Rockwell in Playoffs, Sweeps Goldy.

(Goldy's playoff chances ended in a harsh way last night)

Some post AL draft PTP went down between Goldy and myself, with playoff impications at stake. Here is the skinny:

Spencer sweeps Goldy 3-0

Game 1 (2-0) W-Jaime Garcia, L - Cole Hamels, S - Heath Bell HR - Rolen

Game 2 (8-3) W - Derek Lowe, L - Hernandez HR - Ryan Braun, Rick Weeks, Brian McCann

Game 3 ( 5-1) W - Josh Johnson, L - Jonathon Sanchez HR - Ryan Howard (Grand Slam)

SPENCER NOW SECURES THE 3rd SEED in the Playoffs.

YOUKILIS, A-ROD, LEE HIGHLIGHT 2011 SCARLET STOCKINGS

(A sign of things to come for opposing pitchers from Captain Kevin Youkilis.)

OREGON, WI - Being five years removed from his only World Series Championship, Scarlet Stockings

General Manager Spencer Rockwell had a simple goal going into the 2011 AL PTP Fantasy Draft.

" Draft the best player available", Rockwell said early Sunday morning as he shoved a McDonalds Bacon Egg & Cheese Bagel into his mouth.

"I can't control who drafts whom, and now we have Fish auto-drafting for Mario, that's another monkey wrench in the mix", he added. I will draft the best players available that meet our team's needs in that particular round." " If a sick closers card is available early, I may reach for him", he chimed in, referring to reliver Joaquin Benoit.

Rockwell had prided himself for years a superb defensive drafter and by the sound of it, defense is once again the main priority. "Of course we will empasize defense with the AL players.", he quirped. "Defense is down across the board defensively in the AL, this makes having a solid defense behind our staff that much more important.

2011 SCRANTON WILKES-BARRE SCARLET STOCKINGS

C-Alex Avila

C-Benji Molina

1B - Mark Texiera

2B - Brian "Bip" Roberts

SS - Yunel Escobar

SS - Derek Jeter

3B - An A-Bomb for A-Rod

OF - Austin Jackson

OF - Nick Markakis

OF - Adam Jones

DH - Kevin Youkilis

OF - BJ Upton

UTIL - Nicky Punto

SP - Clifford Lee

SP - Clayford Buchholz

SP - Matthew Garza

SP - Daniel Haren

SP - Jeffery Neiman

SP - Edwin Jackson

SP - Brett Cecil

RP - Matt Guerrier

RP - Scott Downs

RP - Jason Berkken

RP - Christoph Perez

RP - Joaquin Benoit

FATTY FATTY 2x4!!!

(Does this Picture hit close to home Torto?!?!) Just kidding. No forearm shivers at the Mokeski or Gravy Bowl, please....)

As I have only six games left to play I will update you on some stats fellas. Keep in mind I am still have to input a few series, so these stats are through 30 games only.

AVE

Andres Torres .362 (37-102)

I-ROD .339 (21-62)

J-Bruce .320 (32-100)

HR

Scott Rolen (5)

J-Bruce (5)

RBI

J-Bruce (21)

Jew Braun (17)

Ry. Howard (17)

Scott Rolen (17)

SB

Andres Torres (8)

Humberto Quintero (1) on a Strikeout Hit & Run!

Wins

Brett Meyers (6-0)

Saves

Heath Bell (10)

ERA

Josh Johnson (3.57)

Brett Meyers (3.97)

SO

Josh Johnson (52) in 45.1 IP

Team Batting AVE .276 (251-911)

Team ERA (3.79) in 233 IP (98 ER)

Starter ERA (4.52) in 175.1 IP

Bullpen ERA ( 1.71) in 57.2 IP

Tidbits

* John Venters in striking out hitters at a 16.6k/9IP rate (24K in 13IP)

*Three pitchers have sub 1.00 ERAs. Heath Bell (0.79), 11.1 IP, Tim Stauffer (0.55) 16.1IP, Tak Saito (0.81) 11IP

*Spencer's catchers are batting .340 (34-100) on the year. HUMBERTO QUINTERO!!!!!!!!

See three of you in the playoffs.

Ladies and Gentlemen: I present your 2011 NL PTP MVP

CARGO! CARGO! CARGO!

So, I wrapped up my 2011 PTP Season over the weekend and despite being under .500, I am likely the fourth seed in the playoffs. Here are some stat updates for you, including Carlos Gonzalez' record-setting numbers.

AVG:
C. Gonzalez, .365 (in 178 abs)
Omar Infante, .320 (in 147 abs)
Logan Morrision, .305 (in 118 abs)

HR:
Prince Fielder, 8 (Prinsky Platoon had 14 hrs)
Hinske, 6 (in only 31 ABS!)
D.Wright, 6

RBI:
Ethier, 32
Wright, 30
Prince, 27

SB:
Cargo, 5

ERA:
Ian Kennedy, 3.92
Tommy Hanson, 4.20

WINS:
Padilla, 5

K's:
Strassy, 61
Oswalt, 55
T. Hanson, 49
Padilla, 49

SAVES:
Luke Gregerson, 7
Strassy, 3

NL Season Playoff Picture - Part Deux (and draft order update)

Standings are updated, and presumed correct unless someone tells me otherwise.  Since Sunday, we have firmly established 2 playoff seeds, with 2 more to come.

By going 5 and 1 yesterday, Fish earned yet another regular season title, edging my Marlins out by 1 game.  I blame Carlo's inept team.  And so is our established #1 seed for the playoffs.  Congrats to you sir!  That also locks me in as the firm #2 seed, as Spencer cannot reach my 28 wins, and I have the tiebreak against him. 

Spence is in control of his own destiny, and needs to win just 2 games to formally clinch a playoff spot.  Nick finished his season strong, and just needs Mario and Carlo to lose 3 of their remaining 9 games to clinch. 

So if things remain as they are right now, the draft order would be as follows (with picks 6 and 7 locked in place):

1. Keith
2. Goldy
3. Mario
4. Nick
5. Spencer
6. Torto
7. Fish

***Stat Leaderboard update needed***
My current best stats are up now on the board.  I've changed the minimum IP and ABs required to qualify to reflect where we are in the season, so some of your guys you haven't updated in a while have dropped off.  Get me your up to date qualifiers, and when the season is over we'll have a vote for Season MVP and Cy Young.

NL Season Playoff Picture - Clarity thru W-L tracking

Another playoff team clinched this week, with Fish taking 5 of 6 from Spencer on Monday.  Because the 4 teams most closely trailing 1st and 2nd place all have games against each other, only 2 of the 4 can potentially get enough total wins to get to 24 wins where Fish currently sits.  SO - that appears to lock up a spot for Fish's squad, and he has a solid chance to take the 1-seed if he can win 4 of his last 6 games.

Carlo, Mar, Spence, Nick and even Ben all have a chance to get in on those last 2 playoff slots, but it could be very tight down the stretch, given that many games remaining are between these teams.  Tiebreakers could become key, which if I recall go first to overall H2H record, and if a 3-3 tie there, total runs in the series.  So hang on to those scoresheets, since not all the series have been documented on the site here.

Ready to Play out the String

Fellas, as we reach the home stretch of the 2010 NL season, it looks like the Goldy Padres are not going to make the playoffs. However, I do have 6 games left against Spencer, and 3 against Carlo, Nick, and Fish. For the rest of June work has slowed to a normal pace and I now have my nights and weekends free. I would love to knock out these games before the AL draft. Let me know when and where you guys would like to play. I have softball on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but am pretty clear outside of that. Good day gentlemen.

Marlins clinch playoff spot, fully healthy for playoff run: Torto vs. Carlo x 6

Poached Marlin anyone? Billy relaxes in the hot tub after a successful regular season campaign.

Last Sunday, our beloved commissioner was gracious enough to meet up with me for a 6 game swing with Carlo's AWOL team.   We met up in the AM at one of the parks along the Root River Parkway, were mistaken for beer delivery guys by a neighboring wedding reception party, and finished up with a late lunch at the Bosch tavern up the road.  Good times - here's a quick synopis of each of the games.

Series 1: Carlo(Nick) @ Torto
Game 1: R.Nolasco vs. R.A.Dickey
Mr. Dickey continued his dominant soft tossing ways, going 7 and 2/3rds and giving up only 1.  Nolasco got beat by the longball, giving up a 2-run shot to league MVP-candidate, Ryan Zimmerman, and another on a deep drive by Josh Thole. 
Torto wins 5-1

Game 2: B.Arroyo vs. W.Rodriguez
The leg kick was working for Carlo's Arroyo - and he kept the Marlins off the board with 5 strong innings. Only a 3-run HR from Miguel Olivo in the 8th kept my squad from getting blanked out, despite getting Jason Heyward back in the lineup.
Carlo wins 7-3

Game 3: T.Lincecum vs. J.Cueto
Faced with matching up against one of the NLs best pitchers, Johnny Cueto uncharacteristically rose to the challenge, and pitched 8 innings of shutout ball, before fatigue gave way to the bullpen for the 9th.  Lincecum did what he does, and pitched 8 and 2/3rds of outstanding ball.  Tied 0-0 until literally the last out of the 9th, Heyward and Zimmerman singled, and A-Gone nullified the jam with his own clutch, and walked the game off with a game-winning single. 
***RECORD ALERT*** - rookie phenom Jason Heyward, broke the single season walk record in this game (37), eclipsing Barry Bonds mark of 36 set by Fish in the 2007 NL season
Torto wins 1-0

After cruising thru that series in record time, Nick and I decided to stay outside in the absolutely perfect weather for series 2, where we strangely enough, found that Carlo's normal home stadium (Colorado) could not be played in due to a major structural flaw discovered - i.e. we couldn't remember where Carlo played.  Luckily Keith's Padres were done and Petco was sitting empty, so we moved the games there.

Series 2: Torto @ Carlo(Nick)
Game 1: J.Garland vs. C.Kershaw
Garland gave a virtuoso performance on the mound, in support of his bid to be the 4th starter in the playoff rotation, and shut down Carlo's bats, giving up only 1 unearned run (on a Luis Castillo error) in a full 9 innings.  Tony Gwynn Jr, filling in for the injured Dexter Fowler, managed to provide lead-off extra-base power (2B & 3B) to set the table for the win in this game.
Torto wins 4-1

Game 2: C.Billingsley vs. R.Dempster
The bats woke up a bit in this one, led by league HR leader, Mike Stanton - who hit 2 jacks in this one to carry the day.  The dismal Chase Utley, relagated to the 8-hole, also cracked a 2-run homer, but his frustrating season continued on when he was ejected late in the game for arguing the strike zone. Billingsley was not sharp, but managed to get himself out of some trouble using his jam and the on a few times.
***RECORD ALERT*** - Young Mike Stanton managed to tie the league single season HR mark with his second longball of this game, which is held by Adrian Gonzalez's 2009 mark (Spencer) of 16 .  
Torto wins 7-2

Game 3: R.A.Dickey vs. R.Nolasco
Now fully fearful of a 'Joe Mauer kicking Roy Halladay' moment, I decided to rest most of my everyday players, with the exception of Stanton (going for that HR record) and Dexter Fowler (just off the DL, needed the work).  Nolasco was dialed in and pitched a 2-hit gem against my B-squad, allowing only 1 run in 6 innings.  The Marlins were just happy to get out healthy from this one.  Stanton couldn't get that last HR he needed for the record of 17, going 0-3 with a walk.
Carlo wins 3-1

So both series were won 2-1, 2-1 by the Marlins.  Season complete and ready to see how things shake out for the playoffs.

Fish vs. Nick at East Troy

Nick and I hooked up for some mid-week PTP action earlier this week. Nick was slightly rattled to begin the games, as it took him about 15 minutes to find his cards (please note his PTP box organization). After that was squared away, the games began:

Game 1: T Wood vs. I Kennedy

Fish’s squad got out to a fast start with Reyes reaching on an error and was scored by “The Hanigans”, followed by a two run home run by Ian Stewart. Uggla would also score in the inning after a walk and a Jim Edmonds RBI double- 4 runs in the 1st. The game was quite until the bottom of the 5th when Nick’s team rallied, Domit double, Morrison single, and a Cargo three run home run. Although Fish would put the game away in the top of the 9th with four runs on singles from Reyes, Stewart and Uggla, and doubles from Hanigan, and Edmonds. Soriano, when the game was well out of reach, hit a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth. Fish wins 9-4.

Win – T Wood
Loss – Kennedy
Home Runs – Stewart, Gonzalez, Soriano

Game 2: Silva vs. Baily

Fish started quickly again, as Votto celebrated coming off the DL with a 2-run home run in the top of the 1st. Nick would score a run in the bottom of the second on a Polanco single and a Geo Soto fielder’s choice RBI. Carlos Gonzalez would tie the game in the bottom of the 5th with a solo home run. The game would stay tied until the bottom of the ninth when Nick rallied off of Billy Wagner, with a lead-off single from Polanco, walk to David Wright, and a walk off single from Omar Infante. Nick wins 3-2

Win – Strasburg
Loss – Wagner
Home Runs – Votto, Gonzalez

Game 3: De la Rosa vs. Oswalt

Oswalt ran into a buzz saw in the top of the 2nd inning which started with a Rasmus solo jack, followed by an Edmonds single, Reyes walk, a Morgan RBI single, Chipper Jones reaching base on a David Wright error, followed by a Votto double – 5 runs would score in the frame. Oswalt would give up one more solo home run to Rasmus before he was through for the day. On the other side of the ledger, De la Rosa went his typical one inning of work, and the bullpen held down Nick’s team until the bottom of the 6th, when Prince Fielder hit a double, Wright singled, as well as Morrison and Heinsky, scoring two in the bottom of the frame. Polanco would hit a three run home run in the bottom of the 8th off of Ryan Madson to bring the game two within 1 run. Nick’s managing skills were questioned when he pulled a double switch to remove Castro on defense, bringing in Infante. The problem was that Infante was his last position player and the pitcher spot was to lead off the bottom of the ninth. Marmol came on in the ninth; however here is his stat line in the inning:
· Walk (to the pinch hitter Kyle McClellan)
· Hit Batter
· Walk
· Strike Out
· Fielder’s Choice (nailed the runner at the plate)
· Walk – walked in the tying run
· Ground out

The game would go into extra’s, and Fish would go ahead to stay with a Dan Uggla double, followed by a Jim Edmonds double. Fish wins 7-6.

Win – Marmol
Loss – Gregerson
Home Runs – Rasmus (2), Polanco

Han Rammed!

Howdy boys. My zombie-like San Diego Padres ventured to St. Louis to square off against Fish’s Votto-less Cardinals on Monday evening. Here’s what transpired:

Game 1: Westbrook @ De La Rosa
This battle of #5’s emphasized offense, with Holliday knocking in a two-run bomb in the top of the 1st. Fish came back with a Chipper RBI in the bottom of the 1st before Keith cracked manufactured 3 runs in the 3rd on a Han-Ram solo shot and RBI’s by Byrd and Holliday. Fish rallied on a 3-run shot on the double-switch with 3B Ian Stewart hitting for the pitcher. Hanley would effectively end the game in the top of the 8th with a Grand Slam off Sean Marshall. Ian Stewart, it should be noted, did hit his 2nd HR of the game in the bottom of the 8th.

Keith – 10
Fish – 5

Game 2: Halladay @ Cain
Fish scored two in the bottom of the 1st on a Colby Rasmus double before Freddy “Mole Face” tied the game in the top of the 2nd with a two run rip. Fish would plate one more run before Han-Ram continued his hot-hitting with a three-run HR in the 5th following a Fred Sanchez RBI. Halladay would go the distance in the victory.

Keith – 6
Fish – 3

Game 3: Jimenez @ Latos
The Padres began game 3 with thoughts of avenging their 3-game sweep at the hands of the Cardinals early in the season. It was not to be, however, as Latos continued is masterful season by skunking the baffled Padres. Fish got two RBI’s from the (now starting?) Ian Steward and two more from the Pujols-free Colby Rasmus.

Fish – 5
Keith – 0

A few notes:

Han-Ram had eight RBI’s in the series, which I would be impressed with if I didn’t recall that Kevin “RBI Mercenary” Youkilis led off last year’s AL season for me with something like 9 or 12.

I am now done with my season, restoring my rightful and valued place as league pace car. I’m happy to take teams or roll a series for anyone as-needed; nothing for me to do but browse through 2010 AL statistics now, friends.