RotoDish Fantasy Baseball - The Weekly Rundown

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Another exciting week is behind us, as we inch closer to the fantasy baseball playoffs. The US has already won 12 medals, only 2 behind China, and Michael Phelps’ hopes for a record 8 gold medals is still alive after a ridiculous comeback performance in the 4×100 relay. Fuck those smack-talking French! Padraig Harrington won the PGA Championships, Kyle Busch became the first Nascar driver to win 3 road races in one season, and Brock Lesnar has proven himself in the MMA world.

Unfortunately, we also lost Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes this week, but they left their mark with some everlasting comedy and music. On the brighter side of things, Favre is still one of the guys and chuckles to himself every night over the amount of poon he could get in NY if he weren’t married.

Before we know it, the fantasy playoffs will be right around the corner. Check back next week for standout individual performances, predictions, and status changes.

Italicized stats indicate weekly leader.

Notable Hitting Weeks

Marlon Byrd - .571 AVG, 1.554 OPS, 9 R, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 2 SB - Pick Byrd up if your outfield is struggling! He is hitting 5th in the dominant Texas lineup, and is beasting.

Carlos Lee- Big Numbers - Well, it doesn’t really matter that Lee had a huge week, since he will miss 6-8 weeks with a broken left pinky. YOU SELFISH PUNK, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO RUIN SO MANY FANTASY SEASONS BECAUSE OF A BROKEN PINKY!

Vladimir Guerrero - .480 AVG, 1.399 OPS, 7 R, 3 HR, 9 RBI - Vlad happy. Vlad like Mark Teixeira. Although this is the worst season Vlad has had in years, he is hitting .354 over the past 12 games.

Big Time Pitching

Brian Moehler- 12 IP, 2 W, 7 K, 0.75 ERA, 0.75 WHIP - 4-0 in his last 6 starts, but don’t be fooled by his numbers. Moehler is a mediocre starting pitcher, and hasn’t had a winning season since 2000, 4 teams ago. Think about picking him up in deeeeep leagues if you think you can get one or two more solid starts out of him, but I wouldn’t

Brandon Webb- 15 IP, 2 W, 9 K, 1.2 ERA, 1.13 WHIP - Webb continues to be one of the best fantasy pitchers this season, collecting his 16th and 17th win this week. Don’t even worry about those hiccups in May and June.

Fernando Rodney- 5.2 IP, 2 Saves, 8 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.53 WHIP - Rodney has been given the ball in the ninth the past two save opportunites, and has capitalized both times. He won’t pitch consecutive games because of shoulder problems from earlier in the season, but is a decent option at RP if you are desperate for saves (or are a Detroit fan).

CC Sabathia- 9 IP, 1 W, 9 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP - 4 complete games and 2 shutouts since coming to Milwaukee. Wow.

Shockingly Bad Weeks

Carlos Zambrano- 4.1 IP, 0 W, 1 L, 3 K, 18.69 ERA, 2.54 WHIP - Zambrano giving up 4 homers in one game is a fluke. If his owner is nervous, make a move for Carlos since he is still the ace we know and love.

Scott Kazmir- 4.1 IP, 0 W, 4 K, 10.38 ERA, 2.77 WHIP - Kazmir is definitely struggling after failing to pitch 6 innings for the 8th time in his last 10 starts. Control is the issue, and it has been a while since he has had a quality start. I would usually say this is the time to trade for Kazmir, but it doesn’t look like he is going to break out of this funk any time soon.

Grady Sizemore - .143 AVG, .393 OPS, 1 R, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 0 SB - Sizemore had been on fire before this week, so don’t worry about it too much. He is healthy and a natural stud so keep him in your lineup.

Adam Dunn - .148 AVG, .392 OPS, 0 Everything - Dunn hit .310 with 12 homers in July, but August has been a struggle. On the other hand, the Reds have won one game in August so it isn’t just Dunn.

Week 20 Predictions

• Marlon Byrd will have another great week
• Joa Nathan will convert at least 3 saves
• The Reds won’t win a game
• Cliff Lee and Brandon Webb will both win….again
• USA will take over as the overall medals leader