Week 12: Friday roundup

Ground-ball machine Brett Anderson tied a career high with 10 Ks and allowed only 1 fly ball.

Studs: Brett Anderson (CM) had an RBI single, struck out 10 and allowed 1 run in a 7-inning win. Max Scherzer (CM) singled and scored, struck out 7 and allowed 2 runs in an 8-inning win. Carlos Gonzalez (FF) went 5 for 5 with a double, a triple, an RBI and 3 runs. Nolan Arenado (PYB) hit a 3-run homer and a solo homer. Tyson Ross (AZ) struck out 7 and allowed 2 runs in a 6-inning win. Noah Syndergaard (AL) fanned 5 and allowed 1 run in an 8-inning win.  

Dud: Yasmany Tomas (R21) went 0 for 2 and was caught stealing. 

Transactions: Fresh Fish added to their impressive DL lineup by adding 3B Anthony Rendon. Maikel Franco replaces Rendon in the real lineup. 

Scores

Arbitration Losers 133, Soler Eclipse 79

Rookies 111, Misfits 95

PYB 138, Fresh Fish 112 

Already Zaun 122, Retire 87

Chateau Marmol 132, Bryce is Right 107

Week 12: Thursday roundup

Brandon Phillips did just about everything for the Reds.

Studs: Brandon Crawford (CM) tripled, doubled, drove in 2 and scored twice. Buster Posey (AL) doubled twice, singled, drove in 3 and scored 3 runs. Brandon Belt (AL) tripled twice, drove in a run and scored. Brandon Phillips (FF) stole a base, was a double short of a cycle, drove in 2 and scored 2 runs. Doug Fister (FF) singled and got the win while fanning 4 in 7 shutout innings. Lance Lynn (PYB) got the win and struck out 6 in 6 shutout innings. Chris Heston (Misfits) had an RBI single and struck out 6 while allowing 2 runs in a 7-inning win. Jacob deGrom (R21) singled, scored, got the win and fanned 7 in 8 shutout innings. 

Duds: Yadier Molina (FF) and Nick Markakis (SE) each went 0 for 4 with an error. Dee Gordon (R21) singled and made 2 errors. Jean Segura (R21) went 0 for 3 with an error.

Transactions: PYB activated SP Lance Lynn from the DL and benches A.J. Burnett.

Scores

Arbitration Losers 103, Soler Eclipse 40

Rookies 92, Misfits 82

PYB 105, Fresh Fish 81 

Retire 71, Already Zaun 62

Chateau Marmol 83, Bryce is Right 77

Week 12: Wednesday roundup

The Associated Press failed to get a photo of a guy who got 4 hits Wednesday. But they took photos of the grounds crew!

Studs: Jaime Garcia (CM) singled, scored, struck out 4 and allowed 1 run in a 7-inning win. Yasmany Tomas (R21) went 4 for 5 with a double, an RBI and 2 runs. 

Duds: None.

Scores

Arbitration Losers 69, Soler Eclipse 35

Rookies 79, Misfits 46

PYB 71, Fresh Fish 41 

Retire 49, Already Zaun 47

Chateau Marmol 60, Bryce is Right 54

Week 12: Tuesday Roundup

Stephen Strasburg has been outscored by Kyle Hendricks this year, but he's aiming to change that.

Studs: Stephen Strasburg (FF) returned from the DL to strike out 6 in 5 shutout innings, earning the win. We're bending the usual "stud" rules because we feel Strasburg and the Fresh Fish deserve any good news they can get. Nolan Arenado (PYB) hit a pair of homers and drove in 4. Carlos Martinez (AZ) struck out 9 and allowed 3 runs in a 7-inning win, adding a single at the plate. Madison Bumgarner (AL) managed to put up a 20 without earning the win, which earns the grudging respect of this Dodgers fan: he struck out 14 and allowed 2 runs in a 7-inning no-decision, adding a single at the plate. Jay Bruce (Rookies) had a homer, a single, 2 runs and 3 RBIs.

Dud: Chase Anderson (Misfits) caught the Coors Field Flu, allowing 8 earned runs in 5 innings.

Transactions: Fresh Fish place 1B Freddie Freeman on the DL, sign and activate 1B Justin Bour, and activate SP Stephen Strasburg from the DL. Effective Wednesday, Pitch You Blockhead places OF Nori Aoki on the DL, shifts Mark Reynolds from 1B to OF, and activates 1B Yonder Alonso.

Scores

Arbitration Losers 36, Soler Eclipse 19

Rookies 35, Misfits 22

PYB 52, Fresh Fish 32 

Already Zaun 28, Retire 26

Bryce is Right 36, Chateau Marmol 28

Week 12: Monday roundup

Kris Bryant helped the Cubs beat Clayton Kershaw.

Studs: Kris Bryant (CM) blasted a 2-run homer and a solo homer. Makiel Franko had a 14-point day on the Arbitration Losers' bench. 

Dud: Jonathan Papelbon (CM) allowed 2 runs in 1 inning.

Scores

Soler Eclipse 2, Arbitration Losers 0

Misfits 3, Rookies 2

PYB 4, Fresh Fish 0 

Retire 10, Already Zaun 1

Chateau Marmol 9, Bryce is Right 0

Week 12 Transactions and Lineups

How is FBLG owner Matt like James Bond? They both benched a villain whose name rhymes with "Goldfinger."

Players acquired

• Rookies sign SP Matt Wisler (June move #3).
• The Bryce is Right sign SP Jeff Locke (June move #2).
• Already Zaun sign OF/1B Ben Paulsen (June move #3).

Players released

• 2B Chase Utley

Lineup changes

• Rookies: None.
• Retire 21: Bench C Travis d'Arnaud and SP Charlie Morton; activate C Nick Hundley and SP Joe Ross.
• Misfits: Bench SP Williams Perez, SP Kyle Hendricks and OF Curtis Granderson; activate SP Cole Hamels, SP Mike Fiers and OF Alex Guerrero.
• Soler Eclipse: Bench SP Bartolo Colon, 3B Will Middlebrooks and OF Will Venable; activate SP Alex Wood, 3B Aramis Ramirez and OF Gerardo Parra.
• Pitch You Blockhead: Bench 1B Yonder Alonso; move Mark Reynolds from OF to 1B; activate OF Carlos Gomez.
• The Bryce is Right: Bench SP Matt Garza; activate SP Jeff Locke.
• Chateau Marmol: Bench 2B Joe Panik and SP Mike Bolsinger; activate 2B Addison Russell and SP Brett Anderson.
• Arbitration Losers: None.
• Already Zaun: Bench C Miguel Montero and OF Michael Cuddyer; activate C J.T. Realmuto and OF Ben Paulsen.
• Fresh Fish: None.

The Check Swing: Week 11

Coming soon to a mound near you: Jose Fernandez

Big news this week in FBLG: Our top 2 teams in the rankings lost their head-to-head matchups, while PYB won again despite scoring only 159 points. That means we have a 3-way tie atop the standings with a trio of teams at 9-2. It was a rough week for The Bryce is Right, which put up 197 points and lost to the only team that posted a bigger number (Soler Eclipse). Even bigger news: It's Tom Petty week on the Check Swing!

1. Retire 21 (9-2, 2,021 points, last week 1): "The Waiting" — Ray has been waiting for Jose Fernandez's return, and the rest of FBLG has been waiting for his team to cool off after a remarkable start. 

2. Already Zaun (9-2, 1,981 points, last week 2): "The Damage You've Done" — The Zaunies' outfield has been crippled by wrist injuries to Wil Myers and Hunter Pence. Somehow, Michael Cuddyer has stayed healthy. Which means he's due. 

3. Pitch You Blockhead (9-2, 1,965 points, last week 3): "Room at the Top" — You wouldn't think a team with Yonder Alonso, Wilmer Flores, Nori Aoki and Mark Reynolds would be competing for the No. 1 spot, but that just shows what a powerhouse rotation can do.

4. Soler Eclipse (5-6, 1,855 points, last week 4): "Built to Last" — Don't be fooled by this team's record. With Paul Goldschmidt and Derek Norris powering the offense, a top closer and a strong rotation, Soler Eclipse is in this for the long haul. 

5. Chateau Marmol (6-5, 1,828 points, last week 5): "Don't Come Around Here No More" — Matt's team has had Ian Desmond on it twice in the past three seasons. The first time, Matt traded Desmond away. Now, Matt has cut the error-prone shortstop. Don't expect Matt to fall for Desmond's allure again.

6. The Bryce is Right (3-8, 1,826 points, last week 6): "Don't Do Me Like That" — Bill's team isn't far out of fourth place in the rankings but is saddled with a 3-8 record, putting him in danger of missing the FBLG playoffs. What does Bill need to do to catch a break? 

7. Arbitration Losers (5-6, 1,811 points, last week 7): "Too Much Ain't Enough" — Tim has five Giants on his team. What's stopping him from swinging deals to collect them all? 

8. Misfits (3-8, 1,747 points, last week 9): "Learning to Fly" — Reid has been getting contributions from players who haven't had much of an impact in FBLG before (Justin Turner, Adeiny Hechavarria, A.J. Pierzynski, Chris Heston, Alex Guerrero and Williams Perez). 

9. Rookies (5-6, 1,741 points, last week 8): "Southern Accents" — We here at FBLG like to pick on owners who stock up on players from their favorite team. In Henry's case, that would be his six Braves.

10. Fresh Fish (1-10, 1,602 points, last week 10): "Let Me Up (I've Had Enough)" — We can't even keep track of all the Fishies on the DL. Marlon Byrd and Doug Fister returned to the lineup, but now Carlos Gonzalez is having wrist pain and Freddie Freeman is getting an MRI. 

Week 11: Sunday roundup

"Hey, Ground Chuck. Penny for your thoughts."

Studs: Gio Gonzalez (Rookies) had an RBI double, scored, got the win and fanned 4 in 7 shutout innings. Jake Arrieta (AZ) shutout the Twins and struck out 7. Justin Turner (Misfits) hit a 2-run homer and an RBI single and scored twice. Yasmani Grandal (CM) homered twice, singled and scored 3 runs. Julio Teheran (Bryce) got the win and struck out 5 in 7 shutout innings. Yunel Escobar (FF) had a 3-run homer, singled and scored twice. 

Duds: Charlie Morton (R21) gave up 9 runs, took the loss, made an error and got only 2 outs. At least one of them was a K. Will Middlebrooks (SE) went 0 for 4 with an error. Matt Garza (Bryce) gave up 10 runs — only 7 of them earned — in a 5.1-inning loss. Brandon Belt (AL) scored a run and made an error. 

Scores

Arbitration Losers 187, Retire 121

Misfits 181, Already Zaun 164

PYB 159, Rookies 133

Soler Eclipse 208, Bryce is Right 197

Chateau Marmol 192, Fresh Fish 134