With apologies to the Pirates and Cubs fans, I am writing this Roto Riteup before that game is over. To be fair, the first pitch was at 11:38 and I’m an old man who needs his sleep.

• My preseason hopes for Domonic Brown haven’t come to fruition, but he is hitting better as of late. After his 2-for-4 game yesterday — that included another home run — Brown is up to a .340 on-base percentage and a 103 wRC+. Ideally over the course of a full season Brown could hit double digit home runs, plenty of doubles and triples as well as stealing enough bases for it to matter. As for this season, Brown should be free to grab in almost every league.
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As much as I love fantasy baseball, I don’t much care for the stretch run.Too much stress on my mental frame. On a not totally unrelated note, I don’t care much for stretching or running either. Too much stress on my physical frame.

• Norichika Aoki is quickly becoming one of my favorite mid-season pick ups. Over the past month Aoki is hitting .294 with two home runs and eight steals. He’s scored 19 runs and driven in 13 over that time frame as well. Yesterday he cranked two doubles and then nabbed two more steals, bringing his season total of stolen bases up to 26. Honestly, it is hard to find a flaw in his game. He has 41 BB’s on the year against just 47 strikeouts. He has a shot at a 10 home run, 30 steal, .290 season — that is something I’ll happily take from one of my second basemen outfielders any year. Aoki is somehow owned in less than 30% of Yahoo! leagues. As of last week, his ownership rate in ESPN leagues was a mere 35%, but that has skyrocketed to 69%. If for some reason he is still available then go and grab him for your team’s final push. The Brewers are on fire as of late and Aoki has been on fire since July.
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I’m kind of confused. Yesterday was a big day in baseball, but if my twitter feed was accurate, most people spent the day watching something called “college football.”

• Waiver trade acquisition Stephen Drew popped just his second home run in an Athletics uniform last night. He is still having a disappointing and injury plagued season, but a few weeks worth of production here in the head-to-head playoffs or stretch run of rotisserie leagues could be on his horizon. Drew has batted everywhere in the lineup from lead-off to eighth, so it’s hard to predict exactly where Melvin will plant him going forward. For now, Drew makes for a solid pickup in deep leagues or AL-only formats. He is owned in roughly 20% of both ESPN and Yahoo! formats. I’ve written about (and gotten burned by) him in the past, but fool me seven or more times, and shame on me.
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Since I know you’re all waking up early to catch some Premiere League games, why not read about your fantasy baseball team too?

• Even prior to yesterday’s 2-for-3 game, Brennan Boesch was hitting .286 over the past week. He’s been mired in a slump for most of the season, but it seems as though he’s picking it up for the stretch run. If you need a player who must have playing time, Boesch has hit fifth or sixth in the lineup 13 out of 14 times since August 23. With plenty of chances to drive in runs with Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera batting in front of him, Boesch could really rack up some counting stats in the closing weeks. His ownership rate is 20% in ESPN leagues and 24% in Yahoo! leagues.

• After hitting his third home run of the season, hopefully Domonic Brown will see some more playing time. He is sporting is usual strong plate discipline skills — 10.7% rate thus far — and his ISO is up to .129 on the season. His wRC+ is just 93 yet, but that is in sporadic playing time. I’m still mildly optimistic for him next season, and for now I’ve grabbed him in a league where I badly needed an OF. He should be free to pick up in over 95% of both Yahoo! and ESPN leagues.

• If you’re looking for help at third base (and who isn’t?) then Lonnie Chisenhall could work. He was on base three times in yesterday’s game, twice via hits and once via a walk. The walk is most significant because Chisenhall has never really been one to draw the free pass. Even in the minors, his BB% never reached above 10% at any level for any amount of time. The upside is that he rarely strikes out and he does posses solid power. Cleveland doesn’t have anything to play for other than to look ahead to next season, so expect Chisenhall to get plenty of playing time. You can pick him up in about 97% of ESPN or Yahoo! formats.

• Another option at third base is Manny Machado. He also reached base three times in his game yesterday and while his rate stats aren’t anything to brag about, his counting statistics do impress. With four homers and two steals over just 127 plate appearances bode well for his future fantasy value. Machado is owned in about 30% of Yahoo! leagues and almost 40% of ESPN formats. For the rest of this season, I’d take Machado over Chisenhall.

• Kris Medlen is good. I feel like 13 strikeouts in seven innings kind of speaks for itself.

For those of you who play daily fantasy games like FanGraphs: The Game, or just like to stream players, here are a couple matchups you may be able to exploit.

A Pitcher for Today: Shaun Marcum vs NYM
Well, Fiers got touched up for four runs in the first two innings yesterday, but I’m feeling good about playing against the Mets today. He hasn’t been great since his return from the DL, but I like him today.

A Pitcher for Tomorrow: Brandon Morrow vs BOS
I am such a sucker for Morrow. Dat career SwStr%!! Unf.

A Hitter for Today: Garrett Jones at CHC (Jason Berken)
Sure the Pirates have slid to just one game over .500, but Jones is doing his job against right-handed pitching. Jones brings his 140 wRC+ against righties into Wrigley today. I like my chances here.

Today’s Roto Riteup was filmed in front of a live television audience. Just kidding. But I guess I could set up my webcam for you guys…

• Looking for a middle infielder with some pop and some speed? If so, then Kelly Johnson could be the player for you. Johnson swiped two bags yesterday, putting him at 13 on the year. He currently has 14 homers, so a 15-15 season is within his reach. Johnson’s rate states aren’t going to impress anyone, but at this point in the season counting stats are usually easier to gain points in than rate stats. If you happen to play in a Head-to-head league, then A. I’m sorry and B. tell your league to switch to rotisserie next year.
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Today’s Roto Riteup was written on location.

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You got the URL for today’s Roto Riteup from a bathroom stall, didn’t you? Any press is good press, I suppose.

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Instead of laughing at my usual quirky remark, please use this time to observe a moment of silence. Thanks.

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You probably won’t be reading today’s Roto Riteup, as you’re probably perusing a football roundup instead.

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Wiers is out riding his pink lil’ pony, so you all are stuck with me for today’s Roto Riteup. You’re also stuck with a GIF of Bryce Harper.

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