfield

  1. Misfits 1231 (47.35)
  2. The Bryce is Right 1156 (44.46)
  3. Retire 21 1122 (43.15)
  4. Chateau Marmol 1111 (42.73)
  5. Rookies 1084 (41.69)
  6. Already Zaun 1063 (40.88)
  7. Arbitration Losers 1037 (39.88)
  8. Soler Eclipse 961 (36.96)
  9. Fresh Fish 951 (36.58)
  10. Pitch You Blockhead 884 (34.00)
Analysis: The Misfits' amazing outfield play is even more impressive when you consider Reid's top pick (Giancarlo Stanton) missed a huge chunk of the season after racking up 27 homers in 74 games. A quietly great season by Matt Kemp combined with strong performances from Curtis Granderson and late-season pickup Yoenis Cespedes kept the Misfits from missing a beat. Bill used his top two picks on outfielders, getting one huge hit (Bryce Harper) and one huge miss (Yasiel Puig). That's what you get for not naming your team after the volatile Cuban. A pair of young Pirates (Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco) sandwiched around the good Upton brother to lead Retire 21's outfield. Pitch You Blockhead dealt with injuries to top pick Carlos Gomez and Nori Aoki, a huge slump by Joc Pederson and major struggles by former slugger Mark Trumbo. Ditto Soler Eclipse, which saw Matt Holliday and Jorge Soler miss major time with injuries and Nick Markakis forget how to hit the ball out of the park. (3 homers in 612 at-bats? Who are you, Ben Revere?) Already Zaun actually led in outfielder points around the all-star break, but lost Wil Myers and Hunter Pence for most of the second half and dealt with Ryan Braun's limp wrist for much of the season.

Starting pitching

  1. Already Zaun 1667 (64.12)
  2. Pitch You Blockhead 1644 (63.23)
  3. Retire 21 1580 (60.77)
  4. Arbitration Losers 1452 (55.85)
  5. Soler Eclipse 1389 (53.42)
  6. Misfits 1371 (52.73)
  7. Chateau Marmol 1326 (51.00)
  8. Rookies 1198 (46.08)
  9. The Bryce is Right 1169 (44.96
  10. Fresh Fish 1097 (42.19)
Analysis: AZ pitching coach Deka spun his usual gem, nabbing ace Jake Arrieta in the fourth round and supplementing him with young Cardinal aces Michael Wacha and Carlos Martinez, in addition to the maddeningly inconsistent Tyson Ross. All told, the Zaunies pitching kept the team together while the offense went in fits and starts. PYB built a similarly awesome staff anchored by Zach Greinke and aided by James Shields, A.J. Burnett, Jason Hammel and Lance Lynn, And Retire 21 was anchored by Clayton Kershaw (noticing a trend developing here) and young phenom Jacob deGrom, with a cameo appearance by Jose Fernandez and contributions from Aaron Harang and Charlie Morton. The Arbitration Losers drafted weirdo left-handers (redundancy) Madison Bumgarner and Jon Lester with their first two picks and added Noah Syndergaard midseason. In most years, that would get you in the top three here, which shows just how great Kershaw, Greinke and Arrieta were. At the other end of the spectrum, Rick drafted Johnny Cueto and Stephen Strasburg early, only to watch them both struggle and/or get hurt. Dan Haren and Ryan Vogelsong weren't much help and Henderson Alvarez (as with most of Rick's players) spent a chunk of time on the DL. Bill had young ace Gerrit Cole but couldn't ever build any depth around him, meaning that 37 percent of The Bryce is Right's starting pitching points came from one guy. And the Rookies picked the wrong season to build a rotation around Jordan Zimmermann, Ian Kennedy, Shelby Miller and Gio Gonzalez.

Relief pitching

  1. The Bryce is Right 280 (10.77)
  2. Already Zaun 279 (10.73)
  3. Soler Eclipse 278 (10.69)
  4. Arbitration Losers 277 (10.65)
  5. Misfits 267 (10.27)
  6. Pitch You Blockhead 260 (10.00)
  7. Retire 21 235 (9.04)
  8. Rookies 235 (9.04)
  9. Fresh Fish 216 (8.31)
  10. Chateau Marmol 143 (5.50)
Analysis: This is truly incredible: one point apiece separating slots 1 through 4 on this list. Mark Melancon (Bryce), Aroldis Chapman (SE), Trevor Rosenthal (AL), Kenley Jansen (Misfits) and Craig Kimbrel (PYB) aren't surprising to see atop this list. The sleeper here is Jeurys Familia (AZ) at No. 2. The Zaunies added Familia after first drafting Joaquin Benoit the day before the Padres traded for Kimbrel (oops), then adding Jennry Mejia the day before he got hurt warming up on Opening Day (double oops) and then got suspended for 80 games (triple oops) and then for a year (quadruple oops) for generally being an idiot. In stepped Familia for both the Mets and AZ, racking up 43 saves and 86 strikeouts. At the bottom of the list we find poor Chateau Marmol, which drafted Steve Cishek just before he forgot to get anyone out, then added Jonathan "El Choke-O" Papelbon, who was fine but didn't get many chances in Philly and then took the last week of the season off to, uh, go fishing. 5 points per week from a reliever is literally one inning, one strikeout and one save per week. Rumors are already swirling that Matt will draft a closer in the 2nd round next year.

Average finish by position

  1. Retire 21: 3.625
  2. Already Zaun: 4.125
  3. Arbitration Losers: 4.5
  4. The Bryce is Right: 5.25
  5. Soler Eclipse: 5.625
  6. Rookies: 5.625
  7. Chateau Marmol: 5.75
  8. Pitch You Blockhead: 6.5
  9. Misfits: 6.875
  10. Fresh Fish: 7.125

Monday, October 5, 2015

FBLG 2015 Season Leaders

These two Diamondbacks were the FBLG's leading hitters this season.

Batting

  1. Paul Goldschmidt (SE) 478
  2. A.J. Pollock (CM) 474
  3. Nolan Arenado (PYB) 459
  4. Bryce Harper (Bryce) 458
  5. Anthony Rizzo (CM) 426
  6. Andrew McCutchen (Rookies) 416
  7. Dee Gordon (R21) 408
  8. Buster Posey (AL) 406
  9. Joey Votto (R21) 404
  10. Matt Kemp (Misfits) 401
It was a pitching year for the ages in the National League, and it was a good idea to own one of these three.

Starting pitching

  1. Clayton Kershaw (R21) 551
  2. Jake Arrieta (AZ) 539
  3. Zack Greinke (PYB) 495
  4. Max Scherzer (CM) 494
  5. Madison Bumgarner (AL) 485
  6. Gerrit Cole (Bryce) 424
  7. Jacob deGrom (R21) 395
  8. James Shields (PYB) 375
  9. Francisco Liriano (SE) 362
  10. Jon Lester (AL) 358
From an undrafted setup man to the league's second-leading closer, it was quite a season for Jeurys "Happy" Familia.

Relief pitching

  1. Mark Melancon (Bryce) 280
  2. Jeurys Familia (AZ) 279
  3. Aroldis Chapman (SE) 278
  4. Trevor Rosenthal (AL) 277
  5. Craig Kimbrel (PYB) 260

2015 Season Wrapup

Not sure why Ray's face is so grumpy on this trophy, but whatever.
Another congratulations to Ray and Retire 21, sweeping the head-to-head and overall points titles in his first year in the league. Just amazingly impressive.

Here's how the season finished:

  1. Retire 21 (4690)
  2. Already Zaun (4637)
  3. Arbitration Losers (4465)
  4. Pitch You Blockhead (4348)
  5. Chateau Marmol (4262)
  6. Misfits (4235)
  7. The Bryce is Right (4165)
  8. Soler Eclipse (4134)
  9. Rookies (4075)
  10. Fresh Fish (3797)
Head to head:

Champion: Retire 21
Second place: Arbitration Losers
Third place: Misfits
Fourth place: Soler Eclipse
Consolation champ: Pitch You Blockhead

Those of you who finished in the money will be contacted about what to do with your winnings.

2016 draft order:
  1. Rick
  2. Henry
  3. Adam
  4. Bill
  5. Reid
  6. Matt
  7. Scott
  8. Tim
  9. Rich/Brian
  10. Ray
Stay tuned for a few more posts with some numbers, and then the commissioners will bid you all adieu until next Spring.

Sunday, October 4, 2015

The Check Swing: Week 26

Pirates players celebrate at the palatial Retire 21 estate. That's not Champagne; it's sparkling cider. The generic brand. 
Another great FBLG season has come to a close. It's an abbreviated Check Swing this week, but stay tuned for blog posts about scoring leaders and more from your beloved commissioners. 

1. Retire 21 (4,690 points, last week 2): Congratulations to Ray, who won the playoff title and the points championship in his rookie season. That's quite a feat, especially for someone who expressed displeasure with his drafting. 

2. Already Zaun (4,637 points, last week 1): Boy, did these guys pull a 1964 Phillies and fold down the stretch, or what? The points leaders most of the season, the Zaunies crapped the bed in the playoffs and didn't even win the consolation round. 

3. Arbitration Losers (4,465 points, last week 3): Tim finished third last season and repeated that performance in 2015. The team owners drafting in positions 1 through 7 should expect bribes so Madison Bumgarner can fall all the way to Tim at No. 8.

4. Pitch You Blockhead (4,348 points, last week 4): Too bad it's not a keeper league, Scott. Starting a team with Nolan Arenado and Zack Greinke would be pretty good in 2016.

5. Chateau Marmol (4,262 points, last week 6): Speaking of keepers, you can bet Matt would love to have Max Scherzer and 3/4 of the Cubs' infield back next season. Too bad his 212-point week cost him one spot in the 2016 draft.

6. Misfits (4,235 points, last week 7): Reid also move up one spot in the draft with a 194-point week of his own. Scoring that many points in the final week of the season is ridiculous! 

7. The Bryce is Right (4,165 points, last week 5): The Commissioners' Office is investigating claims of tanking by Bill's team, which moved up two spots in the draft by posting a 106-point dud in Week 26 thanks to a rotation that included Bettis-Ray-Koehler. 

8. Soler Eclipse (4,134 points, last week 8): Paul Goldschmidt and a great pitching staff weren't enough to get Adam's team higher than 8th in the points race. 

9. Rookies (4,075 points, last week 9): Henry built his team around Nationals pitchers and a McCutchen-Dickerson-Bruce outfield, but it didn't quite work out. 

10. Fresh Fish (3,797 points, last week 10): With the first pick in the 2016 FLBG draft, the Fresh Fish select ... not Johnny Cueto.


Week 26: Sunday roundup

Welcome to FBLG, the only place in the world where J.A. Happ can be called a Stud.
Studs: Shelby Miller (Rookies) got his first win in forever and struck out 7 in 8 shutout innings. Matt Wisler (Rookies) singled and got the win while striking out 3 in 8.2 shutout innings. Cole Hamels (Misfits) allowed 2 runs and struck out 8 in a complete-game win. J.A. Happ (Misfits) singled and got the win while striking out 7 in 6 shutout innings. A.J. Pollock (CM) homered, singled twice, scored twice and stole a base. Dee Gordon (R21) was a triple shy of a cycle and scored twice. 

Duds: None.

Consolation final scores

Pitch You Blockhead 138, Already Zaun 115


Other scores

Chateau Marmol 212
Fresh Fish 145 
Bryce is Right 106
Rookies 150
Retire 151
Arbitration Losers 116
Misfits 194
Soler Eclipse 105

Week 26: Saturday roundup

Good grief, Max Scherzer. 
Studs: Max Scherzer (CM) pitched one of the greatest games in baseball history, striking out 17 in a no-hitter against Mets. At one point, he struck out 9 hitters in a row. He also singled. Zack Greinke (PYB) allowed 1 run and struck out 8 in an 8-inning win. Was it enough for him to earn the Cy Young Award? In a double-header, Christian Yelich (CM) went 5 for 5 in the first game with a double, a run and an RBI, then followed it up by going 3 for 4 with a double, 2 runs and an RBI in the second game. A.J. Ramos (FF) picked up a pair of saves and fanned 5 in 2 innings. Kyle Hendricks (Misfits) got the win and struck out 8 and allowed only 1 hit in 6 shutout innings. Brandon Finnegan (AZ) struck out 6 and allowed 1 run in a 6-inning win. Noah Syndergaard (AL) struck out 10 and allowed 1 run in 7 innings. 

Duds: The Mets' hitters. All of them stunk.

Note: The Braves and Cardinals were rained out.

Consolation final scores

Pitch You Blockhead 131, Already Zaun 103

Other scores

Chateau Marmol 189
Fresh Fish 110 
Bryce is Right 85
Rookies 102
Retire 124
Arbitration Losers 107
Misfits 137
Soler Eclipse 91

Friday, October 2, 2015

Week 26: Friday roundup

Nolan Arenado has 42 homers and 42 doubles this year.
For comparison, Troy Tulowitzki's career highs are 32 and 36, respectively. 
Studs: Jake Arrieta (AZ) improved to 22-6 by striking out 7 in 6 shutout innings. Nolan Arenado (PYB) had a solo homer and a 2-run double and scored twice. 

Duds: Todd Frazier (Bryce) went 0 for 6 with 3 Ks and an error. Francisco Cervelli (Rookies) went 0 for 5 with an error. Jean Segura (R21) went 0 for 4 with 3 Ks and an error. 

Note: The Mets-Nats and Marlins-Phillies games were postponed by rain, or a hurricane or something.

Transactions: Already Zaun puts Wil Myers on season-ending DL and activate Kike Hernandez.

Consolation final scores

Pitch You Blockhead 106, Already Zaun 85

Other scores

Chateau Marmol 122
Fresh Fish 88 
Bryce is Right 69
Rookies 74
Retire 88
Arbitration Losers 88
Misfits 94
Soler Eclipse 66

Week 26: Thursday roundup

This is a metaphor for how many of you are paying attention to FBLG at this point of the season.
Stud: Stephen Strasburg (FF) got the win and struck out 7 in 6 shutout innings. 

Dud: Dee Gordon (R21) went 0 for 4 and was caught stealing for the 19th time. 

Transactions: The Misfits bench OF Matt Kemp, move Josh Harrison from 3B to OF and activate 3B Justin Turner.

Consolation final scores

Pitch You Blockhead 94, Already Zaun 56

Other scores

Chateau Marmol 97
Fresh Fish 80 
Bryce is Right 61
Rookies 63
Retire 79
Arbitration Losers 80
Misfits 83
Soler Eclipse 45

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Week 26: Wednesday roundup

Mike Leake threw a shutout, but don't look for him on the Studs list.
Studs: Jon Lester (AL) singled, scored twice, struck out 9 and allowed 1 run in an 8-inning win. In a doubleheader, Matt Carpenter (AZ) homered, tripled, doubled twice and scored 5 runs. Jason Heyward (CM) singled in game one of the doubleheader; in game two, he hit a grand slam, doubled, singled and scored twice. Addison Russell (CM) stole 2 bases, doubled, singled twice, drove in 2 and scored. Matt Duffy (Bryce) stole a base, hit a 2-run homer, singled twice and scored twice. Francisco Cervelli (Rookies) hit a grand slam, doubled and scored twice. Starlin Castro (SE) went 4 for 5 with a homer, a double, 2 RBIs and 3 runs. 

Duds: Mike Leake (AL) threw a 2-hit shutout but made our Duds list because he scored 15 points, falling short of our Studs threshold for pitchers. How? Leake went 0 for 3 and struck out only 1 batter. Come on, Leake. Charlie Morton (R21) gave up 5 runs and struck out 1 in a 2-inning loss. Michael Wacha (AZ) struck out 4 and allowed 6 runs in a 4-inning loss. 

Consolation final scores

Pitch You Blockhead 65, Already Zaun 46

Other scores

Chateau Marmol 76
Fresh Fish 52 
Bryce is Right 54
Rookies 52
Retire 67
Arbitration Losers 72
Misfits 75
Soler Eclipse 31

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Week 26: Tuesday roundup

Clayton Kershaw's 27-point outing just about handed Retire 21 the points championship. 
Studs: Clayton Kershaw (R21) struck out 13, shut out the Giants and helped the Dodgers finally clinch the NL West. Dan Haren (FF) got the win and struck out 6 in 7.1 shutout innings. Lucas Duda (Bryce) hit a 2-run homer, a solo homer and a single. A.J. Pierzynski (PYB) blasted 2 solo homers and singled. Jean Segura (R21) had an RBI double and a 2-run homer. 

Duds: Jay Bruce (Rookies) went 0 for 3 with 2 errors. Brandon Crawford (CM) went 0 for 3 with an error. 

Note: The Pirates-Cardinals game was rained out.

Consolation final scores

Pitch You Blockhead 47, Already Zaun 24

Other scores

Chateau Marmol 44
Fresh Fish 46 
Bryce is Right 22
Rookies 23
Retire 57
Arbitration Losers 22
Misfits 54
Soler Eclipse 7

Monday, September 28, 2015

Week 26: Monday roundup

Crazy Joe Maddon's crazy managerial moves paid off again.
Studs: Max Scherzer (CM) singled twice, struck out 10 and allowed 1 run in an 8-inning win. Joe Maddon (No. 1 draft pick in the insane manager pool) played Kris Bryant at four positions; batted Tommy LaStella in the cleanup spot; and used pitchers Trevor Cahill, Clayton Richard and Fernando Rodney — and the Cubs still won the game.

Duds: Mark Melancon (Bryce) struck out 2 in 1 inning but allowed 3 runs and took the loss. Eugenio Suarez (Misfits) went 0 for 3 with an error. Jhonny Peralta (AL) went 0 for 4 with an error. 

Consolation final scores

Pitch You Blockhead 27, Already Zaun 7

Other scores

Chateau Marmol 27
Fresh Fish 7 
Bryce is Right 2
Rookies 3
Retire 16
Arbitration Losers 9
Misfits 24
Soler Eclipse 2

Week 26 (Consolation Finals) Transactions and Lineups

Where did Jon Niese go? He was just right here... damn, that's good camo.
After a season in which Niese came and went from Chateau Marmol's lineup like one of those steam cleaners
you can rent at the grocery store, we find it fitting that he gets cut loose before the final week.

Players acquired

  • Retire 21 sign SP Jake Peavy (September move #4).
  • Bryce is Right sign SP Tom Koehler (September move #4).
  • Chateau Marmol sign SP Adam Conley (September move #4).
  • Fresh Fish sign C Miguel Montero (September move #2).

    Players released

    • SP Carlos Martinez
    • OF Ryan Braun
    • SP Jimmy Nelson
    • SP Jon Niese
    • C Yadier Molina
    • 3B Juan Uribe
    • SP Aaron Harang

    Lineup changes

    • Rookies: None.
    • Retire 21: Bench SP Jacob deGrom; activate SP Jake Peavy and SP Charlie Morton.
    • Misfits: Bench SP Chris Heston; activate SP J.A. Happ.
    • Soler Eclipse: Bench SP Alex Wood and SS Jose Reyes; move Starlin Castro from 2B to SS; activate SP Matt Harvey and 2B Jace Peterson.
    • Pitch You Blockhead: Bench SP A.J. Burnett; activate SP Zack Greinke.
    • The Bryce is Right: Bench SP Julio Teheran; activate SP Tom Koehler.
    • Chateau Marmol: Bench SS Corey Seager; activate SS Brandon Crawford and SP Adam Conley.
    • Arbitration Losers: Bench SP Jhoulys Chacin; activate SP Mike Leake.
    • Already Zaun: Activate SP Brandon Finnegan.
    • Fresh Fish: Activate C Miguel Montero.

    Sunday, September 27, 2015

    The Check Swing: Week 25

    Startling Marte led Retire 21 to the playoff title. 
    1. Retire 21 (4,539 points, last week 2): Starling Marte's 33-point week helped Ray win the playoff championship and take the lead in the overall points race. A 23-point start from Jacob deGrom on Sunday made the difference for the Sons of Clemente in their comeback win against the Arbitration Losers.

    2. Already Zaun (4,522 points, last week 1): Give R21 credit for taking the points lead, but the Zaunies have done a great job of throwing it away, as well. Jake Arrieta came up big with a 55-point week, but only Matt Carpenter (26) joined him on the production train. On the bright side, AZ faces PYB in the consolation finals this week.

    3. Arbitration Losers (4,349 points, last week 3): The Losers came up just short in the playoff championship series, but let's not overlook the significant surge this team made after a slow start. After 10 weeks, Tim's team was 7th in the points race. Stephen Piscotty made an impact this week with 24 points.   

    4. Pitch You Blockhead (4,210 points, last week 4): After a 20-point win against Already Zaun in the consolation round, PYB gets another crack at the commissioners in the consolation finals. Let's see whether Wilmer Flores can do better than this week's minus-1 effort. 

    5. The Bryce is Right (4,059 points, last week 6): A 29-point week from Lucas Duda and 24 points from Khris Davis made up for Bill's best player being choked by Jonathan Papelbon. 

    6. Chateau Marmol (4,050 points, last week 5): Thirty-two points from Jaime Garcia and minus-2 from Brett Anderson? Yeah, that sounds about right. 

    7. Misfits (4,041 points, last week 8): It was a good week for Reid to rely on Mets and Marlins in finishing 3rd in the playoffs. Well done, Justin Bour (29), J.T. Realmuto (14), Daniel Murphy (32), Curtis Granderson (22) and Yoenis Cespedes (15).

    8. Soler Eclipse (4,029 points, last week 7): Thanks for nothing, Jose Reyes (2), Alex Wood (4), Patrick Corbin (0) and Aroldis Chapman (2).

    9. Rookies (3,925 points, last week 9): What went wrong for the Rookies this year? D.J. LeMahieu is likely to be the team's second-leading scorer. Ouch. 

    10. Fresh Fish (3,652 points, last week 10): Oh, NOW Stephen Strasburg pitches like the 11th pick in the draft should.

    Week 25, finals: Sunday roundup

    Trevor Rosenthal had a rough day (again) on a rough day for NL closers. 
    Jonathan Papelbon's left arm was much more effective
    than his right Sunday.
    Studs: Jake Arrieta (AZ) hit a solo homer and allowed only 1 hit and no runs while striking out 9 in a 7-inning win. Jacob deGrom (R21) singled twice, drove in 2, struck out 9 and allowed 1 run in a 6-inning win. Ender Inciarte (PYB) went 4 for 5 with a 2-run homer and a solo homer. Nolan Arenado (PYB) made an error, but he homered, singled, drove in 5 and scored twice. Justin Bour (Misfits) hit a 2-run homer and a solo homer. Khris Davis (Bryce) hit a 3-run homer and a solo homer. 

    Duds: Trevor Rosenthal (AL) gave up 4 runs, took the loss and failed to get an out. Alex Wood (SE) doubled and singled — but allowed 8 runs and struck out 1 in a 5.1-inning loss. Shelby Miller (Rookies) allowed 7 runs (4 earned) and made an error while fanning 2 in a 5.1-inning loss. Jonathan Papelbon (CM) gave up 5 runs (only 2 earned) and struck out 1 in a 1-inning loss. Anthony Rendon (AL) went 0 for 3 with an error. Kolten Wong (PYB) singled and erred. 

    Transactions: PYB benches the inactive SP Zack Greinke and get the points from Lance Lynn this week.

    Final scores

    Retire 192, Arbitration Losers 177 (Retire 21 wins playoff championship)
    Misfits 205, Soler Eclipse 161 (Misfits finish in 3rd)

    Consolation scores

    Pitch You Blockhead 175, Already Zaun 155
    Fresh Fish 174, Chateau Marmol 151
    Bryce is Right 179, Rookies 136

    Saturday, September 26, 2015

    Week 25, finals: Saturday roundup

    Jarrett Parker hit 3 home runs and drove in 7. Who had Parker on their FBLG roster for a 16-point day?
    Studs: Francisco Liriano (SE) singled twice and got the win while striking out 9 in 7.2 shutout innings. Stephen Strasburg (FF) singled and allowed 1 run while striking out 13 in 8 innings. Carlos Gonzalez (FF) was a triple shy of a cycle, drove in 2 and scored twice. Andre Ethier (FF) homered, doubled and drove in 3. Jaime Garcia (CM) struck out 8 and allowed 1 run in an 8-inning win. Lucas Duda (Bryce) hit a grand slam and scored twice. 

    Duds: Brett Anderson (CM) allowed 6 runs on 10 hits and fanned 1 in 4 innings. Dee Gordon (R21) had a single and a sac fly but was caught stealing and made an error. 

    Final scores (best of 3 weeks; both series are tied)

    Arbitration Losers 173, Retire 145
    Misfits 179, Soler Eclipse 144

    Consolation scores

    Already Zaun 124, Pitch You Blockhead 114
    Fresh Fish 166, Chateau Marmol 143
    Bryce is Right 163, Rookies 108

    Friday, September 25, 2015

    Week 25, finals: Friday roundup

    Paging Dr. Andrews. Dr. James Andrews.
    Studs: Justin Bour (Misfits) was a triple shy of a cycle, drove in 3 and scored twice. Curtis Granderson (Misfits) homered, doubled, scored twice and drove in 4. Lucas Duda (Bryce) hit a pair of 2-run homers. Gerrit Cole (Bryce) had an RBI single and fanned 8 while allowing a run in a 7-inning win. Christian Yelich (CM) was a homer shy of a cycle, drove in a run and scored twice. A.J. Pollock (CM). Noah Syndergaard (AL) singled twice, scored, drove in a run, got the win and fanned 11 while allowing 2 runs in 7.2 innings. Freddie Freeman (FF) hit a 2-run homer, singled twice and scored 3 runs. 

    Duds: Todd Frazier (Bryce) went 0 for 3 with 3 Ks and an error. Trevor Rosenthal (AL) allowed a run and took the loss. Welington Castillo (AZ) went 0 for 4 with an error. Adrian Gonzalez (AZ) drove in a run and erred. Carlos Martinez (AZ) lasted 7 pitches before getting hurt. 

    Final scores (best of 3 weeks; both series are tied)

    Arbitration Losers 145, Retire 132
    Misfits 157, Soler Eclipse 110

    Consolation scores

    Already Zaun 120, Pitch You Blockhead 94
    Chateau Marmol 115, Fresh Fish 115 
    Bryce is Right 133, Rookies 88

    Week 25, finals: Thursday roundup

    Nice form, Derek Norris. Tom Emanski would be so proud.
    Studs: Derek Norris (SE) hit a 3-run homer and doubled twice. Stephen Piscotty (AL) was responsible for the final 4 runs of the Cards' 7-3 win. He hit a solo homer, then a 2-run single, then an RBI single. Daniel Murphy (Misfits) had an RBI triple, 2 singles and 2 runs. Clayton Kershaw (R21) singled and struck out 9 while allowing 3 runs in a 5-inning win. 

    Duds: A.J. Pollock (CM) went 0 for 3 with an error. 

    Final scores (best of 3 weeks; both series are tied)

    Retire 109, Arbitration Losers 89
    Misfits 124, Soler Eclipse 93

    Consolation scores

    Already Zaun 114, Pitch You Blockhead 88
    Chateau Marmol 90, Fresh Fish 78
    Bryce is Right 83, Rookies 75

    Wednesday, September 23, 2015

    Week 25, finals: Wednesday roundup

    Neil Walker + Colorado pitchers x Coors Field = 13-point day.
    Studs: Freddie Freeman (FF) came off the bench to deliver a 2-run double, then followed it up a 3-run homer. Neil Walker (AZ) went 4 for 5 with a homer, 2 runs and 6 RBIs. Matt Carpenter (AZ) hit a pair of 2-run homers. Starling Marte (R21) doubled, singled twice, scored twice, drove in 2 and stole a base. 

    Duds: Jeurys Familia (SE) served up the game-losing homer to Freeman, but at least he struck out the side. Jarrod Saltalamacchia (CM) went 1 for 3 with an error and has terrible hair. 

    Final scores (best of 3 weeks; both series are tied)

    Retire 80, Arbitration Losers 47
    Soler Eclipse 79, Misfits 74

    Consolation scores

    Already Zaun 93, Pitch You Blockhead 69
    Chateau Marmol 86, Fresh Fish 32 
    Rookies 67, Bryce is Right 48

    Tuesday, September 22, 2015

    Week 25, finals: Tuesday roundup

    Jake Arrieta threw a 3-hitter to become the first 20-game winner this season.
    Studs: Jake Arrieta (AZ) singled and fanned 11 in a complete-game victory. John Lackey (SE) struck out 7 and allowed 1 run in a 7-inning win. Cody Asche (R21) hit 2 solo homers, singled and scored 3 runs. Matt Wisler (Rookies) singled and struck out 8 while allowing 2 runs in a 7-inning win. Robbie Ray (Bryce) got the win and struck out 6 in 7 shutout innings. Kris Bryant (CM) had an RBI double and a 2-run homer. 

    Duds: Jedd Gyorko (AZ) went 0 for 4 with 3 Ks and an error. J.T. Realmuto (Misfits) went 1 for 3 with an error. Justin Upton (R21) went 0 for 3 and was caught stealing. 

    Final scores (best of 3 weeks; both series are tied)

    Retire 50, Arbitration Losers 39
    Soler Eclipse 62, Misfits 35

    Consolation scores

    Already Zaun 60, Pitch You Blockhead 49
    Chateau Marmol 66, Fresh Fish 14
    Rookies 52, Bryce is Right 37

    Week 25, finals: Monday roundup

    Starling Marte enjoyed his time at Coors Field on Monday.
    Stud: Starling Marte (R21) went 4 for 5 with a homer, a double, 2 RBIs and 2 runs. 

    Duds: Wilmer Flores (PYB) singled, made an error and was caught stealing. Brett Anderson (R21) singled and allowed 5 runs on 10 hits while striking out 1 in a 4.2-inning loss. Cameron Maybin (Rookies) went 0 for 4 with an error. 

    Note: The Nationals-Orioles game was postponed.

    Final scores (best of 3 weeks; both series are tied)

    Arbitration Losers 27, Retire 15
    Soler Eclipse 24, Misfits 14

    Consolation scores

    Pitch You Blockhead 38, Already Zaun 14
    Chateau Marmol 46, Fresh Fish 6
    Rookies 15, Bryce is Right 10

    Monday, September 21, 2015

    Week 25 (Playoffs, week 7) Transactions and Lineups

    How is it possible that a Marlin has started for three FBLG teams this year, and none are the Fresh Fish?

    Players acquired

    • Misfits sign C J.T. Realmuto (September move #3) and steal 1B Justin Bour (September move #4) from Fresh Fish
    • Pitch You Blockhead sign OF Ender Inciarte (September move #2).
    • Bryce is Right sign SP Robbie Ray (September move #3).
    • Arbitration Losers sign SP Jhoulys Chacin (September move #2).
    • Already Zaun sign SP Brandon Finnegan (September move #4).

      Players released

      • OF Joc Pederson
      • OF Melvin Upton, Jr.
      • SP Matt Garza
      • SP Tim Hudson
      • 1B Ryan Zimmerman
      • SP Justin Nicolino
      • 1B Ryan Howard
      • OF Michael Conforto
      • C Miguel Montero
      • C Jonathan Lucroy

      Lineup changes

      • Rookies: None.
      • Retire 21: Activate SP Aaron Harang.
      • Misfits: Bench SP J.A. Happ and 3B Justin Turner; activate SP Kyle Hendricks, 3B Josh Harrison, 1B Justin Bour and C J.T. Realmuto.
      • Soler Eclipse: Bench OF Gerardo Parra, 2B Jace Peterson and SP Bartolo Colon; move Starlin Castro from SS to 2B; activate OF Jorge Soler (from DL), OF Matt Holliday (from DL), SS Jose Reyes and SP Alex Wood.
      • Pitch You Blockhead: Bench OF Nori Aoki; activate OF Ender Inciarte.
      • The Bryce is Right: Bench SP Aaron Nola; activate SP Robbie Ray.
      • Chateau Marmol: Bench OF Odubel Herrera and SP Anthony DeSclafani; activate OF Christian Yelich and SP Jon Niese.
      • Arbitration Losers: Bench 2B Chris Coghlan and 1B Brandon Belt; move Stephen Piscotty from OF to 1B; activate SP Jhoulys Chacin, 2B Howie Kendrick (from DL) and OF Angel Pagan.
      • Already Zaun: Bench 2B Javier Baez and OF Ryan Braun; move Kyle Schwarber from C to OF; activate OF Randal Grichuk, C Welington Castillo and 2B Neil Walker.
      • Fresh Fish: None.

      Sunday, September 20, 2015

      The Check Swing: Week 24

      1. Already Zaun (4,367 points, last week 1): Matt Carpenter (24 points) returned to form just in time for the commishes, who are trying to hold off Ray's team in the points race. Kyle Schwarber (3), Ryan Braun (3) and Michael Conforto (4) sure didn't help much. 

      2. Retire 21 (4,347 points, last week 2): Dee Gordon (28) and Justin Upton (24) led the way for Clemente's Kids, but Jacob deGrom (1) and Justin Nicolino (3) held them back in their 34-point loss to Tim's Arbitration Losers in the best-of-3 series. The playoff championship comes down to this week's outcome.

      3. Arbitration Losers (4,172 points, last week 3): The Losers have been FBLG's hottest team in the playoffs, and the suddenly dangerous Nationals have been key to that surge. Jayson Werth erupted for 31 points, and Anthony Rendon stopped making errors long enough to post a 16. 

      Have you seen this man? Please notify the Chicago Cubs
      and Pitch You Blockhead. 
      4. Pitch You Blockhead (4,035 points, last week 4): It was an odd week for Scott's team, which got a combined zero from Carlos Gomez and Nori Aoki — but James Shields made up for it by recording 33 points across a pair of outings. Jason Hammel appears to be doing his late-season disappearing act, too. 

      5. Chateau Marmol (3,899 points, last week 5): How much would you love to have Matt's infield (Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell, Corey Seager, Kris Bryant) for the next handful of seasons? You can't say the same for Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Anthony DeSclafani, though.

      6. The Bryce is Right (3,880 points, last week 8): Scoring 230 points this late in the season is almost unheard-of, but Bill pulled it off. All it's going to accomplish is give him a lower draft pick next year. Bryce Harper's 40-point week vaulted him ahead of A.J. Pollock as the top-scoring outfielder in FBLG.

      7. Soler Eclipse (3,868 points, last week 6): Adam's team defeated the Misfits to pull even in the best-of-3 battle for 3rd place in the playoffs. The pitching came up clutch with Stud performances by Francisco Liriano (21), John Lackey (20) and Patrick Corbin (19). 

      8. Misfits (3,836 points, last week 7): The Check Swing might have gone overboard in its praise of Yoenis Cespedes and Curtis Granderson last week. The Mets duo combined for only 9 points this week as the Misfits offense went dry. 

      9. Rookies (3,789 points, last week 9): Henry's Braves came up empty for him this week, with Cameron Maybin (5), Matt Wisler (3) and Shelby Miller (0) failing to help the cause. 

      10. Fresh Fish (3,478 points, last week 10): Stephen Strasburg's 50-point week came a little too late for the Fish — and for the Nationals. 

      Week 24, finals: Sunday roundup

      An error by Chateau Marmol's Anthony DeSclafani led to a 1-point loss to Already Zaun — DeSclafani's former FBLG team. The commissioners' office has launched an official investigation. 
      Studs: Stephen Strasburg (FF) singled, scored and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) while striking out 12 in a 7-inning win. Carlos Martinez (AZ) struck out 6 and allowed 2 runs in a 6.2-inning win. Gerrit Cole (Bryce) fanned 9 and allowed 3 runs in a 7-inning win. Adam Lind (Rookies) doubled, singled twice, scored and drove in 3. Jay Bruce (Rookies) homered twice and scored 3 runs. Matt Kemp (Misfits) homered, doubled twice and scored 3 runs. Justin Upton (R21) doubled twice, singled, scored and drove in 3. James Shields (PYB) struck out 8 and allowed 4 runs in a 6.2-inning win. 

      Duds: Anthony DeSclafani (CM) allowed 5 runs (4 earned) and committed an error while striking out 3 in a 4.1-inning loss. Justin Nicolino (R21) allowed 7 runs and struck out 3 in a 5.2-inning loss. Cody Asche (R21) went 1 for 3 with an error. Mark Trumbo (PYB) went 1 for 2 with an error. 

      Final scores (best of 3 weeks; both series are tied)

      Arbitration Losers 200, Retire 166
      Soler Eclipse 159, Misfits 137

      Consolation scores

      Already Zaun 159, Chateau Marmol 158
      Pitch You Blockhead 155, Rookies 149
      Bryce is Right 230, Fresh Fish 151 

      Week 24, finals: Saturday roundup

      What? What? WHAT? WHAT? WHAT?!? WHAT?!?
      Studs: Jordan Zimmermann (Rookies) singled, scored, struck out 7 and allowed 2 runs in a 6-inning win. Cole Hamels (Misfits) allowed 1 run and struck out 12 in a 7-inning victory. Francisco Liriano (SE) singled, scored, struck out 9 and allowed 2 runs in a 7-inning win. Patrick Corbin (SE) had an RBI single and got the win while striking out 5 in 7 shutout innings. Charlie Blackmon (AL) doubled, singled twice, scored 3 times and drove in a run. Kris Bryant (CM) doubled, homered, drove in 2 and scored twice. 

      Duds: Anthony Rizzo (CM) singled twice but made an error and was caught stealing. Hector Rondon (Rookies) plunked the only batter he faced. He was ejected, and the runner came around to score. Jean Segura (R21) went 0 for 4 with an error. David Wright (FF) went 0 for 4 with 3 Ks and was caught stealing. 

      Final scores (best of 3 weeks; R21 and Misfits lead 1-0)

      Retire 149, Arbitration Losers 148
      Soler Eclipse 147, Misfits 122

      Consolation scores

      Chateau Marmol 153, Already Zaun 133
      Rookies 125, Pitch You Blockhead 122
      Bryce is Right 166, Fresh Fish 122 

      Friday, September 18, 2015

      Week 24, finals: Friday roundup

      Starlin Castro made the Studs list because he played an error-free game.
      Studs: Starlin Castro (SE) had a 3-run homer, a solo homer and an RBI single. Zack Greinke (PYB) doubled, singled, scored and allowed 2 runs while striking out 3 in a 7-inning win. 

      Duds: Carlos Gonzalez (FF) went 0 for 4 with an error. Anthony Rendon (AL) went 0 for 5 with an error. Charlie Blackmon (AL) went 0 for 3 with a run and an error. 

      Transactions: R21 replaces the injured Jung-Ho Kang with 3B Cody Asche. PYB replaces the sorta-injured Carlos Gomez with OF Nori Aoki.

      Final scores (best of 3 weeks; R21 and Misfits lead 1-0)

      Retire 129, Arbitration Losers 128
      Misfits 93, Soler Eclipse 88

      Consolation scores

      Chateau Marmol 132, Already Zaun 111
      Pitch You Blockhead 109, Rookies 95
      Bryce is Right 141, Fresh Fish 108 

      Thursday, September 17, 2015

      Week 24, finals: Thursday roundup

      Nice slide, Chris Coghlan. 
      Studs: John Lackey (SE) got the win and struck out 8 in 7 shutout innings. Matt Carpenter (AZ) was a triple shy of a cycle and scored 3 runs. Gregory Polanco (R21) homered, singled, stole a base, scored twice and drove in 2. 

      Duds: It seems cruel to call someone a Dud when he suffers a season-ending leg injury, but Jung-Ho Kang (R21) committed an error before leaving the game. 

      Final scores (best of 3 weeks; R21 and Misfits lead 1-0)

      Arbitration Losers 114, Retire 109
      Misfits 65, Soler Eclipse 61

      Consolation scores

      Chateau Marmol 103, Already Zaun 95
      Rookies 85, Pitch You Blockhead 74
      Bryce is Right 108, Fresh Fish 76

      Wednesday, September 16, 2015

      Week 24, finals: Wednesday roundup

      Alex Wood allowed 1 hit in 8 innings and struck out 5 — but was on Soler Eclipse's bench. 
      Studs: Jayson Werth (AL) hit 2 more homers, singled and scored 3 runs. Kris Bryant (CM) doubled twice, stole a base, singled, scored and drove in a run. Gio Gonzalez (Rookies) allowed 2 runs and struck out 12 in a 7-inning win. 

      Duds: Francisco Cervelli (Rookies) went 1 for 3 with an error. Jay Bruce (Rookies), Andrew McCutchen (Rookies) and Yadier Molina (FF) each went 0 for 5 with 4 Ks. 

      Final scores (best of 3 weeks; R21 and Misfits lead 1-0)

      Arbitration Losers 104, Retire 92
      Misfits 62, Soler Eclipse 39

      Consolation scores

      Already Zaun 84, Chateau Marmol 80
      Pitch You Blockhead 72, Rookies 72
      Bryce is Right 102, Fresh Fish 70

      Week 24, finals: Tuesday roundup

      Bryce Harper watches Matt Williams' managing career sail out of the ballpark.
      Studs: Stephen Strasburg (FF) tossed 8 1-hit innings and struck out 14. Bryce Harper (Bryce) homered twice and drove in 4 runs. Dee Gordon (R21) hit a 2-run homer (wait, what?) and had 3 singles (that's more like it) and 2 runs. And also his 17th caught-stealing of the year. Justin Upton (R21) was a triple shy of the cycle and scored twice. Jason Heyward (CM) had a 2-run homer, 2 doubles and a steal. Jon Lester (AL) allowed 1 run and struck out 9 in a complete game win. Carlos Martinez (AZ) allowed 1 run and struck out 9 in an 8-inning no-decision, adding a double at the plate. Tyson Ross (AZ) allowed 1 run and struck out 9 in a 6-inning no-decision, also singling and scoring.

      Dud: Adam Lind (Rookies) was 0-for-4 with an error.

      Final scores (best of 3 weeks; R21 and Misfits lead 1-0)

      Arbitration Losers 75, Retire 66
      Misfits 46, Soler Eclipse 28

      Consolation scores

      Already Zaun 63, Chateau Marmol 46
      Pitch You Blockhead 47, Rookies 38
      Bryce is Right 85, Fresh Fish 53

      Monday, September 14, 2015

      Week 24, finals: Monday roundup

      AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
      Studs: Jayson Werth (AL) hit a grand slam and a solo homer. Wil Myers (AZ) had a solo homer and a 3-run double. Matt Duffy (Bryce) had 2 doubles, 2 runs and 2 RBIs. Only Clayton Kershaw (R21) could have a disappointing 16-point outing. He struck out 5 and allowed 1 run in a 7-inning victory. James Shields (PYB) allowed 1 run and struck out 6 in a 7-inning win. 

      Dud: Eugenio Suarez (Misfits) went 1 for 4 with a pair of errors. 

      Final scores (best of 3 weeks; R21 and Misfits lead 1-0)

      Retire 40, Arbitration Losers 29
      Misfits 19, Soler Eclipse 7

      Consolation scores

      Already Zaun 19, Chateau Marmol 14
      Pitch You Blockhead 28, Rookies 23
      Bryce is Right 22, Fresh Fish 13 

      Week 24 (Playoffs, week 6) Transactions and Lineups

      Finally, a healthy Marlins pitcher for the Fresh Fish. 

      Players acquired

      • Retire 21 sign SP Justin Nicolino (September move #1).
      • Misfits sign SP J.A. Happ (September move #2).
      • Soler Eclipse steal OF Joc Pederson (bonus move) from PYB and sign SS Starlin Castro (bonus move).
      • Chateau Marmol sign SP Anthony DeSclafani (September move #2) and C Jarrod Saltalamacchia (September move #3).
      • Arbitration Losers sign SP Tim Hudson (September move #1).
      • Already Zaun sign SS Jedd Gyorko (September move #3).
      • Fresh Fish sign RP A.J. Ramos (bonus move).

        Players released

        • SS Troy Tulowitzki
        • "1B" Pedro Alvarez
        • RP Drew Storen
        • SP Jeff Locke
        • C Yasmani Grandal
        • SP Joe Ross
        • SP Wily Peralta
        • SP Chase Anderson
        • SP Jake Peavy
        • SP Manny Banuelos

        Lineup changes

        • Rookies: None.
        • Retire 21: Bench SP Raisel Iglesias; place SS Cesar Hernandez on season-ending DL; activate SP Justin Nicolino.
        • Misfits: Bench SP Taylor Jungmann; activate SP J.A. Happ.
        • Soler Eclipse: Bench SP Matt Harvey, OF Melvin Upton, Jr. and SS Jose Reyes; activate SP Bartolo Colon, OF Joc Pederson and SS Starlin Castro.
        • Pitch You Blockhead: Bench SP Lance Lynn and 1B Justin Morneau; move Yangervis Solarte from 2B to 1B; activate 2B Kolten Wong and SP A.J. Burnett.
        • The Bryce is Right: None.
        • Chateau Marmol: Bench OF Christian Yelich and SP Jon Niese; activate C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, SP Anthony DeSclafani, OF Jason Heyward and SP Brett Anderson.
        • Arbitration Losers: Bench 1B Ryan Zimmerman and SP Mike Leake; activate 1B Brandon Belt and SP Tim Hudson.
        • Already Zaun: Bench C Welington Castillo; activate SS Jedd Gyorko and C Kyle Schwarber.
        • Fresh Fish: Activate RP A.J. Ramos.

        Sunday, September 13, 2015

        The Check Swing: Week 23

        Meanwhile, in the Fresh Fish clubhouse...
        1. Already Zaun (4,208 points, last week 1): Team management waited all season for the inevitable Troy Tulowitzki injury. It came much later than expected — and Tulowitzki didn't exactly live up to his first-round expectations. 

        2. Retire 21 (4,181 points, last week 2): The three-headed monster of Kershaw-deGrom-Fernandez just might be enough to earn Ray the points title and the playoff title in his rookie season in FBLG. And if he keeps getting a combined 50 points from Jung-Ho Kang and Jean Segura, he'll be tough to beat.

        3. Arbitration Losers (3,972 points, last week 3): Tim's team lost in the first week of the finals by 9 points. Perhaps he could have moved one step closer to an upset if he had gotten a better effort from Ryan Zimmerman (3) and Jhonny Peralta (1).

        4. Pitch You Blockhead (3,880 points, last week 4): Lance Lynn managed to post a minus-2 across a pair of starts for Scott's team, which managed to overcome the sabotage attempt from one of the many Cardinals who came up empty this week. 

        5. Chateau Marmol (3,741 points, last week 5): Poor Matt. A zero from Brandon Crawford, a zero from Yasmani Grandal, 2 from Joe Ross, minus-2 from Jaime Garcia, minus-1 from Jonathan Papelbon. Who are these guys, the Fresh Fish? 

        6. Soler Eclipse (3,709 points, last week 6): Key players came up small for Adam in his quest for third place in the playoffs. Melvin Upton lost his starting job, Gerardo Parra has cooled off, Aramis Ramirez has hit the skids and Jose Reyes isn't even playing. 

        7. Misfits (3,699 points, last week 7): Well, when you're trying to win a playoff duel, getting 34 points from Yoenis Cespedes and 25 from Curtis Granderson is a good place to start. Who'd have thought that Mets outfielders would be a valuable commodity?

        8. The Bryce is Right (3,650 points, last week 9): It was another solid week for Bill's team, which had everyone in double figures except ace Gerrit Cole and the two-headed first-base monster known as Lucasedro Alvaruda. 

        9. Rookies (3,640 points, last week 8): Henry isn't getting much help from his rotation down the stretch, and much of the blame can be pointed at the Atlanta offense. If they'd score some runs for Shelby Miller and Matt Wisler, the Rookies would be much better off. 

        10. Fresh Fish (3,327 points, last week 10): Rachel Phelps seems to be succeeding in her efforts to move the Fresh Fish to Miami. 


        Week 23, finals: Sunday roundup

        Go back to second, Chris! You'll end up with a cycle if you do!
        Studs: Zack Greinke (PYB) singled and got the win while striking out 8 in 8 shutout innings. Jean Segura (R21) stole 2 bases, doubled, singled twice and scored twice. Max Scherzer (CM) singled and got the win while striking out 6 in 8 shutout innings. Chris Coghlan (AL) went 4 for 5 with a homer, 2 triples and 2 runs. Mike Leake (AL) hit a 3-run homer, allowed 3 runs and struck out 2 in a 6-inning win. 

        Duds: Eugenio Suarez (Misfits) went 0 for 3 with an error. Anthony Rizzo (CM) went 0 for 4 with an error. Johnny Cueto (FF) allowed 8 runs (7 earned) and fanned 3 in a 6.1-inning loss. 

        Final scores (best of 3 weeks)

        Retire 184, Arbitration Losers 175
        Misfits 182, Soler Eclipse 162

        Consolation scores

        Already Zaun 179, Rookies 132
        Bryce is Right 175, Chateau Marmol 129
        Pitch You Blockhead 165, Fresh Fish 119 

        Week 23, finals: Saturday roundup

        Oh, so that's why Jimmy Rollins lost his job. Got it.
        Studs: Corey Seager (CM) went 4 for 4 with a homer, a double, 3 runs, 3 RBIs and a steal. Madison Bumgarner (AL) had a perfect game broken up in the 8th inning — by Melvin Upton Jr. of all people. That's not good enough to get your photo on the blog, Madison. He had to settle for a 9-strikeout shutout. Marlon Byrd (FF) went 3 for 3 with a double, 3 RBIs and a run. Jose Fernandez (R21) singled and got the win while fanning 7 in 5 shutout innings. 

        Duds: Nolan Arenado (PYB) drove in a run and erred. Hector Rondon (Rookies) allowed the game-losing 2-run homer in 0.2 inning. Anthony Rizzo (CM) scored and committed an error. 

        Transactions: Chateau Marmol benches SS Brandon Crawford, slides Corey Seager to SS and Kris Bryant to 3B, then adds Odubel Herrera to the OF. PYB benches C Jonathan Lucroy and replaces him with A.J. Pierzynski.

        Final scores (best of 3 weeks)

        Retire 162, Arbitration Losers 126
        Soler Eclipse 151, Misfits 141

        Consolation scores

        Already Zaun 150, Rookies 118
        Bryce is Right 158, Chateau Marmol 95
        Pitch You Blockhead 137, Fresh Fish 111 

        Saturday, September 12, 2015

        Week 23, finals: Friday roundup

        A Colorado pitcher made the Studs list — but he had to face the Mariners to do it.
        Studs: Jake Arrieta (AZ) continued his Kershaw-like streak of incredible outings, allowing 1 run and striking out 7 in an 8-inning win. Yoenis Cespedes (Misfits) was a triple shy of a cycle and drove in 3. Chad Bettis (Bryce) got the win and fanned 6 in 7 shutout innings. Kris Bryant (CM) played both ends of a doubleheader and collected a homer, a double, 3 singles and 4 RBIs. 

        Duds: Aramis Ramirez (SE) went 0 for 3 with an error. Justin Turner (Misfits) went 0 for 1 with 2 walks and an error. Gregory Polanco (R21) and Nolan Arenado (PYB) each went 1 for 5 with an error. Lucas Duda (Bryce) went 1 for 3 with an error. 

        Note: The Reds-Cardinals game was suspended because of weather. They'll continue the game whenever they feel like it.

        Transaction: PYB benches 2B Kolten Wong, moves Yangervis Solarte to 2B and puts Justin Morneau at 1B.

        Final scores (best of 3 weeks)

        Retire 131, Arbitration Losers 78
        Misfits 116, Soler Eclipse 112

        Consolation scores

        Already Zaun 126, Rookies 108
        Bryce is Right 149, Chateau Marmol 71
        Pitch You Blockhead 130, Fresh Fish 91 

        Thursday, September 10, 2015

        Week 23, finals: Thursday roundup

        Jaime Garcia is bummed because he traded away Rob Gronkowski in his fantasy league.
        Stud: Todd Frazier (Bryce) was a triple short of a cycle, drove in 3 and scored 3 runs. 

        Dud: Jaime Garcia (CM) allowed 6 runs and struck out 2 in a 4.1-inning loss. 

        Notes: The Jays-Yankees and Cubs-Phillies games were rained out.

        Final scores (best of 3 weeks)

        Retire 121, Arbitration Losers 66
        Soler Eclipse 103, Misfits 98

        Consolation scores

        Already Zaun 90, Rookies 78
        Bryce is Right 105, Chateau Marmol 48
        Pitch You Blockhead 123, Fresh Fish 75