It’s so hard, to say goodbye, to yesterday……..
The five stages of post-Ichiro grief.
Denial. pic.twitter.com/vL6deO3NHv
— Cut4 (@Cut4) May 3, 2018
Is this thing on? Mic check… 1, 2, Mic check. “Were Doing it LIVE”. This is my first time here at the Roto Riteup so be gentle. I may not be Justin but I’m pretty sure standard procedure is to use a GIF in the intro…
We're more excited than @JustinMasonFWFB watching Chris Stratton right now pic.twitter.com/On7NmACtyQ
— RotoWear (@RotoWear) April 2, 2018
Am I doing this right?
On the Agenda:
1. Mookie the Great
2. Various News and Notes
3. Streaming Pitchers
Mookie the Great
Have a day why don’t you Mookie Betts… WOW! Betts, yesterday against the Royals, went 4 for 4 with three solo home runs. Currently, Betts leads the league in home runs, runs, slugging percentage, on-base plus slugging, and is second in batting average. If you can name the five best hitters in baseball and you leave him off the list, chances are you are just wrong. Also if he is not in your top five hitters you should probably consider what other bad life choices have led you to this point.
Various News and Notes
Edwin Encarnacion and his home run parrot got quite the work out against the Rangers. Encarnacion hit two home runs off Matt Moore and then another in the ninth for good measure. Going into the game Encarnacion was hitting just .171 but he made up a ton of ground with just a few swings on Wednesday.
Bryce Harper stole his fourth bag of the season yesterday, tying his 2017 season total. With the wheels in motion for Harper, he is currently on pace for 49 home runs and 22 stolen bases. Four players in major league history have hit 50 home runs and stole 20 bases… Willie Mays (1955), Brady Anderson (1996), Ken Griffey Jr. (1998), and Alex Rodriquez (2007).
James Paxton was almost unhittable on Wednesday night. Yes, technically he gave up five hits but he also was able to get 31 swinging strikes on 105 pitches and a total of 16 punch-outs. When the A’s made contact, which wasn’t very ofte,n it was extremely weak contact. Paxton held batted balls to just 83.6 MPH on average in this one. Think of it this way… Paxton turned a top-five offense in baseball into a team full of Adam Engel’s.
Streaming Pitchers
There is not a ton of streaming options but if you are feeling lucky, Mike Minor against *cough* the Red Sox could be a decent one. Now, wait before you blast me in the comments section or say mean things on twitter (fantasy_keith), hear me out. Boston is probably the best team in baseball but against lefties, they have struck out 25% of the time and hit for a league-worst .202 batting average. Minor on the other hand has managed to keep base runners off the base paths this year (1.14 WHIP) and has a 3.01 ERA in his last 104.2 innings pitched.
Hey guys, I am heading out on vacation today:
I leave you in the capable hand of Mike Werner and Keith Farnsworth. Hopefully they don’t burn the place down in my absence.
On the Agenda:
1. Closer Chaos
2. Various News and Notes
3. Streaming Pitchers
Closer Chaos
Kenyan Middleton was placed on the 10-Day DL with an elbow injury. The move is retroactive to April 28th. Middleton told reporters that he hopes to return after a minimum stay, but we know how that can work out. Cam Bedrosian is the leading candidate to fill in until he returns.
Various News and Notes
Chance Sisco left Tuesday’s game after running face first into Pedro Alvarez.
Scary scene, as Orioles Catcher Chance Sisco accidentally runs into Pedro Alvarez’s elbow. pic.twitter.com/yWrSjcYwYc
— Angels Today (@angelstoday) May 2, 2018
It appears he may have avoid serious injury as he was diagnosed with a facial contusion. Consider him day-to-day at this time.
Miguel Sano was placed on the 10-Day DL with a hamstring injury. Sano missed a couple games in a row attempting to avoid the DL, but the Twins were forced to make a move when he wasn’t ready to return. The injury doesn’t appear to be too serious and the move is retroactive to April 28th, so he could be back in a little over a week.
Jordan Montgomery was pulled from his start on Tuesday after experiencing elbow tightness in the first inning. This does not sound good and Montgomery is scheduled to leave the team and go back to New York for further tests. Domingo German will likely take his spot in the Yankees rotation.
Scott Kingery was hit in the hand with a pitch in Tuesday’s game. He did not leave the game and was diagnosed with a bruised hand. Consider him day-to-day at this time.
Johnny Cueto has hit the DL for the second time this season. This time it is for an elbow issue which is very concerning. There is not much info, but this does not sound good at all. He has been fantastic when he has pitched, but has struggled through injuries the first month. Keep an eye on the timetable/diagnosis.
Streaming Pitchers Options
A pitcher for today: None
I like Andrew Heaney, but the Orioles are much better against lefties than righties.
A pitcher for tomorrow: None
There are really not any good options.
Someone made this for me and I have to share it:
As you requested @JustinMasonFWFB @sporer pic.twitter.com/9gI38JfWr5
— Josh Sperry (@Josh__Sperry) April 30, 2018
How my work week is going with my vacation approaching:
Give @raysbaseball some love, they’ve won EIGHT in a row.
A friendly bounce here and there always helps. #Statcast pic.twitter.com/87HnNO6txv
— MLB (@MLB) April 29, 2018
“Fly Like an Eagle” into your weekend!
Perfect timing. ? pic.twitter.com/Emd8bc7yqd
— MLB GIFS (@MLBGIFs) April 28, 2018
I’m the King of the World!!!!
No one, not even you, was as excited about Ronald Acuña’s first @MLB homer as this guy.https://t.co/RIuOcqOIRZ pic.twitter.com/gUoNiD9E5Q
— Cut4 (@Cut4) April 26, 2018
This is how I looked celebrating my sobriety birthday yesterday:
.@JoseAltuve27, party of 1. ? pic.twitter.com/iqOmp7360f
— MLB GIFS (@MLBGIFs) April 25, 2018
I throw 60 mph. I knew I could be an MLB player.
58 MPH.
You think you could hit this pitch? pic.twitter.com/hP5hb3vylP
— MLB (@MLB) April 25, 2018
I created a GIF reenacting my victory over Paul Sporer in H2H Tout Wars last week: