Saturday, May 31, 2008

Fantasy Player's Edge

May 31, 2008


Roster Shuffle:

Ryan Braun is battling an inner ear infection that makes
him dizzy. He had the same effect on Astros pitching
going 4/4 with a homer last night.

Hanley Ramirez left the game last night with a bruised
left thumb. The extent of the injury is not yet known.
It's likely, at the minimum, that he'll sit today.

Howie Kendrick was finally activated taking the roster
spot of Chone Figgins who was finally put on the DL.
Kendrick started at 2B and went 0/3 with a walk.

A day after Billy Butler was demoted another promising
young slugger, Chris Duncan was optioned by the Cards
to Triple A Memphis.

Eric Byrnes has slight tears in both hamstrings but still
expects to return shortly after becoming eligible to be
activated from the DL. He's one bad step from a serious
hamstring injury. Make sure that you have a plan to
replace him even after he's activated including selling
high, especially, if he comes back hot.

Travis Hafner was added to the DL with a sore right
shoulder. This does add a bit of credibility to the theory
that this injury has contributed to his slow start in 2008.

Kevin Youkilis returned to the Red Sox lineup after
missing three games with a sore hand. He should be
good to go from this point.

Hank Blalock had surgery to relieve wrist irritation
caused by carpal tunnel. He's going to be sidelined
for 4 weeks.

Daisuke Matsuzaka has been placed on the DL with his
Tuesday start being taken by Justin Masterson.

Joba Chamberlain will make his 1st start for the Yankees
on Tuesday vs. the Blue Jays and Roy Halladay. He'll be
limited to 65-70 pitches.

Chris Carpenter is scheduled to pitch a simulated game
today. The Cards are hoping that their former ace can
return to the bigs sometime in mid to late July.

In a tale of 2 phenom's Clayton Kershaw blew up against
the Mets allowing 4 runs on 9 whip in 3.2 innings while
Jay Bruce blew up the Braves going 4/5 with 2 runs and
2 rbi.


Streamers: (tomorrow's probable starters available as free agents)

Use these players to gain advantage in wins and strikeouts.

Dave Bush- has been tinkering with his mechanics and was able
to increase his velocity by 3 to 4 mph on his fastball. Has a good
matchup at home where he pitches well. 4-1, 3.45/1.10 with 42
k's in 57 innings vs. Houston.

Jamie Moyer- is undefeated against the Marlins. 7-0, 3.05/1.11
over 44 frames with 29 k's.


Spotties: (tomorrow's position players available as free agents)

Use these players to fill in for injured players and on off days.

Richie Sexson- Big Sexy makes for a high percentage bet vs.
the Gambler. 10/23, 5 mults, a jack and 4 rbi against Rogers

Joey Gathright- beep-beep goes the roadrunner. 6/13, 2 sb's,
3 extras and only 1 k vs. Byrd.


Start/Sit: (today)

Guide to using bench players when matchups are favorable.

Todd Helton (start)- lots of experience when Helton faces
Dempster, most of it in Todd's favor. 6/17, 3 extras, 2 clouts
and 4 ribbies.

Paul Konerko (start)- Paulie "Cashews" gets untracked vs.
Tampa's ace. 4/8 with a homer against Kazmir.


Guide to sit starters when matchups are unfavorable.

Normally sit these players in Roto formats only.

Carlos Pena (sit)- can't seem to catch up to much of what
Vazquez offers. 1/11, 6 k's.

Javier Vasquez (sit)- however the rest of the Rays seem
to find much of what he throws to their liking. 5-2, 4.48/
1.43 0ver 62 innings vs. the "Devil" Rays. These guys are
much better.


Studs and Duds: (a recap of yesterday's picks and pans)

Todd Wellemeyer (stream)- W 7ip/1e/8w/4k

Kevin Millwood (stream)- W 6ip/1e/5w/5k

Jim Edmonds (spot)- 3/4, 2 runs, homer, 3 rbi

Casey Blake (spot)- 1/3, homer, 2 rbi.

Jered Weaver (start)- L 4ip/6e/10w/2k

Mike Jacobs (start)- 0/3

Grady Sizemore (sit)- 2/4, 2 homers, 3 rbi

Jason Bay (sit)- 1/4


How To: (this section is devoted to the fundamentals of daily play)


Head To Head
: Player's Edge(PE) vs. Opposition(OP):

Week 5: Saturday


Weekly Tot: R-H-RB-SB -BA/ W-SV-K ER-WH -SCORE


-------PE--16--3--24--1--.291/-3-3-61--3.65--1.30---6
-------OP--21--6--21--3--.297/-1-0-31--6.69--1.69---4

Offense: Lineups:

-----PE-----/----- OP

^B.Molina--------- ^Johjima
^Teixeira----------^Pujols
^Roberts---------- ^Uggla
^Braun------------ ^DeRosa
^Escobar---------- ^Guillen
^Griffey---------- ^J. Upton
^C. Young-------- ^Dunn
^Kemp----------- ^Granderson
^Gomez---------- ^K. Johnson
Figgins (DL)------- Helton
--------------------Swisher
--------------------H. Matsui



------PE------//-----OP
9/43-3-1-4-1 //10/34-6-2-7-1 (daily totals: H/AB,R,HR,RBI)

Pitching: Rotation-Closers

-----PE----/------OP

Harang-------------Hudson
Shields-------------Jimenez
Weaver------------ Moyer
Cain--------------- Snell
Harden------------ Maddox
^F. Cordero-------^Gregg
^Saito-------------^Corpas
^Fuentes----------^Springer
^Wood------------- Peavy-DL
Martinez----------- Accardo-(DL)
Bush
Feldman


-----PE--------//------OP
0W/0S, 11-8-19-10//0W/0S, 1-0-1-0 (day: W/S,IP,ER,WH,K)

Weekly Totals- Batting Avg. PE(48/165) - OP (43/145)
Weekly Totals- ERA (28/(69/9) - OP ERA (26/(35/9) -(er/(ip/9)
Weekly Totals- Whip (90/69) - OP WHIP (59/35) - (w+h/ip)
Weekly Starts(est/week to date) PE---2-----OP----4

^ -designates an active player on today's roster.

Daily Activity:

PE Bergmann(drop)/Laffey-Mon
PE Laffey(drop)/Garza-Tues
PE Garza(drop)/Lannan-Wed
PE Lannan(drop)/Millwood-Thur
PE Millwood(drop)/Feldman-Fri
PE Lilly(drop)/Bush-Sat


Strategy: PE was forced to use Lilly for Dave Bush who
has a great matchup vs. Houston at home on Sunday.
Feldman's start was pushed back until Sunday so his
spot could not be used for the last stream of the week.
PE's SP's inability to record more than 1 win yesterday
made it mandatory to carry 2 SP's on Sunday to partially
offset OP's 4 SP's. OP will send Gregg and 2 set up men
vs. 4 closers for PE today. Figgins was put on the DL and
was crossed on the roster for Martinez who was activated
and starts on Tuesday. This worked out perfectly for PE
which now has 2 flex positions (Feldman/ Bush) that can
be utilized to begin week 10.


Game Keys: PE pitching was the quintessential mixed bag
with 2 starters blowing up, 2 starters pitching decent games
but getting no decisions and the streamer Millwood getting
the win with 6 great innings. PE's staff has been ineffective
the entire week with the streamers recording all 3 wins thus
far this week. Harang, Weaver and Lilly were simply dreadful
combining to allow 16 earned and 28 whip in 11 innings. It's
extremely fortuitous that PE still controls ERA/WHIP. Maddox
pitched well but did not get the win for OP. PE has a shaky
3-1 leads in W's with 2 SP's left vs. 4 for OP. PE offense was
dismal last night going 9/43 which allowed OP to take control
of BA with a pedestrian 10/34. OP also extended leads in Runs,
HRs and SBs to 5, 3 and 2 respectively while narrowing the gap
in RBI to 3. PE holds an extremely tenuous 6-4 advantage as the
contest heads on to the river.


Final Thoughts:

PE is tied for 2nd place, 4.5 games out of 1st heading into week 9.
PE is 23-7 over last 3 weeks enabling the climb to the coveted 2nd
place position.

The Player's Edge participates in many leagues but elected to
follow a team in a Public League to better approximate what might
be faced by a wide majority of players that use the Edge daily. This
team plays in a standard 5x5 scoring format and drafted 7th of 12
teams in a 21 round on-line live event in late March. We'll follow this
team throughout the entire 2008 fantasy campaign.


All Done!

Site Updated by 10:00 EST Daily.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Fantasy Player's Edge

May 30, 2008


Roster Shuffle:

Howie Kendrick has done it. He's played in back to back
games at Triple A Salt Lake and could be activated at
any point this weekend.

Chone Figgins will learn today if he's heading back to the
DL with a sore hamstring. If the Angels do opt to disable
Chone it will be retroactive to May 22nd and he would be
eligible to be activated on Friday June 6th. Stay tuned.

Rafael Furcal's condition has now become worrisome. He's
still not been cleared to return to baseball activities and
when/if he finally is he'll have to rehab before being
activated. His back will probably adversely affect his
base stealing for the rest of the year.

Eric Chavez was unexpectedly activated by the A's,
taking Frank Thomas' place on the roster. Thomas was
placed on the DL with a bad quad. Chavez has limited
value but if you're desperate for 3B, CI or a little extra
power at Util pick him up before he gets going. He went
0/4 yesterday.

Royals DH Billy Butler was demoted to Triple A Omaha
to regain his hitting stroke. Obviously he's not worth
waiting for so it's time to let him go and move on. Ben
Francisco, Mike Cameron, Troy Glaus or Scott Rolen
will give you more production than Butler.

Aaron Hill left the Blue Jays game with a head injury
after colliding with David Eckstein. He's probable for
today but will most likely sit as a precaution.

Ryan Zimmerman missed his 4th consecutive game with
a sore shoulder. He's pronounced himself day to day but
is being cautious to avoid a stint on the DL.

Jorge Posada will go all out on Saturday in an extended
spring training game. He'll throw to all bases and will be
tested as the opponent (Rays) has been asked to run on
him all game. He's likely to return to the Yankees early
next week.

Ryan Church may resume baseball activities today but
there is no timetable for his return.

Ron Gardenhire finally did what fantasy owners had
already done a few weeks ago, he benched Delmon
Young. The Rays brass has to feel pretty good about
getting Garza and Bartlett for this underachieving,
moody outfielder.

Troy Percival's MRI came back clean. The Rays, however,
have determined that a stint on the DL will be advisable
for their closer. The upside, of course, is that Percy's
injury is not considered serious. Dan Wheeler and Al
Reyes are in line to close but Maddon has not anointed
either so you may have to own both in the short term
to assure that you get Percival's saves.

Rafael Soriano pitched an uneventful major league inning
yesterday and pronounced himself healthy afterwards.
Well that's a relief. Smoltz is due back any day so Raffy's
value is limited.

Speaking of Smoltzy, he pitched 2 perfect innings in the
minors yesterday with no ill effects. He'll throw one more
inning on Saturday and will join the Braves on Monday.

Jason Schmidt will pitch on a normal 5 day cycle which
is part of getting back into a necessary routine. He's not
close just yet but he is tracking to make a return to the
Dodgers in July.

Daisuke Matsuzaka is headed to the DL with a slight
strain of the rotator cuff. Make your plans now to
cover his missed starts. Expect the Red Sox to call
up Masterson for one start and probably Buchholz
for the other 2.

Chris Young's fractured nose will require surgery
sidelining the Padres righthander until after the
All Star break at the minimum.


Streamers
: (tomorrow's probable starters available as free agents)

Use these players to gain advantage in wins and strikeouts.

Scott Feldman- career reliever is opening eyes as a starter. He's
solid at home and against the A's. 1-1, 1.96/1.31 with 11 k's in 18
frames.

There are no other acceptable stream candidates for Saturday.


Spotties: (tomorrow's position players available as free agents)

Use these players to fill in for injured players and on off days.

Ty Wigginton- looks to air out the Sheets with every visit to
Milwaukee. 10/23, 2 clouts, 7 rbi, a steal with only 3 k's
vs. Ben the Brewer.

Shannon Stewart- is no Lackey at the plate vs big John the
Angel. 14/41 with 4 extra base hits.


Start/Sit: (today)

Guide to using bench players when matchups are favorable.

Jered Weaver (start)- not only is he pitching well but he has
one of those matchups that bode well for his continued success.
2-0, 2.31/1.29 against the Blue Jays with an added kicker of
a home game where he excels.

Mike Jacobs (start)- turns bad boy Myers over his knee.
7/18, 5 extras with a jack.


Guide to sit starters when matchups are unfavorable.

Normally sit these players in Roto formats only.

Grady Sizemore (sit)- Meche frequently chops him down
to Grady Sizeless. 4/22 with 5 k's.

Jason Bay (sit)- needs to take better vitamins in order to
get Well(emeyer) vs. the Cards flamethrower. 2/10 with
5 whiffs.


Studs and Duds: (a recap of yesterday's picks and pans)

John Lannan (stream)- ND 6ip/2e/8w/5k

John Danks (stream)- W 6ip/1e/7w/8k

Scott Podsednik (spot)- 0/3

Randy Winn (spot)- 3/5, 2 solo homers

Aaron Rowand (start)- 2/4, run

Juan Pierre (start)- 1/4, steal

Brad Penny (sit)- L 4ip/5e/11w/2k

Brandon Phillips (sit)- Duke-DNP


How To: (this section is devoted to the fundamentals of daily play)


Head To Head
: Player's Edge(PE) vs. Opposition(OP):

Week 5: Friday


Weekly Tot: R-H-RB-SB -BA/ W-SV-K ER-WH -SCORE


-------PE--13--2--20--0--.320/-2-3-37--2.85--1.20---7
-------OP--15--4--14--2--.297/-1-0-26--6.67--1.76---3

Offense: Lineups:

-----PE-----/----- OP

^B.Molina--------- ^Johjima
^Teixeira----------^Pujols
^Roberts---------- ^Uggla
^Braun------------ ^DeRosa
^Escobar---------- ^Guillen
^Griffey---------- ^J. Upton
^C. Young-------- ^Dunn
^Kemp----------- ^Granderson
Figgins------------ ^K. Johnson
^Gomez------------Helton
--------------------Swisher
--------------------H. Matsui



------PE------//-----OP
10/29-3-1-6-0 //10/26-5-2-5-1 (daily totals: H/AB,R,HR,RBI)

Pitching: Rotation-Closers

-----PE----/------OP

Harang-------------Hudson
^Shields------------Jimenez
^Weaver----------- Moyer
^Cain---------------Snell
Harden----------- ^Maddox
^F. Cordero-------^Gregg
^Saito-------------^Corpas
Fuentes-----------^Springer
Wood-------------- Peavy-DL
^Lilly---------------Accardo-(DL)
Martinez-DL
^Millwood


-----PE--------//------OP
0W/0S, 11-8-19-10//0W/0S, 1-0-1-0 (day: W/S,IP,ER,WH,K)

Weekly Totals- Batting Avg. PE(39/122) - OP (33/111)
Weekly Totals- ERA (13/(41/9) - OP ERA (21/(28.1/9) -(er/(ip/9)
Weekly Totals- Whip (49/41) - OP WHIP (50/28.1) - (w+h/ip)
Weekly Starts(est/week to date) PE---6-----OP----5

^ -designates an active player on today's roster.

Daily Activity:

PE Bergmann(drop)/Laffey-Mon
PE Laffey(drop)/Garza-Tues
PE Garza(drop)/Lannan-Wed
PE Lannan(drop)/Millwood-Thur
PE Millwood(drop)/Feldman-Fri


Strategy: PE dropped Millwood for Feldman. It's borderline
unimaginable to use 2 Rangers starters in a week but on
consecutive days is a fantasy death wish. PE likes Feldman
while Millwood was a concession to the paucity of solid
probables to stream today. PE will sit Wood and Fuentes, as
they oppose each other, to create roster spots for 5 SP's. OP
counters with Maddux but does have 4 SP's going on Sunday.
The worrisome aspect of this week is that OP will get the
final say on pitching leaving no room for adjustments or
counter plays. Both offenses should be at full strength
for the rest of the match.


Game Keys: PE heads into the turn with a 7-3 advantage
primarily because of a streaming strategy as roster stalwarts
like Harden and Harang have yet to produce a win. Harang
was dreadful pitching on 3 days rest against a favorable
opponent in Pittsburgh. The silly part is he could have just
as easily pitched today on normal rest with Volquez, who
pitched only an inning on Sunday as opposed to Harang's
4 or Belisle going yesterday instead. This shapes up to be
a day of reckoning/wreckoning as PE sends 5 SP's to the
mound vs. Maddux for OP. The opportunity for ERA/WHIP
destruction is great in these types of scenarios. OP offense
continues to scrap with 2 homers and a stolen base to further
the lead in both categories. OP also forged ahead in Runs and
has closed the gap precipitously in BA. The outcome of this
contest in every point, with the possible exception of Saves,
is very much in doubt.


Final Thoughts:

PE is tied for 2nd place, 4.5 games out of 1st heading into week 9.
PE is 23-7 over last 3 weeks enabling the climb to the coveted 2nd
place position.

The Player's Edge participates in many leagues but elected to
follow a team in a Public League to better approximate what might
be faced by a wide majority of players that use the Edge daily. This
team plays in a standard 5x5 scoring format and drafted 7th of 12
teams in a 21 round on-line live event in late March. We'll follow this
team throughout the entire 2008 fantasy campaign.


All Done!

Site Updated by 10:00 EST Daily.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Fantasy Player's Edge

May 29, 2008


Roster Shuffle:

Carlos Guillen has hemorrhoids and will probably sit or
stand for a couple of games. He sat last night.

Howie Kendrick actually played in a game on Tuesday
at Triple A Salt Lake. If the strain of playing the game
was not too debilitating he may decide to play another.
China could return over the weekend if he holds up.

Matt Holliday has already circled June 10th on the
calendar for his return to the Rockies and more
importantly to his fantasy owners.

Rafael Furcal is "officially" out for the weekend games
in New York. The Dodgers return home on Monday
to face the Rockies and perhaps Furcal will rejoin the
team during that homestand.

Travis Hafner says that he will return to the Indians
lineup on Friday dispelling the theory that his sore
shoulder is the reason that he's slumped during the
past 2 seasons. His fall from grace has been precipitous.

Corey Patterson has been optioned to Triple A Louisville
in deference to the arrival of Jay Bruce and his .200 BA.

Pedro Martinez had a successful final rehab start at Class
A St. Lucie. Pete buzzed through 6 innings throwing 82
pitches while allowing 2 earned on 4 whip with 6 k's. The
Mets have him penciled in for a Tuesday night start in San
Francisco. He was one upped by the Rays top of the draft
selection David Price who was overpowering going 6 innings
yielding only 2 hits with 9 k's while opposing Martinez.

Troy Percival slipped on the mound after throwing a pitch
for a 3rd strike in the 9th inning of the Rays win over the
Rangers. He limped off and Dan Wheeler came on to pick
up the final out and the save. He was scheduled for an
MRI. Wheeler or Al Reyes would close if Percy has to
be disabled.

Rafael Soriano was finally activated by the Braves. It
remains to be seen what role he will have in their
bullpen. He did not pitch last night.

John Smoltz will pitch an inning at Single A Rome
tonight and most likely will rejoin the Braves on
Saturday.

Jake Peavy is rarin' to go. He's eligible to be activated
on Friday and would like to pitch this weekend. This
seems unlikely considering that he just began soft
tossing on Tuesday. All things considered he should
return next week.

Ian Kennedy joins his stablemate Philip Hughes on the
DL with a pulled lat muscle. The inability of these 2
young arms to pitch effectively this season is the main
reason the Yankees are adding Chamberlain to the
rotation. Do you see how one owner's dark cloud is
another's silver lining. What a profound game we play!!


Streamers: (tomorrow's probable starters available as free agents)

Use these players to gain advantage in wins and strikeouts.

Todd Wellemeyer- sees the Pirates as his ticket to ride.
2-1, 3.41/1.23 with 32 k's in 32 innings.

Kevin Millwood- returns from the DL to face Oakland at home
where he pitches a little bit better. 3-3, 4.29/1.43 with 45 k's
in 56 innings against the A's. This guy is not an ideal stream
candidate but could be used for a "lucky" win and 4-6 k's.


Spotties: (tomorrow's position players available as free agents)

Use these players to fill in for injured players and on off days.

Jim Edmonds- may have a few good AB's left until he sails
off into the sunset. 7/13, 3 extras, 2 homers, 6 rbi with just
1 k vs. Aaron Cook.

Casey Blake- Meche has real issues with Casey at the Bat.
11/25, 2 extras, 12 rbi and only 2 k's.


Start/Sit: (today)

Guide to using bench players when matchups are favorable.

Aaron Rowand (start)- one of the few hitters who welcomes
facing the Big Unit. 6/16, 3 extras, a homer and 3 rbi.

Juan Pierre (start)- clubs Claudio Vargas like a power hitter.
9/17 with 5 extra base hits and naturally, 2 swipes.


Guide to sit starters when matchups are unfavorable.

Normally sit these players in Roto formats only.

Brad Penny (sit)- seems to always blow up against the Mets
and struggles away from Dodgers Stadium. Obviously this
start at Shea is the perfect storm for Penny. 5-12, 6.21/1.54
over 116 innings.

Brandon Phillips (sit)- treats Zach Duke like royalty. 0/9.


Studs and Duds: (a recap of yesterday's picks and pans)

Matt Garza (stream)- W 8ip/2e/6w/10k

Shawn Estes (stream)- L 5ip/4e/6w/3k

Craig Monroe (spot)- 1/1, homer, 3 rbi (pinch hit)

Randy Winn (spot)- 0/4, 2 runs

Todd Helton (start)- 1/3, rbi

Jim Thome (start)- 0/3

Mike Jacobs (sit)- 0/1 (pinch hit)

Nick Swisher (sit)- DNP


How To: (this section is devoted to the fundamentals of daily play)


Head To Head
: Player's Edge(PE) vs. Opposition(OP):

Week 5: Thursday


Weekly Tot: R-H-RB-SB -BA/ W-SV-K ER-WH -SCORE


-------PE--10--1--14--0--.312/-2-3-27--1.50--1.00---7
-------OP--10--2---9--1--.271/-1-0-26--6.91--1.79---2

Offense: Lineups:

-----PE-----/----- OP

^B.Molina-----------Johjima
^Teixeira----------^Pujols
Roberts-------------Uggla
^Braun------------^DeRosa
^Escobar----------- Guillen
^Griffey---------- ^J. Upton
^C. Young-------- ^Dunn
^Kemp------------ Granderson
Figgins----------- ^K. Johnson
^Gomez---------- ^Helton
-------------------^Swisher
--------------------H. Matsui



------PE------//-----OP
12/32-4-0-5-0 //5/24-5-0-2-0 (daily totals: H/AB,R,HR,RBI)

Pitching: Rotation-Closers

-----PE----/------OP

^Harang---------- Hudson
Shields------------Jimenez
Weaver----------- Moyer
Cain---------------Snell
Harden---------- -Maddox
^F. Cordero------^Gregg
^Saito------------^Corpas
^Fuentes---------^Springer
^Wood-------------Peavy-DL
Lilly--------------- Accardo-(DL)
Martinez-DL
^Lannan


-----PE--------//------OP
1W/0S, 16-4-14-15//0W/0S, 1-1-3-0 (day: W/S,IP,ER,WH,K)

Weekly Totals- Batting Avg. PE(29/93) - OP (23/85)
Weekly Totals- ERA (5/(30/9) - OP ERA (21/(27.1/9) -(er/(ip/9)
Weekly Totals- Whip (30/30) - OP WHIP (49/27.1) - (w+h/ip)
Weekly Starts(est/week to date) PE---7-----OP----5

^ -designates an active player on today's roster.

Daily Activity:

PE Bergmann(drop)/Laffey-Mon
PE Laffey(drop)/Garza-Tues
PE Garza(drop)/Lannan-Wed
PE Lannan(drop)/Millwood-Thur


Strategy: PE dropped Lannan for Millwood looking for K's
primarily and hopefully a "lucky" W. Millwood has never
been a trustworthy fantasy option and is coming off the DL.
PE would have 5 SP's on Friday due to Cain being moved up
a day although he will pitch on normal rest. That means that
2 closers will have to sit if Millwood is used. PE wanted to
stream a Rangers starter but it was Feldman, who was
bumped a day to make room for Millwood. With streams on
Saturday and Sunday PE will have 9 starts remaining to OP's
5 which include very good matchups for Hudson and Moyer
on Sunday. OP will send a possible 7 on offense today vs. a
potential 8 for PE.


Game Keys: PE pitching is in the spotlight through Friday with
7 starts to OP's 1. PE stream Matt Garza was brilliant going 8
innings allowing 2 earned, 6 whip with 10 k's while earning the
victory. Richie Harden was also terrific in a no decision. Saito
blew a save against the Cubs. PE's combined 15 k's were just
enough to seize the category by 1. PE offense went 12/32 to
surge ahead in BA capitalizing on a poor 5/24 for OP but PE
continued a 2 week pattern of power and speed shortages.
OP controls HR and Steals by 1 in each with Runs being tied.
PE leads 7-2 with all categories still in play including ERA and
WHIP.


Final Thoughts:

PE is tied for 2nd place, 4.5 games out of 1st heading into week 9.
PE is 23-7 over last 3 weeks enabling the climb to the coveted 2nd
place position.

The Player's Edge participates in many leagues but elected to
follow a team in a Public League to better approximate what might
be faced by a wide majority of players that use the Edge daily. This
team plays in a standard 5x5 scoring format and drafted 7th of 12
teams in a 21 round on-line live event in late March. We'll follow this
team throughout the entire 2008 fantasy campaign.


All Done!

Site Updated by 10:00 EST Daily.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Fantasy Player's Edge

May 28, 2008


Roster Shuffle:

Jay Bruce arrived in style going 3/3 with 2 runs, 2 rbi,
a steal and 2 walks. He's here to stay.

Chone Figgins may return to the DL after all. He's only
played in one game since being activated and could be
deactivated retroactively to allow him to be reactivated
on June 6th. Got it?

Eric Chavez is eligible to return to the A's but he's not
quite ready. He should return sometime during the first
week of June.

The D'backs have finally placed Eric Byrnes on the DL.
Byrnes has been playing on sore hamstrings for weeks.
Ben Francisco has been hitting well if you need a spot
play until Byrnes returns.

Gary Sheffield has been added to the DL once again this
time with a strained oblique.

Ryan Zimmerman missed a second game in a row with
shoulder problems. If he sits again tonight it would be
a precursor for a trip to the DL.

Pat Burrell was a late scratch with a stiff neck. He's day
to day.

Pirates SS Jack Wilson is active and returned to the lineup
yesterday going 3/5. He's serviceable if you need help at
the position.

Travis Hafner has a sore shoulder. He's missed 5 of the last
11 Indians games but it's more likely that his 2 year hiatus
from being a force at the plate had more to do with the
benching than the shoulder. Let's see if he hits the DL which
would corroborate the "shoulder's the problem" with Pronk
theory.

Ryan Church will visit a neurologist to try to get a diagnosis
for the dizziness that's kept him out of the Mets lineup. He
may finally end up on the DL.

Jorge Posada will have a major test of his injured shoulder
on Thursday when he's scheduled to throw to all bases in
an extended spring training game. He caught 6 innings and
went 3/6 yesterday in a rehab start. Barring a setback
Posada should return to the Yankees next week.

Joba Chamberlain will be joining the Yankees rotation after
this middle relief outing. How else would they stretch him
out? They want him to go 70 pitches after this outing which
would require at least 4 or 5 innings unless he's wild or getting
clobbered. He may even pick up a few 5 inning wins along the
way.

Pedro Martinez will pitch in a Class A game today in Florida
and if all goes well will rejoin the Mets in San Francisco for a
start against the Giants on Tuesday, June 3rd.

This might be the day Rafael Soriano is activated and is
crowned the Braves "closer for a day".

Daisuke Matsuzaka left his start last night with what is being
called shoulder fatigue. He's thrown a lot of pitches, year to
date, so this is not a surprise. Expect Dice-K to miss a turn.

Francisco Liriano struggled in Triple A yesterday allowing 6
runs on 8 whip in 6.2 innings. He was only able to fan 4. The
Twins are likely to keep him on the farm for the foreseeable
future.

Jake Peavy had a successful MRI on his elbow after throwing
40 pitches from flat ground. He hopes to throw off of a mound
over the weekend.

Jason Schmidt threw 45 pitches in a rehab start yesterday and
reported no issues after the outing. They'd like to see him use
about 60 pitches in his next start. He's still a long way off from
returning to the Dodgers but he is making progress.


Streamers: (tomorrow's probable starters available as free agents)

Use these players to gain advantage in wins and strikeouts.

John Lannan- the 5th Beatle has no history against the
Padres. However he's 4-3, 2.60/1.35 in 62 innings on
the road over his career. He should pitch effectively at
Petco tomorrow.

John Danks- another road warrior heads south for a date
with the Rays. 2-0, 3.00/.92 with 11 k's in 12 frames vs.
Tampa.


Spotties: (tomorrow's position players available as free agents)

Use these players to fill in for injured players and on off days.

Scott Podsednik- has a "Marquis" matchup at Wrigley Field.
7/17, with deuces wild. 2 extras, 2 steals and 2 k's vs. Jason.

Randy Winn- finds another D'Back hurler to his liking. This
time it's none other than the Big Unit. 7/20, 4 rbi and 4 steals.


Start/Sit: (today)

Guide to using bench players when matchups are favorable.

Todd Helton (start)- "Eaton" as much as he's serving. 22/58
12 extras, 6 jacks and 13 rbi vs. the Phillies righthander.

Jim Thome (start)- hammers Westbrook regularly. 10/25,
4 extras, 3 homers and 10 ribbies.


Guide to sit starters when matchups are unfavorable.

Normally sit these players in Roto formats only.

Mike Jacobs (sit)- has had only one answer to 9 questions
posed by Oliver Perez. 1/9 with 5 k's.

Nick Swisher (sit)- returns to his reserved spot on the sit
list. 2/23 with 7 k's vs. Westbrook.


Studs and Duds: (a recap of yesterday's picks and pans)

Aaron Laffey (stream)- W 6ip/1e/9w/0k

Brian Bannister (stream)- ND 5ip/3e/9w/3k

Ryan Garko (spot)- 1/3, 2 runs, rbi

Cliff Floyd (spot)- 2/2, homer, 3 runs, 2 rbi

Torii Hunter(start)- 0/3

Ken Griffey (start)- 0/2, run, rbi

Adam Dunn (sit)- 2/5, homer, 4 rbi

Ricky Weeks (sit)- 0/4


How To: (this section is devoted to the fundamentals of daily play)


Head To Head
: Player's Edge(PE) vs. Opposition(OP):

Week 5: Wednesday


Weekly Tot: R-H-RB-SB -BA/ W-SV-K ER-WH -SCORE


-------PE--6--1--9--0--.279/-1-3-12--0.64--1.14---5
-------OP--5--2--7--1--.295/-1-0-26--6.84--1.75---4

Offense: Lineups:

-----PE-----/----- OP

^B.Molina----------^Johjima
^Teixeira----------^Pujols
^Roberts----------^Uggla
^Braun------------^DeRosa
^Escobar----------^Guillen
^Griffey-----------^J. Upton
^C. Young---------^Dunn
^Kemp----------- ^Granderson
Figgins------------^K. Johnson
^Gomez------------Helton
--------------------Swisher
--------------------H. Matsui



------PE------//-----OP
10/36-3-1-5-0 //8/34-2-2-6-1 (daily totals: H/AB,R,HR,RBI)

Pitching: Rotation-Closers

-----PE----/------OP

Harang------------Hudson
Shields------------Jimenez
Weaver----------- Moyer
Cain---------------Snell
^Harden---------- Maddox
^F. Cordero------^Gregg
^Saito------------^Corpas
^Fuentes---------^Springer
^Wood-------------Peavy-DL
Lilly--------------- Accardo-(DL)
Martinez-DL
^Garza


-----PE--------//------OP
1W/2S, 7.1-1-10-2//0W/0S, 18.2-16-39-17 (day: W/S,IP,ER,WH,K)

Weekly Totals- Batting Avg. PE(17/61) - OP (18/61)
Weekly Totals- ERA (1/(14/9) - OP ERA (20/(26.1/9) -(er/(ip/9)
Weekly Totals- Whip (16/14) - OP WHIP (46/26.1) - (w+h/ip)
Weekly Starts(est/week to date) PE---8-----OP----5

^ -designates an active player on today's roster.

Daily Activity:

PE Bergmann(drop)/Laffey-Mon
PE Laffey(drop)/Garza-Tues
PE Garza(drop)/Lannan-Wed


Strategy: PE added Lannan for Garza in an effort to keep pace
with K's and gain some ground in W's. OP's staff leads by 14 k's
with PE having an additional 3 starts left for the week. PE has
room for a substandard start or 2 due to high era/whip outings
from OP's staff. The strategy will be to continue to stream for
the remainder of the week with the possible exception of Friday
when PE has a full dance card of 3 SP's and 4 closers. If PE can
lock up saves by Thursday night then a late stream will be used
and a closer will sit on Friday. PE offense should be set for the
week.


Game Keys: OP was devastated by pitching. The combined OP
stat line was 0 wins, 0 saves, 16 runs and 39 whip in 18.2 innings.
The 17 k's were the only bright spot. PE Laffey got a high whip,
0 k win while PE closers recorded 2 saves. PE has a margin for
error in ERA/WHIP but it is too early in the contest to project
wins in either of those categories. Every offensive column is
extremely close as PE holds a 5-4 game lead currently.


Final Thoughts:

PE is tied for 2nd place, 4.5 games out of 1st heading into week 9.
PE is 23-7 over last 3 weeks enabling the climb to the coveted 2nd
place position.

The Player's Edge participates in many leagues but elected to
follow a team in a Public League to better approximate what might
be faced by a wide majority of players that use the Edge daily. This
team plays in a standard 5x5 scoring format and drafted 7th of 12
teams in a 21 round on-line live event in late March. We'll follow this
team throughout the entire 2008 fantasy campaign.


All Done!

Site Updated by 10:00 EST Daily.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Fantasy Player's Edge

May 27, 2008


Roster Shuffle:

Pedro Martinez will participate in a minor league game on
Wednesday and could be activated, if there are no issues,
in San Francisco for a Monday/Tuesday start next week.

John Smoltz's return to the closer role for the Braves has
been delayed due to the flu. He stayed in Atlanta and will
probably pitch an inning in the minors before coming on
board over the weekend. Rafael Soriano has once again
disappeared from the news but it would not be a surprise
if he was activated today.

Eric Gagne says that he will not need all 15 days to get
ready for his return to the Brewers. Someone advise
Eric that the DL is not an optional format.

Chad Cordero has been playing catch without pain. He'll
likely begin rehab in a couple of weeks and could return
to the Nationals by the end of June. Rauch has pitched
very well at the back of Washington's bullpen so there
would be no guarantee that Chad would reclaim the
closer role.

Aaron Harang went 4 scoreless frames of relief that
included 9 k's in the 18 inning marathon vs. the
Padres on Sunday. Arroyo will move up to take
Harang's normal turn on Wednesday with Aaron
returning as a starter on Thursday.

The Reds have called Jay Bruce up from Triple A
Louisville to play CF. Bruce is considered baseball's
top prospect. He's leading the International League
in hitting, batting .364 with 10 homers, 37 RBI
and eight stolen bases. His 67 hits are tops in the IL,
and he also ranks among the leaders in slugging
percentage (.630), runs (34), extra-base hits (24)
and RBI. If he's available take him immediately.
Patterson owners should release the veteran for
an everyday player.

Chone Figgins will be out for several more games as
the hamstring is still tender. It's a bit surprising that
he wasn't placed back on the disabled list so one might
conclude that he'll play on Friday vs. the Blue Jays
at home.

Chad Tracy saw his first game action this season at 1B
spelling Conor Jackson. Tracy is more likely to cut into
Reynolds PT than Jackson but you never know so keep
an eye on these developments if you own any of these
players. He went 1/4.

Ryan Church is still day to day with head trauma. He's
been pinch hitting daily but is still uncomfortable when
playing the field.

Jorge Posada looks as if he'll return next Tuesday, June
3rd after a 5 inning extended spring training game where
he caught, batted but did not throw to the bases. Expect
him to be used cautiously until they're certain that he can
handle the daily grind.

Garrett Atkins sat out again with a stiff neck as he tries
to avoid a stint on the DL.

Willy Taveras returned to the Rockies lineup last night.
If he can stay healthy he's a useful rotation guy when
steals and runs are needed. He had a run and steal last
night.

Kevin Youkilis was a late scratch with pain in his right
hand that affected his grip on the bat. He wasn't sure
what happened to cause the problem.

Gary Sheffield left the game with an oblique spasm.
This sounds like a day to day thing but bears watching
as Sheff has had several issues already during this
disappointing season.

There is some talk that Troy Tulowitzki may return in
about a month. At this stage that's purely speculation
and it's best to assume a mid-July return although it
would be a great boost to his loyal owners if he came
back early.


Streamers: (tomorrow's probable starters available as free agents)

Use these players to gain advantage in wins and strikeouts.

Matt Garza- the Rays are loaded with talented young guys
with Garza being a #3 behind Kazmir and Shields. He's
tough at home. 1-0, 1.42/.95 in 6 frames against Texas.

Shawn Estes- in come the lowly Nationals to Petco where
Estes carries a 3.00/1.18 in 39 innings. Specifically vs.
Washington he's 5-8, 3.19/1.45 over 99 innings, It's a
solid matchup for Shawn.


Spotties: (tomorrow's position players available as free agents)

Use these players to fill in for injured players and on off days.

Craig Monroe- has the midas touch when facing Greinke. 7/18,
5 extras, 2 homers and 5 rbi.

Randy Winn- glad Doug Davis is healthy and pitching again
for all the wrong reasons. 11/24, 3 mults, 2 jacks and 4 rbi.


Start/Sit: (today)

Guide to using bench players when matchups are favorable.

Torii Hunter (start)- wore out Bonderman during his Twins
days. 14/30, 6 extras, 6 rbi, 2 steals with only 3 k's.

Ken Griffey (start)- it's oldtimers day in start/sit land. He's
trying to crack 600 homers and Snell's serves are to Griff's
liking. 6/14 and a clout.


Guide to sit starters when matchups are unfavorable.

Normally sit these players in Roto formats only.

Adam Dunn (sit)- always has real problems with slick lefties.
2/20 with 7 k's against Snell.

Ricky Weeks (sit)- Hudson's movement gives him fits. 0/8
with 3 k's vs. the Braves ace.


Studs and Duds: (a recap of yesterday's picks and pans)

Jason Bergmann (stream)- ND 5.2ip/0e/5w/8k

Bartolo Colon (stream)- W 7ip/1e/6w/4k

Coco Crisp (spot)- Washburn DNP

Scott Rolen (spot)- 1/4, run

Nick Swisher (start)- 1/5

Adrian Beltre (start)- 0/4

Travis Hafner (sit)- DNP

Michael Young (sit)- 1/4


How To: (this section is devoted to the fundamentals of daily play)


Head To Head
: Player's Edge(PE) vs. Opposition(OP):

Week 5: Tuesday


Weekly Tot: R-H-RB-SB -BA/ W-SV-K ER-WH -SCORE


-------PE--3--0--4--0--.280/-0-1-10--0.00--0.90---5
-------OP--3--0--1--0--.370/-1-0--9--4.70--0.91---2

Offense: Lineups:

-----PE-----/----- OP

^B.Molina----------^Johjima
^Teixeira----------^Pujols
^Roberts----------^Uggla
^Braun------------^DeRosa
^Escobar----------^Guillen
^Griffey-----------^J. Upton
^C. Young---------^Dunn
^Kemp----------- ^Granderson
Figgins------------^K. Johnson
^Gomez------------Helton
--------------------Swisher
--------------------H. Matsui



------PE------//-----OP
7/25-3-0-4-0 //10/27-3-0-1-0 (daily totals: H/AB,R,HR,RBI)

Pitching: Rotation-Closers

-----PE----/------OP

Harang-----------^Hudson
Shields-----------^Jimenez
Weaver------------Moyer
Cain--------------^Snell
Harden------------Maddox
^F. Cordero------^Gregg
^Saito------------^Corpas
^Fuentes---------^Springer
^Wood-------------Peavy-DL
Lilly--------------- Accardo-(DL)
Martinez-DL
^Laffey


-----PE--------//------OP
0W/1S, 6.2-0-6-10//1W/0S, 7.2-4-7-9 (day: W/S,IP,ER,WH,K)

Weekly Totals- Batting Avg. PE(7/25) - OP (10/27)
Weekly Totals- ERA (0/(6.2/9) - OP ERA (4/(7.2/9) -(er/(ip/9)
Weekly Totals- Whip (6/6.2) - OP WHIP (7/7.2) - (w+h/ip)
Weekly Starts(est/week to date) PE---8-----OP----8

^ -designates an active player on today's roster.

Daily Activity:

PE Bergmann(drop)/Laffey-Mon
PE Laffey(drop)/Garza-Tues


Strategy: PE caught a bit of a strategy break with the news
that Pedro will not be activated this week. That'll free up a
flex spot for streams and spot plays as needed throughout the
week. It's been reported that Figgins will miss several more
games but will not be placed on the DL. An educated guess
has him returning on Friday at home vs. the Blue Jays. Laffey
was released for Garza on Wednesday giving each side 9 starts
for the week. OP has 3 SP's, a closer and 2 set up types active
today with PE having 1 SP and 4 closers on the bump. Both
teams should have a full compliment of offensive starters.


Game Keys: OP had 7 players on offense generate a 10/27 with
3 runs and 1 rbi. PE with only 6 going went 7/25, 3 runs and 4
rbi from Teixeira. Neither team could muster a homer or a steal.
The early pitching matchups were effectively a wash with PE
getting a save and OP a win. OP will get separation in K's today
with 3 SP's but PE will challenge in K's by Friday with 6 starts
compared to 1 for OP during that stretch. PE has a 5-2 advantage.


Final Thoughts:

PE is tied for 2nd place, 4.5 games out of 1st heading into week 9.
PE is 23-7 over last 3 weeks enabling the climb to the coveted 2nd
place position.

The Player's Edge participates in many leagues but elected to
follow a team in a Public League to better approximate what might
be faced by a wide majority of players that use the Edge daily. This
team plays in a standard 5x5 scoring format and drafted 7th of 12
teams in a 21 round on-line live event in late March. We'll follow this
team throughout the entire 2008 fantasy campaign.


All Done!

Site Updated by 10:00 EST Daily.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Fantasy Player's Edge

May 26, 2008


Roster Shuffle:

Matt Holliday was placed on the DL with a strained right
hamstring. There's no way to replace this type of offense
so make the best of it. Try Bradley, Francisco or even
Guillen. You can use the best daily matchup if you decide
that a few reserves will be needed to fill his shoes. The
Roc's have really been hit hard by injuries to key players.

Chipper Jones was not in the starting lineup for the
Braves due to an isolated back spasm. He's not
expected to miss any games other than yesterday's.

Lance Berkman had a hand injury but stayed in
yesterday's contest. Sometimes issues arise the
next day with these types of injuries so be
certain he's active before committing a roster
spot.

Hank Blalock had another setback as his carpal
tunnel has not responded to medication. It's
supposed to be only a few days but at this point
when Blalock returns and is actually in a starting
lineup is when it will be reported.

Good grief. China Kendrick is rehabbing at Triple A Salt
Lake. The word is he should return in a week. A week!!!!
C'mon, this is now bordering on ridiculous.

Speaking of ridiculous, Rafael Furcal will not be playing or
joining the team during the Dodgers 7 game road trip. The
concern is that his back might be bothered by a long flight.
So, fielding, hitting, running, sliding and throwing will be
okay but an airplane ride might be devastating. Furcal is
probably going to be hindered by this back condition all
season.

Chone Figgins received another day off yesterday. Sooner
or later someone is going to have to fess up about something.

Vlad Guerrero was also "rested" last night against the ChiSox.

Troy Glaus was rushed to the hospital during the 9th
inning of Saturday night's game in Los Angeles. It
turns out it wasn't much, thankfully, as he was back
in the Cards lineup on Sunday

Ryan Zimmerman and Xavier Nady are said to be
getting a day off to nurse minor ailments today.
Check their respective lineup cards to be certain but
with teams traveling most fantasy rosters will have
open slots so you might keep them active should they
pinch hit.

Clayton Kershaw was terrific in his debut. He threw
101 pitches over 6 innings allowing 2 runs, 6 whip
with 7 k's. It's unfortunate that the Dodgers pen
could not save the win for him.

Clay Buchholz had a solid 4 inning stint for Triple A
Pawtucket allowing 1 earned on 5 whip with 3 k's.
He threw 63 pitches, 38 for strikes while hitting 96
mph on his heater. He'll toss another rehab on Friday.

Fausto Carmona is going to be sidelined for at least 4
weeks with a hip problem. He's good enough to stash
on the DL until he returns to active duty.

Wandy Rodriguez will be activated and pitch against
the Cards in St. Louis on Wednesday. He makes an
effective spot play at home on occasion.

A few week's ago several fantasy pundits evoked the
dreaded sophomore jinx to explain a slow start by
Ryan Braun. They went so far as to remind players that
they were warned not to overspend for Braun in the
1st round and his performance to date had substantiated
this claim. The Edge called for a bit of patience as he had
not had a full season in the bigs, in early May, when all this
nonsense was being espoused. Yesterday marked Braun's
one year anniversary in MLB. In 162 games he's hitting
.311 with 47 homers, 116 runs, 134 rbi and 16 steals. As
for this year he's hitting .284 with 13 homers and 37 rbi.
By comparison David Wright and Miguel Cabrera are
hitting .283 with 9 homers/36 rbi and .282 with 7
homers and 27 rbi respectively. At this stage Braun is
measuring up quite nicely with his contemporaries. Is
it possible that the top 8 picks used for Wright or Cabrera
were also inadvisable? Making a call in early May on the
validity of a draft pick is sheer folly. Braun's the real deal,
no worries on spending a 1st rounder on this guy. He'll hit
.300+ with 40 jacks and 125 rbi for his owners in 2008
and those are 1st round numbers!


Streamers: (tomorrow's probable starters available as free agents)

Use these players to gain advantage in wins and strikeouts.

Aaron Laffey- this youngster is better at home and gets the
ChiSox coming in on Tuesday. 1-1, 4.26/1.18 with 10 k's in
12 innings.

Brian Bannister- has been dreadful of late but has one of
those matchups that can cover a multitude of poor starts.
3-0, 1.45/.84 in 31 frames vs. Minnesota.


Spotties: (tomorrow's position players available as free agents)

Use these players to fill in for injured players and on off days.

Ryan Garko- has Buehrle's private number. 8/14 with 1 k.

Cliff Floyd- welcomes zany Padilla to the Tampa Bay area. No
fun in the sun for Vincente on Tuesday. 4/12 with 2 jacks.


Start/Sit
: (today)

Guide to using bench players when matchups are favorable.

Nick Swisher (start)- faces the only pitcher in MLB that he
owns. 8/23 with only 2 k's vs Byrd. This is it Swisherettes,
it's now and sit him forever.

Adrian Beltre (start)- is thrilled to see Colon back in action.
15/40, 10 extras, 4 homers and 12 ribeyes.


Guide to sit starters when matchups are unfavorable.

Normally sit these players in Roto formats only.

Travis Hafner (sit)- finds yet another moundsman that he
can't seem to handle. It's becoming a recurring theme with
big Pronk. 4/22 with 7 k's against Vasquez.

Michael Young (sit)- perennial 200 hit guy has not gotten
too many off of the Rays plucky lefthander. 1/8 with 3 k's
vs. Kazmir.


Studs and Duds: (a recap of yesterday's picks and pans)

Jose Contreras (stream)- ND 8ip/2e/3w/10k

Mark Hendrickson (stream)- W 5ip/5e/11w/5k

Kevin Millar (spot)- 0/4

Omar Vizquel (spot)- 0/4

Garret Anderson (start)- 1/4

Carlos Pena (start)- 1/2, homer, 2 runs, 2 rbi

Nick Swisher (sit)- 0/3

Jim Thome (sit)- 0/3


How To: (this section is devoted to the fundamentals of daily play)


Head To Head
: Player's Edge(PE) vs. Opposition(OP):

Week 5: Monday


Weekly Tot: R-H-RB-SB -BA/ W-SV-K ER-WH -SCORE


-------PE-31--5--34--4--.327/-5-4-48--3.63--1.28---7
-------OP-26--7--30--6--.297/-2-0-37--4.62--1.23---3

Offense: Lineups:

-----PE-----/----- OP

B.Molina---------- ^Johjima
^Teixeira---------- Pujols
^Roberts----------^Uggla
^Braun------------^DeRosa
^Escobar----------^Guillen
Griffey------------^J. Upton
^C. Young----------Dunn
^Kemp------------^Granderson
^Figgins---------- ^K. Johnson
Gomez------------- Helton
--------------------Swisher
-------------------^H. Matsui



------PE------//-----OP
15/39-10-1-8-2 //12/28-5-2-4-1 (daily totals: H/AB,R,HR,RBI)

Pitching: Rotation-Closers

-----PE----/------OP

Harang------------Hudson
Shields------------Jimenez
Weaver----------^Moyer
Cain---------------Snell
Harden------------Maddox
F. Cordero--------^Gregg
^Saito------------^Corpas
^Fuentes---------- Springer
^Wood-------------Peavy-DL
Lilly----------------Accardo-(DL)
Martinez-DL
^Bergmann

-----PE--------//------OP
0W/0S, 0-0-0-0//0W/0S, 13.2-6-18-11 (day: W/S,IP,ER,WH,K)

Weekly Totals- Batting Avg. PE(72/220) - OP (57/192)
Weekly Totals- ERA (23/(57/9) - OP ERA (25/(48.2/9) -(er/(ip/9)
Weekly Totals- Whip (73/57) - OP WHIP (60/48.2) - (w+h/ip)
Weekly Starts(est/week to date) PE---0-----OP----0

^ -designates an active player on today's roster.

Daily Activity:

PE Bergmann(drop)/Laffey-Mon


Strategy: Bergmann was dropped this morning for Aaron Laffey.
The objective for the first 3 days of this week will be to equalize
the number of starts by streaming through Wednesday. If Pedro
is activated by the Mets then he'll start on Wednesday. Lilly starts
on Friday and if necessary his spot will be used to pick up additional
pitching or offense. It would be useful if Figgins went back on the DL.
He's a dead roster spot at the moment as he's only played one game
since being activated. A trip to the DL would provide another flex
position for week 9. OP starts Moyer today with 1 closer/1 set up
and has 8 active on offense at the moment. PE counters with Jason
Bergmann, 3 closers, although Wood and Saito matchup and 7 hitters
if Figgins finally returns.


Game Keys: Bengie Molina singlehandedly assured both RBI and
BA would fall to PE. He was 6/7 with 5 rbi in a doubleheader vs.
the Marlins. PE offense, overall, was outstanding going 15/39 with
10 runs and 8 rbi enabling PE to take Runs as well. Contreras saved
WHIP for OP with a brilliant 8 inning, 3 whip outing offsetting the
15 whip, 5.2 inning Cabrera fiasco. In essence status quo prevailed
in all categories with PE offense capturing the tied points in Runs
and RBI turning a 5-3 lead into a 7-3 victory.


Final Thoughts:

PE is tied for 2nd place, 4.5 games out of 1st heading into week 9.
PE is 23-7 over last 3 weeks enabling the climb to the coveted 2nd
place position.

The Player's Edge participates in many leagues but elected to
follow a team in a Public League to better approximate what might
be faced by a wide majority of players that use the Edge daily. This
team plays in a standard 5x5 scoring format and drafted 7th of 12
teams in a 21 round on-line live event in late March. We'll follow this
team throughout the entire 2008 fantasy campaign.


All Done!

Site Updated by 10:00 EST Daily.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Fantasy Player's Edge

May 25, 2008


Roster Shuffle:

Clayton Kershaw makes his big league debut today vs.
the Cards. He's certain to draw priority waiver attention
in top leagues.

The big Padres righthander Chris Young will be out for
more than the standard DL of 15 days with multiple
facial fractures from a line drive hit by Pujols. Late
June would be the earliest that he would return with
some accounts having him out of action until the All
Star break. The Edge wonders what the impact of
this trauma will have on his psyche.

Pedro Martinez has returned to Florida and will throw
a bullpen session today. Pete's talking about returning
on Wednesday to face the Marlins. People around him
say he looks good. We'll all find out soon enough.

Bartolo Colon has 2 starts this week as he goes against
the Mariners in Seattle on Monday. He'll be on a 90-95
pitch count which is plenty to get through 6 innings for
a W.

Joba Chamberlain threw 40 pitches, 22 for strikes, in
a 2 inning stint yesterday. Hopefully he'll stretch out
over 50 in his next outing on his way to the Yankees
rotation.

Rafael Soriano could actually be activated today.
He should be their closer for one day until Smoltz
arrives tomorrow. Smoltz had a solid rehab outing
for Mississippi and is on his way back to Atlanta.

Fausto Carmona was placed on the DL with a hip
problem. He'll miss at least 2 turns.

Sources close to the Cubs say Alphonso Soriano's legs are
still troubling him, especially, on the bases. The way he's
been hitting it seems that no one has been paying much
attention to the issue. Be aware that this could cause a
bit of trouble going forward so it's important that a back
up plan be in place now in case he goes down unexpectedly.

Speaking of wheels, Chone Figgins sat for the 3rd consecutive
game. The official word was that he was given the day off.
Let's see, 15 day DL, play one game and take off three. Oh
yeah that makes perfect sense. They'll either have to start
Chone by Monday or put him back on the DL until he can play
everyday.

Ryan Church missed another start as well, still suffering from
some form of head trauma in a collision on Wednesday trying
to break up a double play.

Andruw Jones has been placed on the DL which is a positive
for owners of any of the remaining Dodgers OF's.

Hank Blalock could be activated today or Tuesday. He was
rehabbing a hamstring when diagnosed with carpal tunnel
of all things.

Paulie "Cashews" Konerko will be relegated to pinch hitting
for a few days due to a sore right hand. Adjust accordingly
until he returns full time.

First Troy Tuolwitzki, now Clint Barmes is headed to the DL
with a sprained right knee. The Rockies are down to their
3rd option at SS. Fantasy owners are a bit more fortunate
and should look to Vizquel or Jack Wilson for a spot play
until Tulo returns to active duty.

Brad Hawpe hit the DL with a strained hamstring. The
time off may do Hawpe some good as he's been scuffling
to find his rhythm at the plate.

Another Rockies player, Garrett Atkins sat out with a
stiff neck. He's day to day.

Michael Barrett is returning to the Padres and will likely
be their primary option at C with Bard gone for 4-6 weeks.


Streamers: (tomorrow's probable starters available as free agents)

Use these players to gain advantage in wins and strikeouts.

Jason Bergmann- has returned from the minors impressively,
not allowing a run in 14 innings with 14 k's. 0-0, 1.50/.67 in
6 innings vs. the Brewers. The matchup against Sheets and
the inept Nationals offense implies that Jason has no margin
for error.

Bartolo Colon- the round one faces a long time foe in Seattle
at one of his favorite haunts. 8-1, 2.17/.98 over 71 frames
lifetime at Safeco Field. He's on a 90-95 pitch count which
is plenty to earn the W.


Spotties: (tomorrow's position players available as free agents)

Use these players to fill in for injured players and on off days.

Coco Crisp- Crispy burns Jarrod all the time. 10/21, 6 extras,
a homer, 4 ribeyes with only 2 k's vs. Washburn.

Scott Rolen- still has a little somethin'-somethin left for Tomko.
9/22, 3 mults, a blast and 3 rbi.


Start/Sit
: (today)

Guide to using bench players when matchups are favorable.

Garret Anderson (start)- this Angel simply bedevils Contreras.
11/23, 2 extras, 4 rbi with only 2 k's.

Carlos Pena (start)- this all or nothing player gets a hot pitcher
that he can handle. 5/15, 2 jacks, 5 rbi and k vs. Daniel Cabrera.


Guide to sit starters when matchups are unfavorable.

Normally sit these players in Roto formats only.

Nick Swisher (sit)- perennial sitter runs smacky into Lackey.
4/37, with a gosh awful 14 k's.

Jim Thome (sit)- runs smacky into Lackey, that's today's
theme. 0/10 with 5 k's.


Studs and Duds: (a recap of yesterday's picks and pans)

Justin Duchscherer (stream)- W 8/ip/0e/1w/4k

Jason Marquis (stream)- ND 5.1ip/3e/10w/2k

Ty Wigginton (spot)- 2/3, run

Adam Kennedy (spot)- 0/5 (vs Lowe/Fri)

Raul Ibanez (start)- 0/5

Shane Victorino (start)- 1/5, run, stolen base.

Lance Berkman (sit)- 0/1, run

Torii Hunter (sit)- 2/5, run, stolen base (vs. Danks)


How To: (this section is devoted to the fundamentals of daily play)


Head To Head
: Player's Edge(PE) vs. Opposition(OP):

Week 5: Sunday


Weekly Tot: R-H-RB-SB -BA/ W-SV-K ER-WH -SCORE


-------PE-21--4--26--2--.315/-5-4-48--3.63--1.28---5
-------OP-21--5--26--5--.274/-2-0-26--4.89--1.20---3

Offense: Lineups:

-----PE-----/----- OP

^B.Molina---------^Soto
^Teixeira---------^Morneau
^Roberts----------^Matsui
^Braun------------^Zimmerman
^Escobar----------- empty
^Griffey-----------^Holliday
^C. Young-------- ^McLouth
^Kemp------------^Quentin
Figgins------------^Sizemore
^Gomez------------C. Jackson
---------------------Hunter
---------------------Bruce
---------------------Tulowitzki (DL)


------PE------//-----OP
2/29-1-0-1-0 //7/30-3-1-2-1 (daily totals: H/AB,R,HR,RBI)

Pitching: Rotation-Closers

-----PE----/------OP

Harang------------F. Hernandez
Shields------------Carmona
Weaver-----------Cook
Cain-------------^Cabrera
S.Hill------------ ^Contreras
F. Cordero-------- Eveland
Saito--------------Volquez
Fuentes---------- Rasner
Wood-------------Saunders
Lilly--------------Smoltz-DL
Harden


-----PE--------//------OP
1W/0S, 8-0-5-6//0W/0S, 0-0-0-0 (day: W/S,IP,ER,WH,K)

Weekly Totals- Batting Avg. PE(57/181) - OP (45/164)
Weekly Totals- ERA (23/(57/9) - OP ERA (19/(35/9) -(er/(ip/9)
Weekly Totals- Whip (73/57) - OP WHIP (42/35) - (w+h/ip)
Weekly Starts(est/week to date) PE---3-----OP----2

^ -designates an active player on today's roster.

Daily Activity:

PE Glaus(drop)/Bergmann-Mon
OP Rasner(drop)/Jackson-Tues
PE Bergmann(drop)/Byrd-Tues
OP Jackson(drop)/Contreras-Tues
PE Byrd(drop)/Gorzelanny-Wed
PE Gorzelanny(drop)/Figgins-Thurs
PE Hill(drop)/Martinez-Sat
OP Olson(drop)/Cabrera-Sat
OP Scherzer(drop)/Rasner-Sat
PE Martinez(DL)/Bergmann-Sun

Strategy: PE Weaver threw 8 shutout innings allowing only 5
whip to earn a win yesterday. PE immediately made Cain, Wood
and Cordero inactive leaving only Saito active. A flawless inning
from Saito would have lowered PE whip to 1.26 but he did not
pitch. Cain's game was rained out and he's pitching today. OP
made 2 moves yesterday adding Daniel Cabrera and Rasner.
Cabrera starts today, is 6-0 vs. the Rays and a hot pitcher at
the moment. He's a formidable compliment to OP's other starter
Contreras. PE will sit all pitchers today and hope that either
Cabrera or Contreras has a rocky outing. Rasner starts next
week and has no bearing on this week's game. The thought
process behind PE benching all pitching is that if OP pitching
allows 1 earned run over 14 innings PE would still take the ERA
point 3.63 to 3.67. If OP pitching outperforms then OP deserves
the point. Pedro Martinez was picked up for Shawn Hill and then
promptly added to the DL to create a roster spot for Bergmann.
These moves are in preparation for week 9's challenge.

Week 9 OP features Pujols, Guillen, Justin Upton, Granderson and
Dunn on offense. OP has a simple 5 man rotation headed by Tim
Hudson, Gregg as the only closer and 2 set up relievers in Springer
and Corpas. Normally this would be an easy pitching match up but
this week's OP has 4 of the 5 starters with 2 start weeks giving OP
9 for the week. PE currently has only 7 starts on this week's roster.
Bergmann, without regard for his performance, will be waived for a
stream on Tuesday. That stream will either be used to activate Pedro
or another stream on Wednesday effectively bringing PE 's start total
to 9. PE's staff is superior on paper to OP's Hudson, Jimenez, Snell,
Moyer and Maddux with all except Maddux having 2 starts. PE
should control K's and Saves but unfortunately they don't play these
games on paper. OP has power with Pujols, Dunn, Uggla, Guillen and
Justin Upton. Granderson is the only reliable base stealer on the OP
roster. On offense OP has the potential to start 9 on Monday with PE
having 7 if Figgins can go. OP has roster advantages on Monday on
offense and early in the week with pitching starts. It's an uphill
battle right from the jump that should equalize on Wednesday
with pitching.


Game Keys: PE offense, using that term loosely, went a paltry
2/29 with a single run and rbi. Luckily, OP offense could only
muster a 7/30 with 3 runs and 2 rbi. OP did have the night's
only homer breaking the tie in that category. PE holds a 5-3
lead with Runs and RBI tied. PE has W and Saves won with
solid advantages in K's, ERA and BA. Essentially, PE is playing
aggressively for OP points in Runs, HR, RBI and passively
for WHIP. OP has a 3 steal lead that seems to be safe as PE
swipers have been dormant for 2 weeks. Roberts was rested
and Molina was rained out. Both should play today giving PE
a full team. Gomez will continue to start for Figgins. OP has
played all week without a SS and has 2 SP's today. PE has
benched all pitching. It's neck and neck going down the stretch.


Final Thoughts:

PE is in 3rd place, 5 games out of 1st and 1 game behind the
2nd place team heading into week 8.

The Player's Edge participates in many leagues but elected to
follow a team in a Public League to better approximate what might
be faced by a wide majority of players that use the Edge daily. This
team plays in a standard 5x5 scoring format and drafted 7th of 12
teams in a 21 round on-line live event in late March. We'll follow this
team throughout the entire 2008 fantasy campaign.


All Done!

Site Updated by 10:00 EST Daily.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Fantasy Player's Edge

May 24, 2008


Roster Shuffle:

Here comes Clayton Kershaw. The word is that he'll pitch
on Sunday vs. the Cards. He's worth a priority waiver
claim with a caveat that he might only get 3 starts before
the Dodgers will make a decision on his immediate future
with the club. They'll look to restrict his innings this season,
with the question being how many and where he throws
them?

Joba Chamberlain is slated to pitch today vs. the Mariners.
With Mussina starting on short rest for Wang it should be
relatively easy to use Joba in long relief. They'd like him
to throw about 45 pitches. He's about a month out from
joining the rotation if everything falls into place.

John Smoltz will pitch today for Double A Mississippi.
He should be activated sometime next week if there
are no setbacks.

Eric Gagne was placed on the DL retroactive to the 21st
with tendonitis in his rotator cuff.

Fausto Carmona got torched and mercifully was pulled
in the 3rd inning with a strained left hip. He's day to
day but the Edge would be surprised if he took his
next turn.

King Felix Hernandez has been skipped due to tightness
in his calf. Although is doesn't sound overly serious it's
worth keeping an eye on in case you'll need to cover for
more than one start.

Yunel Escobar returned to action but inexplicably his
co-collisionist Ryan Church was again held out even
though he's pinch hit 2 nights in a row. Randolph is
trying to show a bit of compassion hoping that the
Mets brass will do the same for him.

Rafael Furcal had a setback and was not activated.
He's still suffering with lower back issues as he woke
up yesterday with soreness after working out for a
couple of days.

Victor Martinez sat out with a cut cuticle and is day
to day.

Jayson Werth could be DLed with an oblique strain

Chone Figgins blames the turf in Toronto for the general
soreness in his right leg. He's not headed back to the DL
just yet but may need to be used sparingly when the
Angels play on turf. He sat again last night.

Jorge Posada could be ready for a rehab assignment as
early as Monday.

Willy Taveras and Clint Barmes left last night's Rockies
game with knee injuries. Both will be evaluated today.

Chad Tracy is scheduled to be activated on Monday and
with Mark Reynolds struggling will get some PT at 3B.
Reynolds owners need to watch this closely as neither
guy is worth a roster spot as part of a platoon.

Eric Chavez is raking at Triple A but is unlikely to be
activated on Tuesday when he's eligible. Barring any
setbacks he'll be back soon enough should you need
depth at 3B.

From the "you've got to be kidding" file, Hank Blalock
was not activated yesterday as he is suffering from
carpal tunnel syndrome. Did he wake up with it??


Streamers: (tomorrow's probable starters available as free agents)

Use these players to gain advantage in wins and strikeouts.

Jose Contreras- has the right opponent, at the right time, in the
right place. 5-3, 3.36/1.27 with 40 k's in 59 innings vs. the Angels.

Mark Hendrickson- faces a soft opponent with an inexperienced
starter. 1-1, 3.09/1.31 over 35 frames against the Giants.


Spotties: (tomorrow's position players available as free agents)

Use these players to fill in for injured players and on off days.

Kevin Millar- Shields has no protection from this guy's onslaught.
11/24, 4 extras and 3 rbi.

Omar Vizquel- the one Giant who gives big Hendrickson a problem.
7/13, 5 mults, 2 steals and 0 k's.


Start/Sit
: (today)

Guide to using bench players when matchups are favorable.

Raul Ibanez (start)- hits Mussina with impunity. 11/26, 5 extras,
1 jackaranda and 6 ribbies.

Shane Victorino (start)- getting this guy out is like pulling teeth
for Moehler. 5/8 with an extra base hit and 0 k's.


Guide to sit starters when matchups are unfavorable.

Normally sit these players in Roto formats only.

Lance Berkman (sit)- even the game's top hitters have tough
matchups on rare occasions. 3/17 with 5 k's vs. Myers.

Torii Hunter (sit)- this time the Hunter gets captured by the
game. 0/11 with 2 k's vs. Danks.


Studs and Duds: (a recap of yesterday's picks and pans)

Scott Olsen (stream)- L 3.1ip/5e/11w/2k

Shawn Estes (stream)- ND 6ip/2e/7w/5k

Luis Gonzalez (spot)- 0/4

Adam Kennedy (spot)- 0/5 (vs Lowe)

Xavier Nady (start)- 0/4

Aaron Rowand (start)-2/3, homer, 2 runs, 3 rbi

Johnny Damon (sit)- DNP

Torii Hunter (sit)-faces Danks today.


How To: (this section is devoted to the fundamentals of daily play)


Head To Head
: Player's Edge(PE) vs. Opposition(OP):

Week 5: Saturday


Weekly Tot: R-H-RB-SB -BA/ W-SV-K ER-WH -SCORE


-------PE-20--4--25--2--.362/-4-4-42--4.22--1.39---7
-------OP-18--4--24--4--.284/-2-0-26--4.89--1.20---2

Offense: Lineups:

-----PE-----/----- OP

^B.Molina---------^Soto
^Teixeira---------^Morneau
^Roberts----------^Matsui
^Braun------------^Zimmerman
^Escobar----------- empty
^Griffey-----------^Holliday
^C. Young-------- ^McLouth
^Kemp------------^Quentin
Figgins------------^Sizemore
^Gomez------------C. Jackson
---------------------Hunter
---------------------Bruce
---------------------Tulowitzki (DL)


------PE------//-----OP
8/37-3-2-6-1 //9/32-5-2-10-0 (daily totals: H/AB,R,HR,RBI)

Pitching: Rotation-Closers

-----PE----/------OP

Harang------------F. Hernandez
Shields------------Carmona
^Weaver----------Cook
^Cain------------^Scherzer
S.Hill--------------Contreras
^F. Cordero-------Eveland
^Saito-------------Volquez
^Fuentes----------G. Olson
^Wood------------Saunders
Lilly---------------Smoltz-DL
Harden


-----PE--------//------OP
1W/1S, 9-2-10-12//1W/0S, 16.1-8-18-17 (day: W/S,IP,ER,WH,K)

Weekly Totals- Batting Avg. PE(55/152) - OP (38/134)
Weekly Totals- ERA (23/(49/9) - OP ERA (19/(35/9) -(er/(ip/9)
Weekly Totals- Whip (68/49) - OP WHIP (42/35) - (w+h/ip)
Weekly Starts(est/week to date) PE---4-----OP----2

^ -designates an active player on today's roster.

Daily Activity:

PE Glaus(drop)/Bergmann-Mon
OP Rasner(drop)/Jackson-Tues
PE Bergmann(drop)/Byrd-Tues
OP Jackson(drop)/Contreras-Tues
PE Byrd(drop)/Gorzelanny-Wed
PE Gorzelanny(drop)/Figgins-Thurs

Strategy: PE toyed with sitting all pitchers for the
remainder of this week's contest. Wins, Saves and
K's are solidly with PE as OP has only Contreras
left in the late game on Sunday. PE leads by 2 wins
and 16 k's with the wildcard for an OP win being
Scherzer who's pitching out of the bullpen. PE
would concede WHIP where OP has a significant
margin and force Contreras to throw at least 6
shutout innings to capture ERA. Currently ERA
sits at 4.22 vs. 4.89 for PE. If Contreras throws 6ip
with 0e then the OP era would be lowered to .417
and OP would gain the point. Here's the math. OP
has 35ip/19e. 6ip/0e would give OP 41ip/19e.
41/9= 4.55555. 19/4.55555= 4.17. OP could also
take the point with 8ip/1e which could be any
combination of Contreras/Scherzer innings pitched.
Contreras has been lights out and has a favorable
opponent with Mad Max probably available on
Sunday after a perfect inning of relief last night.
PE has no choice but to jeopardize ERA completely
by starting Cain and Weaver on the road vs. favorable
opponents and all 4 closers. This strategy will payoff
if the combined era of PE's staff is sub 4 on the day.
PE will also have Shields/Lilly available tomorrow.
PE will continue to sit Figgins.


Game Keys: OP offense and pitching was good enough
yesterday to keep many categories in play. Specifically,
Runs, RBI, Homers and ERA. PE currently controls 3
of these categories with Homers being tied which could
turn a 7-2 PE lead into a 6-4 disadvantage overnight.
OP had 10 RBI last night to draw within 1 while closing
the gap to 2 in Runs. The disconnect is that PE has 17
more hits on the week which speaks to the productivity
of the hits by both squads. ERA was discussed in detail
in the strategy section. Week 8 heads onto the river
with the contest outcome still very much in doubt.



Final Thoughts:

PE is in 3rd place, 5 games out of 1st and 1 game behind the
2nd place team heading into week 8.

The Player's Edge participates in many leagues but elected to
follow a team in a Public League to better approximate what might
be faced by a wide majority of players that use the Edge daily. This
team plays in a standard 5x5 scoring format and drafted 7th of 12
teams in a 21 round on-line live event in late March. We'll follow this
team throughout the entire 2008 fantasy campaign.


All Done!

Site Updated by 10:00 EST Daily.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Fantasy Player's Edge

May 23, 2008


Roster Shuffle:

Rafael Furcal could be activated today as he has disdained
a rehab assignment. He feels that he's ready to rejoin the
Dodgers now.

Okay, how about a little teaser? Howie Kendrick is said to
be close to returning. He'll be evaluated today and could
see action with the Angels soon. No kidding, "China" is
almost back!!!

Ryan Church claims that he did not have a concussion and
could have played on Wednesday. Randolph wants to be
cautious with Church but his return is imminent.

Yunel Escobar, the other half of the Church collision, was
held out again. He's expected to return today.

Chone Figgins sat one day after being activated with
"whole" leg soreness. If he's active tonight then this
was simply a precaution. Otherwise, he could still be
having hamstring issues.

Victor Martinez left after the 4th inning with a left index
finger injury. More news regarding V-Mart should be
available today. It's safe to say that he'll be sitting this
evening. Adjust accordingly, if possible.

Eric Byrnes is still troubled by hamstring issues. Kookie
probably needs a stint on the DL to get right but there's
been no talk of shutting him down at the moment.

Jayson Werth looks like he'll miss some time with a strained
oblique. This would have to be considered good news for
Victorino owners.

Moises Alou had an MRI on his "cramp" and was placed
on the DL once again, this time, with a strained calf.

Andruw Jones says he's feeling better. He ran and fielded
his position yesterday. If the swelling persists he'll get
surgery on his knee, if not, he'll return to the Dodgers
muddling their outfield rotation once again.

Pirates SS Jack Wilson should be back by Tuesday
providing a bit of spot play flexibility to a position
that's paper thin.

Ty Wigginton returned to party going 3/4. If you've
got him you can use him.

There is speculation that uber prospect Clayton
Kershaw will be called up for either a Saturday or
Tuesday start with the Dodgers. He pitched a one
inning start last night fueling the guessing game.

Doug Davis returned to the D'Back's yesterday after
a successful recovery from thyroid cancer. Brandon
Medders was designated for assignment which implies
that Max Scherzer will work out of the bullpen for now.

Chris Young was placed on the DL after suffering a
fractured nose from a Pujols line drive. With Peavy
already on the DL the Padres are going to have to
trust some young arms, like Germano and Ledezma
and a trio of older ones, Maddox, Wolf and Estes, to
keep them in the race.

Chris Carpenter threw 48 pitches in a bullpen session on
Wednesday and is scheduled to participate in a simulated
game on Monday in Florida. He's making progress and
the last ETA for the former Cards ace was on or around
the All Star break.

There is a bit of concern that Felix Hernandez may be
skipped on Saturday due to tightness in his calf. The
King thinks that he'll be able to go while pitching coach
Mel Stottlemyre wasn't as sure. Stay tuned.

Chien Ming Wang had his started moved from Saturday
to Sunday. Make sure that you do the same.

Shawn Hill is still plagued with forearm pain and a series
of tests have been unable to isolate the cause. He may be
headed for exploratory surgery in an effort to define the
problem. If you own him wait for additional details before
deciding if a roster shuffle will be necessary.

Joe Borowski returns as the Indians closer today.

Even though C.J. Wilson had a perfect 9th for a save
yesterday there is still talk that he's on a game by
game basis to keep the job. Everyday Eddie Guardado
is waiting in the wings.

John Smoltz threw for the 3rd consecutive day while
experimenting with a different arm slot to reduce the
stress on his shoulder. He threw off the mound at
Turner Field prior to batting practice. His teammates
say he was "filthy". Cox has said he expects him to
return in about 10 days.

Rafael Soriano will have his 2nd rehab start today for
Double A Mississippi and if all goes well he could be
back with the Braves by Sunday.

Eric Gagne has "officially" been sidelined indefinitely
with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Yost
is leaning towards Torres as his primary closer but
Mota will be in the mix especially if Torres can't
shoulder the load.

Jason Isringhausen will throw off a mound today to test
his recovery from a lacerated and infected finger. The
Cards GM Mozeliak says it's part of a six week rehab
schedule while LaRussa says Issy could return in 2
weeks. Who knows how to interpret this news except
that Jason still has to prove that he can handle the
pressure of closing again.


Streamers: (tomorrow's probable starters available as free agents)

Use these players to gain advantage in wins and strikeouts.

Justin Duchscherer- has never started versus Boston but his
relief appearances against the Sox have been very impressive.
1-0, 2.66/.84 with 23 k's in 20 innings.

Jason Marquis- seems to pitch better on the other team's turf.
7-5, 3.98/1.28 over 106 frames vs. the Pirates.


Spotties: (tomorrow's position players available as free agents)

Use these players to fill in for injured players and on off days.

Ty Wigginton- wears out Myers. 8/20, 5 extras, a blast with
1 k.

Adam Kennedy- 2 days in a row as a spottie. 11/25, 3 extras
with 6 steals vs. Derek Lowe. If you need bases this guy could
get you a couple tomorrow.


Start/Sit
: (today)

Guide to using bench players when matchups are favorable.

Xavier Nady (start)- the X-man uses his special powers
vs. Zambrano to batter the Big Z into submission. 8/22,
7 rbi with a lone k.

Aaron Rowand (start)- remembers Scott Olsen real well
from his days in Philly. 4/10, 3 rbi and a swipe.


Guide to sit starters when matchups are unfavorable.

Normally sit these players in Roto formats only.

Torii Hunter (sit)-this time the Hunter gets captured by
the game. 0/11 with 2 k's against Danks.

Johnny Damon (sit)- Bedard gives him fits. 3/20.


Studs and Duds: (a recap of yesterday's picks and pans)

Tom Gorzelanny (stream)- W 5ip/2e/12w/2k

Andrew Miller (stream)- W 7ip/0e/6w/9k

Ryan Garko (spot)- 0/2

Moises Alou (spot)- DNP-injured

Adrain Beltre (start)- 0/3

Placido Polanco (start)- 0/4

Bill Hall (sit)- 3/5, run, stolen base

Torii Hunter (sit)-0/3, run



How To: (this section is devoted to the fundamentals of daily play)


Head To Head
: Player's Edge(PE) vs. Opposition(OP):

Week 5: Friday


Weekly Tot: R-H-RB-SB -BA/ W-SV-K ER-WH -SCORE


-------PE-17--2--19--1--.409/-3-3-30--4.73--1.45---7
-------OP-13--2--14--4--.284/-1-0--9--5.30--1.29---2

Offense: Lineups:

-----PE-----/----- OP

^B.Molina---------^Soto
^Teixeira---------^Morneau
^Roberts----------^Matsui
^Braun------------^Zimmerman
^Escobar----------- empty
^Griffey-----------^Holliday
^C. Young-------- ^McLouth
^Kemp------------^Quentin
Figgins------------^Sizemore
^Gomez------------C. Jackson
---------------------Hunter
---------------------Bruce
---------------------Tulowitzki (DL)


------PE------//-----OP
8/22-4-2-6-1 //8/23-4-0-5-1 (daily totals: H/AB,R,HR,RBI)

Pitching: Rotation-Closers

-----PE----/------OP

Harang----------F. Hernandez
Shields---------^Carmona
Weaver----------Cook
Cain------------- Scherzer
S.Hill-------------Contreras
^F. Cordero------Eveland
^Saito----------^Volquez
^Fuentes--------G. Olson
^Wood---------^Saunders
Lilly-------------Smoltz-DL
^Harden


-----PE--------//------OP
1W/0S, 10.1-7-24-9//0W/0S, 0-0-0-0 (day: W/S,IP,ER,WH,K)

Weekly Totals- Batting Avg. PE(47/115) - OP (29/102)
Weekly Totals- ERA (21/(40/9) - OP ERA (11/(18.2/9) -(er/(ip/9)
Weekly Totals- Whip (58/40) - OP WHIP (24/18.2) - (w+h/ip)
Weekly Starts(est/week to date) PE---5-----OP----5

^ -designates an active player on today's roster.

Daily Activity:

PE Glaus(drop)/Bergmann-Mon
OP Rasner(drop)/Jackson-Tues
PE Bergmann(drop)/Byrd-Tues
OP Jackson(drop)/Contreras-Tues
PE Byrd(drop)/Gorzelanny-Wed
PE Gorzelanny(drop)/Figgins-Thurs


Strategy: Even though PE pitching was dreadful last night
there's no reason, yet, to change strategy. Both teams have
5 SP's in play for the remainder of the week with OP showing
3 this evening and PE having 1. If Escobar returns PE will have
a 1 hitter advantage Friday through Sunday as OP is SS empty.
Figgins is still not right and will sit tonight for certain. PE will
evaluate further strategy for pitching and on offense after this
evening's results are tallied.


Game Keys: PE thought it couldn't get worse after Gorzelanny's
dreadful 5 inning, 12 whip outing. But it did, as Harang came
apart in the 5th inning and ultimately allowed 5 earned on 12
whip over 5.1 frames vs. the juggernaut known as the Padres.
Amazingly, Gorzelanny was credited with a win. The 24 whip
in 10.1 innings moved the category to OP. PE offense continues
to one up OP but has not put a single offense category out of
reach. PE did hit 2 homers yesterday to tie the point. Heading
into the turn PE leads 7-2.



Final Thoughts:

PE is in 3rd place, 5 games out of 1st and 1 game behind the
2nd place team heading into week 8.

The Player's Edge participates in many leagues but elected to
follow a team in a Public League to better approximate what might
be faced by a wide majority of players that use the Edge daily. This
team plays in a standard 5x5 scoring format and drafted 7th of 12
teams in a 21 round on-line live event in late March. We'll follow this
team throughout the entire 2008 fantasy campaign.


All Done!

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