Kelly Johnson Hits for the Cycle, Go Figure

Last night, Arizona Diamondbacks’ second baseman Kelly Johnson became the third player this year to hit for the cycle. Johnson went 4-for-4 with three RBI along with a hit by pitch in the Diamondbacks 7-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants.

While this is a great feat for Johnson, I am a tad annoyed this happened. I am annoyed this happened because I had Johnson on my bench last night for my fantasy team. My logic? I went off sample size.

Johnson went into last night’s game 5-for-10 with two doubles and a triple off of Giants’ starter Jonathan Sanchez. This is pretty impressive, but I thought that was too small of a sample size to go off of.

I decided to look at the larger sample size, which was Sanchez versus left-handed batters. Lefties were hitting just .169 with a .582 OPS and two home runs (ironically they were hit by Ike Davis in the same game, who is also on my fantasy team and who I also benched the day he hit those two homers) in 71 ABs against Sanchez in 2010.

I figured the odds were in my favor that Johnson’s line would even out against Sanchez and Sanchez’s success against lefties would hold true. I inserted Gordon Beckham into my starting lineup and he proceeded to go 1-for-4 against Trevor Cahill and the Oakland A’s.

Johnson on the other hand, ripped a home run in the first (411 feet) and then ripped another double off of Sanchez in the fifth. Johnson got his triple in the sixth off of Santiago Casilla and completed the cycle with a single in the eighth off of Sergio Romo.

I play in a total points league and Johnson’s benching cost me 27 points last night. That is a week worth’s of points in one day sitting on my bench. Just terrible.

This is the second time I have put my fantasy team in the hands of Sanchez and for the second time he has made me look like a fool. No more. If I have a lefty going against Sanchez, I am starting him.

I have learned my lesson.

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