tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2008:/sports/fantasy/baseball/249 2008-07-09T08:38:02Z Adam Ronis is allergic to losing and will help you win your fantasy baseball league. Movable Type 3.36 tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2008:/sports/fantasy/baseball//249.112824 2008-07-09T08:34:54Z 2008-07-09T08:38:02Z

BY ADAM RONIS Here are the standings after nine weeks of the Sunday Pick'em. 1. Adam Ronis 104.135 2. Robert Reed 94.155 3. Eric Stashin 90 4. Commish 84.32 5. Brett Greenfield 81.97 6. Zach Piso 78.835 7. Mike Muschiano...

Adam Ronis BY ADAM RONIS Here are the standings after nine weeks of the Sunday Pick'em. 1. Adam Ronis 104.135 2. Robert Reed 94.155 3. Eric Stashin 90 4. Commish 84.32 5. Brett Greenfield 81.97 6. Zach Piso 78.835 7. Mike Muschiano 72.64 8. Jason Collette 64.5 9. Andrew Martish 52.465 10. Grey 47.97 For complete settings and rules, click here. http://pojofantasybaseball.blogspot.com/2008/05/fantasy-baseball-sunday-pickem.html]]> tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2008:/sports/fantasy/baseball//249.112821 2008-07-09T06:24:16Z 2008-07-09T06:41:35Z

BY ADAM RONIS Quick, who leads the AL in ERA? If you said Justin Duchscherer, he must be on your team. He threw a two-hit shutout, walked none and struck out four. It did come against the inept Mariners offense,...

Adam Ronis BY ADAM RONIS Quick, who leads the AL in ERA? If you said Justin Duchscherer, he must be on your team. He threw a two-hit shutout, walked none and struck out four. It did come against the inept Mariners offense, but he has been great all season. He is 10-5 with a 1.78 ERA. He is an excellent sell-high guy. Carlos Lee went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs with a walk. He is hitting .294 with 21 homers and 71 RBIs. Someone is upset they didn't make the All-Star team. Don't worry Carlos, I'm happy with you on my team. Michael Bourn stole his 32nd base, but a .218 average and a low on-base percentage hurts his fantasy value. Nate McLouth went 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs. He has 17 homers and 60 RBIs and exceeded expectations for even those that touted him as a sleeper. It's almost the second half and that means Adam LaRoche starts to play well. LaRoche is starting to get hot. He went 3-for-4 with a homer. He is hitting .250 with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs. Buy low quickly. Ian Snell returned from the DL, but had his start cut short to due to a rain delay. He went 3 2/3 innings and allowed four hits, one run, three walks and struck out one. Damaso Marte picked up his third save. Scott Linebrink blew a save. He allowed three hits and two runs in one inning. Scott Hairston has been hot and he has power. He went 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs. He is hitting .254 with 13 homers and 27 RBIs. He should be owned in NL-only leagues. When Randy Wolf is home, pitch him. He is dominant at home and awful on the road. He went seven innings and allowed five hits, one run, one walk and struck out seven in seven innings against the Marlins. He is 6-8 with a 4.38 ERA. Brian McCann hit two homers and now has 17 with 50 RBIs. Jair Jurrjens went six innings and allowed five hits, one run, three walks and struck out six. He is 9-4 with a 3.00 ERA. Eugenio Velez was recalled from Triple-A, but it doesn't seem like he will get much playing time initially. ]]> tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2008:/sports/fantasy/baseball//249.112817 2008-07-09T02:53:30Z 2008-07-09T03:51:18Z

BY ADAM RONIS The only thing lacking from B.J. Upton right now is power. He has only six homers after hitting 24 last season. He is walking more and he stole his 27th base. He went 2-for-4. Scott Kazmir has...

Adam Ronis BY ADAM RONIS The only thing lacking from B.J. Upton right now is power. He has only six homers after hitting 24 last season. He is walking more and he stole his 27th base. He went 2-for-4. Scott Kazmir has to find a way to throw less pitches. He failed to pitch six innings for the fifth straight start and that will cost him wins. He went five innings and allowed five hits, two runs, one walk and struck out nine in a loss to the Yankees. He threw 97 pitches. He is 7-4 with a 2.69 ERA. Andy Pettitte has really stepped up to be an ace since Chien-Ming Wang got injured. Pettitte threw eight scoreless innings and allowed four hits, no walks and struck out five in a win over the Rays. He is 10-6 with a 3.93 ERA. Ryan Ludwick hit his 18th homer and has 59 RBIs with a .290 average in what could be the biggest surprise of the first half. If you can trade him for someone with more of a track record, do it. Rick Ankiel hit his 19th homer. Dave Duncan continues to do an amazing job with the Cardinals pitching staff. Joel Pineiro threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings and allowed five hits, three walks and struck out three at Philadelphia. He is 3-4 with a 4.17 ERA. Ryan Franklin threw a scoreless ninth inning for his 12th save. Cole Hamels was excellent, but allowed two solo homers to take the loss. He went seven innings and allowed three hits, two runs, walked none and struck out eight. He is 9-6 with a 3.18 ERA. Grady Sizemore went 0-for-3 with a walk, but stole his 21st base. Jhonny Peralta hit his 14th homer and has 40 RBIs. Marcus Thames went 2-for-3 with his 17th homer and three RBIs. He should be owned in all leagues. Miguel Cabrera is primed for a big second half. He went 4-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs. He is batting .291 with 15 homers and 53 RBIs and he hasn't heated up yet. I am shocked how many people gave up on Justin Verlander so early. He was released in one of my league and given away in a trade in another. Again, this is why you need to be patient. Verlander has turned it around and went seven innings, allowing two hits, two runs, one walk and struck out seven in a win over the Indians. He is 6-9 with a 4.24 ERA. If you read my blogs regularly, you know how I feel about Carlos Beltran. He went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs and hit the ball hard all night. He has 14 homers and 62 RBIs. He's someone to buy on. Carlos Delgado hit his 16th homer and has 50 RBIs despite a .243 average. Tim Lincecum didn't have good command against the Mets. He went six innings and allowed nine hits, four runs, walked two and struck out four for his first loss since April. He is 10-2 with a 2.66 ERA. Mike Pelfrey won his fifth straight start going seven scoreless innings and allowed three hits, no walks and struck out five. He is 7-6 with a 3.93 ERA and should be owned in deep mixed leagues. Dustin Pedroia went 2-for-4 with a run and has a 16-game hitting streak. Manny Ramirez hit his 17th homer and has 56 RBIs. Jonathan Papelbon picked up save No. 27. Nick Markakis extended his hitting streak to 15 by going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and is hitting .300. Aubrey Huff hit his 18th homer. B.J. Ryan threw a scoreless ninth got his second win. Dustin McGowan left after four innings and will have an MRI on his shoulder. He allowed four hits, four runs -- two earned -- one walk and struck out two. Brandon Webb needed 112 pitches to get through six scoreless innings against the Nationals to win. He is 13-4 with a 3.27 ERA. He allowed six hits, two walks and struck out six. Brandon Lyon threw a scoreless ninth for his 19th save. Geovany Soto hit his 16th homer and has 55 RBIs. I'm convinced Aaron Harang is hurt. He hardly walks anyone and he walked seven, allowed five hits, six runs and struck out six in 4 1/3 innings to fall to 3-11 with a 4.76 ERA. Ryan Dempster is now 10-3 with a 3.13 ERA. He went seven innings and allowed two hits, one run, four walks and struck out five. I'd still sell high. Chris Davis hit his fifth homer in 37 at-bats. If you need power, get him. Ian Kinsler extended his hitting streak to 20 games. Joe Saunders pitched an eight-inning complete game in a loss. He allowed six hits, three runs, walked none and struck out five. He is 12-5 with a 3.07 ERA. Matt Harrison went seven innings in his major league debut to defeat the Angels. He allowed five hits, two runs, one walk and struck out one. C.J. Wilson allowed a hit and two walks, but still got save No. 22. Rickie Weeks went 3-for-4 with three runs. He is hitting .216, but he is a buy-low candidate. Ryan Braun hit his 22nd homer. C.C. Sabathia won his Brewers debut by going six innings, allowing five hits, three runs -- two earned -- five walks and struck out five. Erik Bedard won't start until after the All-Star break. More later tonight. ]]> tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2008:/sports/fantasy/baseball//249.112811 2008-07-09T02:48:00Z 2008-07-09T02:52:32Z

BY ADAM RONIS The White Sox will place closer Bobby Jenks on the 15-day DL retroactive to June 30. He expects to be ready for the second half on July 18. He hasn't pitched since June 29 because of soreness...

Adam Ronis BY ADAM RONIS The White Sox will place closer Bobby Jenks on the 15-day DL retroactive to June 30. He expects to be ready for the second half on July 18. He hasn't pitched since June 29 because of soreness on the left side of his upper back. Scott Linebrink is the favorite for saves in Jenks' absence.]]> tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2008:/sports/fantasy/baseball//249.112771 2008-07-08T22:57:49Z 2008-07-08T23:00:35Z

BY ADAM RONIS The Cubs didn't wait long to respond to the Brewers acquiring C.C. Sabathia. The Cubs acquired starting pitcher Rich Harden and pitcher Chad Gaudin from the A's for pitcher Sean Gallagher, outfielder Matt Murton, infielder Eric Patterson...

Adam Ronis BY ADAM RONIS The Cubs didn't wait long to respond to the Brewers acquiring C.C. Sabathia. The Cubs acquired starting pitcher Rich Harden and pitcher Chad Gaudin from the A's for pitcher Sean Gallagher, outfielder Matt Murton, infielder Eric Patterson and catcher Josh Donaldson. Harden is 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA in 15 starts, but health is always a concern.]]> tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2008:/sports/fantasy/baseball//249.112769 2008-07-08T22:46:43Z 2008-07-08T22:53:09Z

BY ADAM RONIS The Mets placed outfielder Ryan Church on the 15-day disabled list for the second time this season. Church is suffering from migrane headaches. His first stint on the DL was a result of his second concussion in...

Adam Ronis BY ADAM RONIS The Mets placed outfielder Ryan Church on the 15-day disabled list for the second time this season. Church is suffering from migrane headaches. His first stint on the DL was a result of his second concussion in two months. Church left Saturday's game and returned to New York for an MRI, which rules out another concussion. Nick Evans was called up. As I said last month, the Mets handled this poorly and are paying the price now. He should have been placed on the DL immediately following his second concussion and instead, the Mets waited, let him fly to Colorado and play some games. Church said he suffered from migraines before his concussions this season.]]> tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2008:/sports/fantasy/baseball//249.112566 2008-07-08T06:51:39Z 2008-07-08T22:54:04Z

BY ADAM RONIS Roy Oswalt, who injured his hip in his last start, got a pain-killer injection on Monday and expects to start on Friday....

Adam Ronis BY ADAM RONIS Roy Oswalt, who injured his hip in his last start, got a pain-killer injection on Monday and expects to start on Friday. ]]> tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2008:/sports/fantasy/baseball//249.112565 2008-07-08T06:48:37Z 2008-07-08T06:57:42Z

BY ADAM RONIS Clay Buchholz will be recalled to start Friday against the Orioles. He should be owned in most leagues. Justin Masterson was sent to Triple-A so he can become a reliever and rejoin the Red Sox in that...

Adam Ronis BY ADAM RONIS Clay Buchholz will be recalled to start Friday against the Orioles. He should be owned in most leagues. Justin Masterson was sent to Triple-A so he can become a reliever and rejoin the Red Sox in that role.]]> tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2008:/sports/fantasy/baseball//249.112564 2008-07-08T06:10:43Z 2008-07-08T06:48:09Z

BY ADAM RONIS Hiroki Kuroda took a perfect game into the eighth inning and lost it on a leadoff double by Mark Teixeira. It was the only base runner the 33-year-old rookier from Japan allowed in a one-hitter to go...

Adam Ronis BY ADAM RONIS Hiroki Kuroda took a perfect game into the eighth inning and lost it on a leadoff double by Mark Teixeira. It was the only base runner the 33-year-old rookier from Japan allowed in a one-hitter to go along with six strikeouts in a 91-pitch outing. He missed 18 days with a sore shoulder and returned last week and threw seven scoreless innings to beat the Astros. Kuroda has had some bad games where he doesn't last long and some great starts like Monday night. He has been excellent in three of his last four starts, including two shutouts. He is still unowned in some leagues and should be owned. He is 5-6 with a 3.39 ERA. Andruw Jones is now 1-for-12 since his return from the DL and is still swinging at awful pitches. Consider him in deep mixed leagues if you're desperate. Nomar Garciaparra has looked good since his return from the DL. He hit a home run and is now 4-for-10 with four RBIs and three walks. As has been the Mets trademark this season, nothing comes easy. The Mets had a 10-1 lead and hung on to win 10-9. Endy Chavez went 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs and should be owned in NL-only leagues. He has played much better now that he is getting consistent playing time. David Wright went 2-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs. He is hitting .288 with 17 home runs and 70 RBIs. Damion Easley is a short-term option at second base. He went 3-for-5 with an RBI and is batting .295. A lot of Jimmy Rollins owners are disappointed with his production. If that's the case in your league, get him. He went 2-for-5 with his 22nd steal. If you don't think the Phillies numbers are inflated by that ballpark, you have never seen a game there. Ryan Howard (24), Chase Utley (25) and Pat Burrell (22) all homered. Pedro Martinez was better, but had a huge lead and still needed 105 pitches to get through 5 1/3 innings for his third win. He allowed five hits, two runs, three walks and struck out six. Billy Wagner allowed two hits, two runs -- one earned -- walked one and struck out one and picked up his 20th save. David DeJesus remains hot, going 3-for-6 with two RBIs and is hitting .316. He should be owned in most leagues, especially while he is hot. Dan Wheeler was named as part of a closer committee and he didn't fare well against the Royals. He went one inning and allowed two hits, four runs -- three earned -- and walked one in a tie game. Grant Balfour could get the next save chance. Carlos Lee hit his 20th homer and has 70 RBIs and is batting .292. How is he not on the All-Star team? Damaso Marte threw a scoreless inning for his second save. I've said it for weeks, but Scott Baker should be owned in all leagues. He threw seven scoreless innings in a no-decision on the road against the Red Sox. He allowed five hits, walked two and struck out seven. He has a 3.32 ERA. Dice-K threw 7 1/3 scoreless innings and allowed six hits, walked three and struck out five in a no-decision. He has a 2.84 ERA. Jonathan Papelbon picked up his 26th save. Matt Holliday hit his 14th homer and has 51 RBIs. Prince Fielder hit his 17th homer and has 47 RBIs. He could have a big second half if he doesn't dine with C.C. Sabathia too often. Ubaldo Jimenez has been much better after a terrible start. He won for the third time in four starts. He is still walking too many batters, but he is keeping the ball in the ballpark. He walked five, but allowed only three hits and struck out seven over seven scoreless innings. He is 4-8 with a 4.21 ERA. Brian Fuentes picked up his 14th save. Vladimir Guerrero went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs. He has 15 homers and 49 RBIs. Torii Hunter went 3-for-5 with two homers and three RBIs. He has 12 homers and 41 RBIs. Ian Kinsler went 4-for-5 with a run and extended his hitting streak to 19 games. He is hitting .338 and has been one of the top all-around fantasy players this season. Milton Bradley, who seems to get hurt every other day, was back in the lineup and went 0-for-1 with three walks. I'd still sell high. He is softer than then Knicks on defense. Chris Davis went hit his fourth homer and struck out two times. He is hitting .206 in 34 at-bats. Ervin Santana improved to 10-3, but allowed 10 hits, two walks and six runs in seven innings. He has a 3.53 ERA. K-Rod picked up his 35th save. Jorge Cantu returned from a triceps injury and hit his 16th homer. He has 51 RBIs. Ricky Nolasco was excellent for the sixth consecutive start. He is not walking anyone and striking out many. He went eight innings and allowed five hits, one run, walked none and struck out seven. He is 10-4 with a 3.74 ERA and should be owned in all leagues by now. He is 5-0 with a 42/4 K/BB ratio over his last six starts. Kevin Gregg picked up his 16th save with a scoreless ninth after blowing his last two save chances. Sometimes I need to repeat things: Buy on Adrian Beltre. He went 4-for-5 with a run and is hitting .255. He is usually a second-half player and has had a low BABIP so far. Huston Street picked up his 17th save. ]]> tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2008:/sports/fantasy/baseball//249.112455 2008-07-07T19:00:41Z 2008-07-07T20:29:58Z

BY ADAM RONIS Apparently, Jeff Francoeur is fixed. The Braves sent him to Double-A Mississippi on Thursday, but will recall him for tonight's game against the Dodgers. He went 7-for-13 in three games, including a 4-for-5 game yesterday. Francoeur was...

Adam Ronis BY ADAM RONIS Apparently, Jeff Francoeur is fixed. The Braves sent him to Double-A Mississippi on Thursday, but will recall him for tonight's game against the Dodgers. He went 7-for-13 in three games, including a 4-for-5 game yesterday. Francoeur was supposed to be in the minors until after the All-Star break. Since the Braves placed three players on the DL, he didn't have to stay down for the necessary 10 days. He was hitting .234 and .121 in his last 66 at-bats. If he was dropped in your league, get him.]]> tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2008:/sports/fantasy/baseball//249.112360 2008-07-07T14:50:43Z 2008-07-07T20:30:43Z

BY ADAM RONIS National League Offensive Player of the Week -- J.J. Hardy (Brewers): Hardy went 18-for-30 (.600) with eight runs, six homers, 12 RBIs and one stolen base. Also have to mention the Marlins' Cody Ross, who went 16-for-32...

Adam Ronis BY ADAM RONIS National League Offensive Player of the Week -- J.J. Hardy (Brewers): Hardy went 18-for-30 (.600) with eight runs, six homers, 12 RBIs and one stolen base. Also have to mention the Marlins' Cody Ross, who went 16-for-32 (.500) with two homers and 15 RBIs. American League Offensive Player of the Week -- Ian Kinsler (Rangers): He went 11-for-24 (.458) with eight runs, one homer, three RBIs and three stolen bases. National League Pitcher of the Week -- Kyle Lohse (Cardinals): He went 1-0 and struck out 10 in 14 innings with a 1.29 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. American League Pitcher of the Week -- Roy Halladay (Blue Jays): He went 2-0, pitched 16 innings and struck out 13 with a 1.12 ERA and 0.69 WHIP.]]> tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2008:/sports/fantasy/baseball//249.112356 2008-07-07T14:39:16Z 2008-07-07T14:40:01Z

BY ADAM RONIS Join me live for a fantasy baseball chat on Wednesday at 1 p.m....

Adam Ronis BY ADAM RONIS Join me live for a fantasy baseball chat on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ]]> tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2008:/sports/fantasy/baseball//249.112346 2008-07-07T14:02:46Z 2008-07-07T20:31:22Z

BY ADAM RONIS Marlins righthander Josh Johnson will make his season debut on Thursday. He only made four starts last season before ending his season on July 4 and needed Tommy John surgery. He threw eight scoreless innings in a...

Adam Ronis BY ADAM RONIS Marlins righthander Josh Johnson will make his season debut on Thursday. He only made four starts last season before ending his season on July 4 and needed Tommy John surgery. He threw eight scoreless innings in a rehab start at Double-A on Friday. It's very difficult to return from Tommy John surgery and have success immediately. Consider adding him in NL-only leagues and benching him for his first few starts to see how he looks. As a rookie in 2006, Johnson went 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and struck out 133 in 157 inning. ]]> tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2008:/sports/fantasy/baseball//249.112339 2008-07-07T13:46:56Z 2008-07-07T13:50:48Z

BY ADAM RONIS Erik Bedard was scratched from his start on Wednesday with tightness in his throwing shoulder. Bedard pitched on Friday and threw 99 pitches in five innings and allowed one run. He has not thrown more than 100...

Adam Ronis BY ADAM RONIS Erik Bedard was scratched from his start on Wednesday with tightness in his throwing shoulder. Bedard pitched on Friday and threw 99 pitches in five innings and allowed one run. He has not thrown more than 100 pitches in his last six starts. He is 6-4 with a 3.67 ERA in 15 starts. Miguel Batista will start in his place. Felix Hernandez could return at the end of the week.]]> tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2008:/sports/fantasy/baseball//249.112272 2008-07-06T23:59:26Z 2008-07-07T00:04:32Z

BY ADAM RONIS http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/sunday/sports/ny-spfantasy065754057jul06,0,2418869.column...

Adam Ronis BY ADAM RONIS http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/sunday/sports/ny-spfantasy065754057jul06,0,2418869.column]]>