I wasn’t lying on Sunday, but apparently my “yips” persist when writing this column. There is a screengrab of my DraftStreet MLB profile after the jump because I’m starting to get self-conscious you’ll all think I’m an idiot. I mean, I am, but I’m not leading you astray, generally, I don’t think.

In any case, you probably care little for past success, and you want to know what will happen TODAY. Well TODAY is, luckily for us, a larger slate than we’re accustomed to seeing on Thursdays. There are 13 games, so a lot of our usual Thursday tips for playing with a smaller player pool can be cast aside, and you can just focus on setting the best lineup possible.

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Today’s Roto Riteup author will be taking in his first live baseball game of 2014, enjoying the Mariners’ Salute to Sriracha night and the aftermath that follows.*

On today’s agenda:
1. Chris Sale to start today
2. Ben Revere on the bench
3. Alex Guerrero could be out 5 weeks after ear eaten
4. Fun with arbitrary endpoints
5. The Flaming Five

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Agenda

1. Stage Two
2. Daily DFS
3. Not-So-Thin Thursday
4. Table

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Sean Doolittle gets a lot of love. He’s similar to former Athletic Brandon McCarthy in some respects: He’s accessible on Twitter. He has a good sense of humor. And he’s more than okay with advanced statistics. But since he hasn’t been a full time “closer” until this season he’s somewhat overlooked, or at least he feels overlooked. Perhaps I’m just looking in the wrong places for Doolittle praise.

In this space, I had written: Sean Doolittle hasn’t walked a batter yet. Not one in 81 plate appearances. He then went out and walked one last night. So, his total now sits at one, after facing 85 batters. Damn it, Sean.

Thanks, in part, to an increase of his slider usage Doolittle’s strikeout rate has soared to a career high 34% (12 k/9). He’s been a little unlucky, with respect to his career norm, on home runs, but he’s still posting the best FIP of his career. If more context and adjustments are your thing, his xFIP- of 54 ranks him tenth among relievers, ahead of Kohi Uehara and Glen Perkins. (Dellin Betances is first, with a 33(!), but that’s for another day.) In short, Sean Doolittle is really, really good. And best of all, in today’s age of specialists, Doolittle destroys lefties and righties almost equally. You’ll find no discrimination in Doolittle’s game. For his career, right handed batters have a wOBA of .252; lefties, .260. Not too shabby.

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It’s been a tale of two months thus far for Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon. Things started off well for the 23-year-old. In April, he hit .316, with four home runs. After the strong start, the league may have adjusted. Rendon is hitting just .190, with one home run, in May. Despite the recent struggles, Rendon has shown some signs of improvement at the plate during his sophomore season.

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My barely noticeable beard has begun shedding, so please consider my plight as you read today’s Roto Riteup.

On today’s agenda:
1. Stephen Drew signs with Boston
2. Corey Hart out 4-6 weeks
3. Andrew Heaney gets promoted
4. Trevor Bauer replaces Danny Salazar
5. The Fickle Five

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Agenda

1. Reviewing Yesterday
2. Daily DFS
3. Tilts of Tomorrow
4. Table

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Today is “Be a Millionaire Day.” Hey, it could happen, after all, I’ve got a dream.

On today’s agenda:
1. Alex Cobb to potentially return Thursday
2. The usefulness of Yan Gomes
3. Kole Calhoun’s looming return
4. CC Sabathia out until July
5. The Daily Five

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Agenda

1. Roster Analysis
2. Daily DFS
3. Tomorrow’s Tilts
4. Table

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We’ve got a really short slate today with only five games going on. I’m guessing this may have have been discussed at some point since these posts started last year, but I wonder if it’s a good idea to invest as much on a short slate day as you normally would. Or is it even a good idea to play at all on short slate days?

My thought is that because the options are fewer it’s harder to gain an advantage. More people are going to use optimal plays simply because there aren’t as many players to choose from. It’s a lot easier to pick the three best pitchers of the day when there are only ten to choose from as opposed to thirty. Easier sounds like a good thing until you remember it’s easier for everyone. If you fancy yourself good at this game, it makes more sense to put your money in, or at least more of your money in, when it’s harder for everyone else to pick the optimal plays.

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