Week 9: Saturday Roundup

He's baaaaaaaaack! After missing 39 games, Yasiel Puig had the go-ahead double Saturday night.

Studs: Todd Frazier (Bryce) had 2 doubles and 3 RBIs. Clayton Kershaw (R21) is back to his usual self, which is terrifying... anyway, he struck out 11 and allowed only 1 hit in 8 shutout innings for the win. Matt Kemp (Misfits) broke out of his slump with a homer and 5 RBIs. Madison Bumgarner (AL)  struck out 11 and allowed 5 runs in an 8-inning win, adding 2 hits and an RBI. Jason Hammel (PYB) continued his hot streak, striking out 7 and allowing 2 runs in an 8-inning win. Carlos Gomez (PYB) had a double, 3 singles a steal and 3 RBIs.

Duds: For the second day in a row, none.

Transactions: The Bryce is Right activate OF Yasiel Puig from DL.

Scores

Already Zaun 167, Arbitration Losers 143

Rookies 161, Bryce is Right 140

Retire 207, Soler Eclipse 159

Fresh Fish 163, Misfits 162

PYB 196, Chateau Marmol 140

Week 9: Friday Roundup

You'd be smiling too if you drove in 6 runs.
But then you'd remember that your team still had the worst record in the N.L. and you'd be sad.

Studs: Anthony Rizzo (Chateau) had two homers and drove in 3. Adam Lind (Rookies) had a homer, a double, scored twice and had 6 RBIs. Starling Marte (R21) doubled, drove in 3 and scored 3 times. A.J. Pollock (Chateau) had 2 doubles, 2 runs, 2 RBIs and a steal. Carlos Martinez (AZ) struck out 11 and allowed 1 run in a 7-inning win.

Duds: None.

Transactions: Misfits place 2B Daniel Murphy on DL, move Josh Harrison from 3B to 2B, move Alex Guerrero from OF to 3B and activate OF Curtis Granderson. Arbitration Losers activate 3B Anthony Rendon from DL. Chateau Marmol trade C J.T. Realmuto to Already Zaun for SP Brett Anderson and activate Anderson, benching Jon Niese.

Scores

Already Zaun 159, Arbitration Losers 106

Rookies 136, Bryce is Right 98

Retire 154, Soler Eclipse 148

Fresh Fish 144, Misfits 136

PYB 155, Chateau Marmol 125

Week 9: Thursday roundup

Don't invite Hunter Pence into your house.

Studs: Matt Harvey (SE) singled and struck out 9 while allowing 2 runs in a 7-inning win. Jake Arrieta (AZ) struck out 8 and allowed 1 run in a 6-inning win. Michael Wacha (AZ) struck out 5 and allowed 1 run in a 7-inning win. Brandon Phillips (FF) doubled, singled twice, stole a base, drove in 2 and scored. 

Duds: Jay Bruce (Rookies) went 0 for 3 and was caught stealing. Aaron Harang (R21) gave up 5 earned runs and fanned only 1 in a 5.2-inning loss. 

Transactions: Soler Eclipse placed OF Jorge Soler on the DL and replaced him with Nick Markakis. The Rookies signed OF Brandon Barnes. 

Scores

Already Zaun 118, Arbitration Losers 86 

Rookies 99, Bryce is Right 79

Soler Eclipse 125, Retire 104

Fresh Fish 115, Misfits 112

PYB 135, Chateau Marmol 86

Week 9: Wednesday roundup

Freddie Freeman congratulates Jonny Gomes after hearing that the Fresh Fish had activated Gomes.

Studs: Francisco Liriano (SE) singled and struck out 6 while allowing 1 run in a 7-inning win. Joey Votto (R21) hit a 2-run homer and doubled twice. Charlie Blackmon (AL) went 4 for 5 with 2 doubles, 3 runs and a steal. Mike Leake (AL) singled, scored, struck out 9 and allowed 2 runs in 8 innings. Troy Tulowitzki (AZ) had a 3-run homer, an RBI single and an RBI walk. Freddie Freeman (FF) hit a 3-run homer and a solo homer. Brandon Phillips (FF) doubled, singled twice drove in 2, stole a base and scored. 

Duds: Aroldis Chapman (SE) gave up 2 runs in 1 inning. Jay Bruce (Rookies) went 0 for 3 with 3 walks and an error. 

Transactions: Fresh Fish put Marlon Byrd on the DL and replace him with Jonny Gomes.

Scores

Arbitration Losers 78, Already Zaun 68

Rookies 89, Bryce is Right 63

Retire 104, Soler Eclipse 87

Misfits 109, Fresh Fish 105 

PYB 122, Chateau Marmol 78

Week 9: Tuesday roundup

Joc Pederson hit 947 feet worth of home runs in Colorado today.

Studs: Joc Pederson (PYB) hit a 2-run homer in the first game of a doubleheader, then hit a solo homer and an RBI triple in the second game. Lance Lynn (PYB) singled, got the win and fanned 5 in 7.2 shutout innings. Nick Hundley (R21) had 2 doubles, a single, 3 runs and 2 RBIs. Jordan Zimmermann (Rookies) singled, scored, got the win and struck out 4 in 8 shutout innings. Andrew McCutchen (Rookies) went 4 for 5 with a double, a triple, 2 runs and 2 RBIs. 

Duds: Todd Frazier (Bryce) made 2 errors and went 0 for 5.

Scores

Already Zaun 44, Arbitration Losers 35 

Rookies 59, Bryce is Right 46

Retire 73, Soler Eclipse 45

Misfits 77, Fresh Fish 66 

PYB 88, Chateau Marmol 54

Week 9: Monday roundup

On a day of remarkable pitching performances, this one is No. 1:
Andrew Cashner struck out 12 and allowed 11 hits in 4.2 innings.

Studs: Jason Hammel (PYB) singled and fanned 11 while allowing 1 run in a 6.2-inning win. Clayton Kershaw (R21) struck out 7 and allowed 2 earned runs in a 7-inning win. He also went 3 for 4 with a double, an RBI and a run. Gerrit Cole (Bryce) scored 2 runs and struck out 9 while allowing 2 unearned runs in a 7-inning win. Jacob deGrom (R21) got the win and struck out 8 in 8 shutout innings. Alex Wood (SE) had a 2-run single, struck out 4 and allowed 1 run in an 8-inning victory. Daniel Murphy (Misfits) homered, doubled, singled twice, drove in 3 and scored 3 runs. Mike Fiers (Misfits) got the win and struck out 6 in 6 shutout innings. Andre Ethier (Bryce) homered, tripled and scored twice. Howie Kendrick (AL) hit a 3-run homer and an RBI single. Freddie Freeman (FF) homered, singled twice, drove in 3 and scored twice. 

Duds: Archie Bradley (Bryce) allowed 5 runs in a 5-inning loss and struck out only 1. Matt Duffy (Bryce) went 0 for 3 with an error. Jung-Ho Kang (AL) and Miguel Montero (AZ) each went 0 for 4 with an error. Paul Goldschmidt (SE) went 1 for 4 with an error. Will Middlebrooks (SE) went 1 for 3 with an error. 

Note: The Nationals and Jays were rained out but will play a doubleheader Tuesday.

Scores

Already Zaun 20, Arbitration Losers 18 

Bryce is Right 34, Rookies 14

Retire 48, Soler Eclipse 28

Misfits 34, Fresh Fish 22 

PYB 41, Chateau Marmol 19

Week 9 Transactions and Lineups

Longtime readers of the blog may remember a time in the distant past when
Chase Utley was hitting better than .180 on June 1.

Players acquired

• Fresh Fish sign SP Ryan Vogelsong (June move #1).

Players released

• 3B Eric Campbell
• SP Homer Bailey
• C Martin Maldonado

Lineup changes

• Rookies: None.
• Retire 21: Bench SP Charlie Morton; activate SP Aaron Harang.
• Misfits: Bench SP Chase Anderson; activate SP Chris Heston.
• Soler Eclipse: Bench 3B Aramis Ramirez and OF Nick Markakis; activate 3B Will Middlebrooks and OF Dexter Fowler.
• Pitch You Blockhead: Bench SP A.J. Burnett; activate C Jonathan Lucroy (from DL) and SP Jason Hammel.
• The Bryce is Right: Bench OF Ben Revere, SP Julio Teheran and SP Kyle Lohse; activate OF Billy Hamilton, SP Archie Bradley and SP Carlos Frias.
• Chateau Marmol: None.
• Arbitration Losers: Bench 3B Maikel Franco; activate 3B Jung-Ho Kang.
• Already Zaun: Bench 2B Chase Utley and SP Tyson Ross; activate 2B Neil Walker and SP Rubby De La Rosa.
• Fresh Fish: Bench SP David Phelps; place SP Stephen Strasburg and OF Khris Davis on the DL; activate SP Johnny Cueto, SP Ryan Vogelsong and OF Carlos Gonzalez.

FBLG Leaders Through Week 8

Only one player among the top hitters doesn't have a home run this year.
Good thing Dee Gordon leads the league with 78 hits and a .377 batting average.
Amazingly, 66 of his hits are singles.

Batting Leaders

1. Paul Goldschmidt (Soler) 180
2. Bryce Harper (Bryce) 162
3. Justin Upton (Retire) 155
4. Derek Norris (Soler) 143
5. Adrian Gonzalez (AZ) 143
6. Dee Gordon (Retire) 143
7. Todd Frazier (Bryce) 142
8. Matt Carpenter (AZ) 139
9. Anthony Rizzo (Chateau) 137
10. Starling Marte (Retire) 135
11. Giancarlo Stanton (Misfits) 135
12. Ryan Braun (AZ) 135

Starting Pitching Leaders

1. Max Scherzer (Chateau) 173
2. James Shields (PYB) 161
3. Gerrit Cole (Bryce) 153
4. Zack Greinke (PYB) 145
5. Madison Bumgarner (AL) 134
6. Matt Harvey (Soler) 132
7. Michael Wacha (AZ) 130
8. Clayton Kershaw (Retire) 129
9. Jacob deGrom (Retire) 126
10. Shelby Miller (Rookies) 125
11. Cole Hamels (Misfits) 125

Relief Pitching Leaders

1. Santiago Casilla (Retire) 100
2. Drew Storen (FF) 99
3. Jeurys Familia (AZ) 99
4. Trevor Rosenthal (AL) 98
5. Aroldis Chapman (Soler) 90

The Check Swing: Week 8

Starlin Castro makes an error. I know that's hard to believe. 

Welcome to the Big-Time Questions edition of the blog. Every team faces major questions eight weeks into the season. And away we go!

1. Retire 21 (7-1, 1,504 points, last week 2): Will the Fightin' Clementes continue to get career seasons from Dee Gordon, Jean Segura, Starling Marte, Nick Hundley and Santiago Casilla to go along with the resurgent Aaron Harang and Tim Lincecum? 

2. Already Zaun (7-1, 1,492 points, last week 1): Is Tyson Ross going to pitch like 2014 Tyson Ross at any point, and is Troy Tulowitzki ever going to hit like 2009-14 Tulo again? 

3. Pitch You Blockhead (7-1, 1,412 points, last week 3): Will anyone want to face this team when Justin Morneau and Jonathan Lucroy come off the disabled list? That rotation is terrifying.

4. Soler Eclipse (4-4, 1,340 points, last week 4): Is Adam sick and tired of Starlin Castro's traditional maddening inconsistency yet?

5. Arbitration Losers (4-4, 1,301 points, last week 5): Is Tim's reliance on Giants going to backfire if San Francisco ever cools off? Maybe not: Bumgarner, Posey, Pagan and Belt are pretty good Giants to rely on.

6. Rookies (4-4, 1,293 points, last week 6): Andrelton Simmons and D.J. LeMahieu are among the leading scorers at their respective seasons. Will that continue long enough for the Rookies to make a surge to the top of the standings? 

7. The Bryce is Right (2-6, 1,276 points, last week 7): Will Yasiel Puig and Billy Hamilton contribute at any point? Bill already rebuilt his shaky middle infield, so it would be nice if two of his top outfielders did something to help.

8. Chateau Marmol (4-4, 1,273 points, last week 8): Will the supremely disappointing Jason Heyward and Ian Desmond ever see the field again for Chateau Marmol? 

9. Fresh Fish (0-8, 1,141 points, last week 9): Doug Fister. David Wright. Carl Crawford. Mike Morse. Henderson Alvarez. Khris Davis. Stephen Strasburg. All on the DL. How is it possible that Carlos Gonzalez is the healthiest member of this team? 

10. Misfits (1-7, 1,140 points, last week 10): In this week's showdown to watch, the Misfits will take on the Fresh Fish for basement supremacy. Who will emerge victorious?

Week 8: Sunday roundup

Carlos Martinez honored his friend Oscar Taveras by dominating the Dodgers.

Studs: Carlos Martinez (AZ) got the win and fanned 8 in a 7-inning win. A.J. Pollock (CM) was a homer short of a cycle, stole a base, drove in a run and scored. Todd Frazier (Bryce) was a triple short of a cycle, drove in 2 and scored twice. D.J. LeMahieu (Rookies) hit a 2-run homer, singled twice and scored twice. Jean Segura (R21) had 2 singles, a double, a triple, 2 RBIs and a run. 

Dud: Santiago Casilla (R21) gave up 4 runs (3 earned) in a 0.2-inning loss.

Scores

Already Zaun 187, Rookies 165 

Soler Eclipse 181, Fresh Fish 129 

PYB 180, Arbitration Losers 170 

Retire 212, Chateau Marmol 179

Bryce is Right 172, Misfits 131

Week 8: Saturday roundup

Chateau Marmol benched J.T. Realmuto, who
responded with a 9-point day.

Studs: Jace Peterson (SE) was a homer short of a cycle, stole a base and scored 3 runs. Paul Goldschmidt (SE) hit a 3-run homer and a solo homer. Giancarlo Stanton (Misfits) hit 2 solo homers. 

Duds: Kyle Lohse (Bryce) made an error and gave up 7 runs and 11 hits in a 3.1-inning loss. Aramis Ramirez (SE) went 1 for 4 with an error. 

Note: The Cubs-Royals game was rained out.

Transactions: Chateal Marmol activates C Yasmani Grandal and moves J.T. Realmuto to the bench. Fresh Fish move SP Johnny Cueto to the bench and sign Tanner Roark, who goes into Cueto's spot.

Scores

Already Zaun 154, Rookies 143 

Soler Eclipse 164, Fresh Fish 102 

PYB 145, Arbitration Losers 141 

Retire 194, Chateau Marmol 149

Bryce is Right 139, Misfits 123