The Jargon’s “Take Five” from a very long Friday (Thanks, Yankees and Red Sox.)
1. PASSING OFF THE
CURSE
Man, I hope this isn’t the case for the season for me,
because it was for Otto for the majority of the first 10 weeks of the 2014
season.
He would dominate the league, putting up stats that would
beat 10 out of 11 teams in the JLB; he unfortunately would be playing that 11th
team.
This week, that appears to be the case for me. With a 2.89
ERA (5-2 with a 1.087 WHIP), I’m losing most pitching categories because with
10 starts in the books, Otto has a 2.10 ERA with a 1.016 WHIP. I was ahead in
this battle of the best pitching in the JLB in Week 1, but Taijuan Walker gave
up nine runs last night to derail a low-1 ERA. (Thanks, man.) I’m not worried,
though. He Tweeted right after the game “5 days!” He’ll bounce back.
As for Otto, he’s not going to have to worry much about a
bounce-back on my end. The offense hasn’t shown any life and it would take a
huge miracle this weekend to flip some of these categories. The Otto Target
Carts look to be shopping in Aisle 1 after one week.
2. FAN GOOD, FANTASY
BAD
The marathon Yankees-Red Sox game was fun to watch. Yes, a
bit tiring as 2 a.m. approached, but as a fan of the game, it was worth it.
As a fantasy owner, it’s a nightmare for most. The longer
the game goes, the more likely you are to have a guy put up an unforgettable
performance.
Like Chase Headley, who homered to force extras in the first
place and finished 1-for-7 in the game. This coming a night after a long Padres
game led to some ugly 1-for-6 performances from three players on my team.
The Sex Panthers and NJ Bombers each got a pair of two-hit
performances, but the rest of the JLB enjoyed the extra inning night from a
fantasy standpoint.
Chalupa lucked out with three bats in this game that
combined for eight hits, a homer, three RBIs, two walks, and four runs. It
helped him keep his matchup close with Choo.
The Steaks (with Hanley Ramirez going 3-for-9) and the Outs
(Xander Bogaerts, 4-for-8; Mookie Betts, 1-for-8) also fared better than I did.
3. JACK POT VOTTO
There was some offseason interest around the JLB for
Parker’s golden boy at first, Joey Votto, but he didn't give him up. After a rough season, some wondered
if he was every going to be a productive bat for the Reds. Articles were
written about his lack of run production and Votto just dismissed them.
Through four games, he’s been a catalyst for the Reds,
leading them to a surprise 4-0 start. Friday, he hammered home the point to the
naysayers by going 2-for-3 with two homers, four RBIs and a stolen base.
Altogether, he’s batting .412 with three homers, eight RBIs
and two stolen bases. That’s like one-fourth Billy Hamilton.
4. LIND’IN A HAND
The Jerk traded away his prized first basemen (Anthony
Rizzo) to get a third basemen (Anthony Rendon) he wished he never traded. He
also elevated Brandon Belt to starter with hopes of him taking over the role
Rizzo played.
Through four games, Rendon hasn’t seen the field and Belt is
hurt — the true Jerk way.
But a savior has been found in Adam Lind, who is batting
.615 (8-for13) with a homer and four RBIs. Perhaps moving from a platoon role —
often times just as the DH — in Toronto where they just never really gave him
the chance to play every day at first base to the starting role in Milwaukee
was just what he needed.
5. ACES COME BACK
AROUND
It’s Saturday of the first week, and it’s going to be a big
day in the JLB. This is the day where matchups really take shape, and with 14
Opening Day starts taking the mound today, including seven aces — by my
personal count.
The best battle will come in Cleveland where for the second
time, the Outs will match his Cy Young winner Corey Kluber against a JimmyJam
Slammer. In the opener, Dallas Keuchel got the best of him, besting him in a
2-0 win. Today, it’s David Price, who was one stinking out away from dialing up
the first complete game of the 2015 season.
Also worth noting is Sonny Gray takes the mound against a struggling Mariner offense, Cole Hamels does the same with the Nationals, and Clayton Kershaw takes on a darkhorse NL Rookie of the Year pick, Archie Bradley, who debuts today.
Also worth noting is Sonny Gray takes the mound against a struggling Mariner offense, Cole Hamels does the same with the Nationals, and Clayton Kershaw takes on a darkhorse NL Rookie of the Year pick, Archie Bradley, who debuts today.
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