I've decided to go wth Ludwick. St. Louis is playing a later game than I like - 2 pm, but no one in the earlier games looks promising.
Derek Jeter and the Yankees are playing at about the same time as St. Louis, and Jeter has the same success against the pitcher he's facing as Ludwick has against his...but Ludwick is soooo hot right now.
On the other hand, those "fans" that commentate on the players at CBSsportsline was saying that LaRussa will probably sit Ludwick for the weekend. I don't believe that can be possible, Ludwick hits too well against this pitcher...but again I'm nervous.
But he's having games with multiple hits, and Derek Jeter is having games with single hits, so I'm thinking Ludwick.
Meantime, Bonifacio fans have reason to be extremely annoyed today. He'd been given yesterday off, which means that the hundreds of peope who had probably selected him, because he's also been hot this early, were breathing sighs of relief, because as long as he's not playing, they don't lose their streak. But then, he was put in as a pinch-hitter late in the game, and struck out. And since he appeared once, had one measly at-bat, their streak has ended.
That's kind of what I'm afraid of with Ludwick. He's sooo hot, what if a pitcher whom he does well against decides to walk him four times in a row, or gives him 1 at bat and walks him the next 3 times.
Meantime, Jeter wouldn't command that kind of fear...he's just a singles hitter now, for all that he hit a homerun last night...
Well, let's h ave positive vibes that Ludwick will indeed start, and that he'll get a hit in his first at bat.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Thanks Mr. Ludwick!
He got his hit (and mine) in fine style today, belting a homerun with 2 on to put the St. Louis Cardinals in the lead over the Cubs.
To Karma or Not to Karma
I've decided to stick with Ryan Ludwick today, although I have a bad feeling about it. For one thing, he hits cleanup, so he'll get probably only 4 rather 5 chances to get a hit. (But then, Kemp bat 8th...)
More agitating is that he's a "Silver Slugger" award winner last year, and yet LaRussa is platooning him this year. And once even took him out to have a pinch hitter hit, despite the fact that the guy is batting well over .300!
So, he is 3/4 against Zambrano, so one assumed LaRussa will have him starting, but his head may be so messed up that he doesn't give his all, or may try too hard, just to show LaRussa what an idiot he is.
So since I have this bad feeling, I probably shouldn't go with him at all, despite his excellent hitting to date.
Problem is, the Yankees are the early game, and in a sense I'd rather go with Jeter, who's bat seems to be picking up. But he's never faced the pitcher Reyes at all. And although Reyes would seem to have an ERA of 6.00, people's batting average against him is only .145 or something, a statistic I don't understand at all. In the message boards discussing him, some say he's really good, others say he's nothing more than a journeyman. (He's little more than a rookie.)
So, with the choice of early games being St. Louis or New York... I guess I'm going to go with St. Louis. But if LaRussa screws me over here, I'll be very annoyed!
More agitating is that he's a "Silver Slugger" award winner last year, and yet LaRussa is platooning him this year. And once even took him out to have a pinch hitter hit, despite the fact that the guy is batting well over .300!
So, he is 3/4 against Zambrano, so one assumed LaRussa will have him starting, but his head may be so messed up that he doesn't give his all, or may try too hard, just to show LaRussa what an idiot he is.
So since I have this bad feeling, I probably shouldn't go with him at all, despite his excellent hitting to date.
Problem is, the Yankees are the early game, and in a sense I'd rather go with Jeter, who's bat seems to be picking up. But he's never faced the pitcher Reyes at all. And although Reyes would seem to have an ERA of 6.00, people's batting average against him is only .145 or something, a statistic I don't understand at all. In the message boards discussing him, some say he's really good, others say he's nothing more than a journeyman. (He's little more than a rookie.)
So, with the choice of early games being St. Louis or New York... I guess I'm going to go with St. Louis. But if LaRussa screws me over here, I'll be very annoyed!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Kemp came through!
and he did it on his first at bat! Yay.
So, tomorrow my streak will be at 10. Almost 1/5th of the way to my goal.
I must say I was nervous. Kemp bats 8th, which means he would be lucky to get 3 bats a game! Normally it's best to use a lead off player as your choice.
So, tomorrow my streak will be at 10. Almost 1/5th of the way to my goal.
I must say I was nervous. Kemp bats 8th, which means he would be lucky to get 3 bats a game! Normally it's best to use a lead off player as your choice.
How can you abandon a 10-game hitting streak?
As soon as the games start for the day, and everyone's choices are locked, you can go in and see who each person picked for that particular day. And I think it's kind of fun to go in and see who everyone else has chosen.
So, today, I'm looking to see how many people chose Matt Kemp, and not as many as I would have expected did. This is probably because his game doesn't get started til 10 pm, and who wants to wait that long?
However, as I'm paging through the pages (there's 397 people with active streaks of 10 games right now, and over 700 with active streaks of 9 games), I've come across at least 10 players so far who had 10-game streaks who just didn't make a choice for today. Now, a 10-game streak is nothing to sneeze at! Why let it go???
On a side note, I had given serious thought to choosing Bonifacio of the Marlins today. He's been red hot, and the game started at noon.... but fortunately I did not change my mind, because he's had his last at bat and he's 0-5.
But, because of that, although I had initially chosen him for tomorrow's game, now I'm going to go with Ryan Ludwick of St. Louis instead. He's 3-4 against Zambrano in his career, and he's batting over .400 at the moment.
Apparenlty there's some controversy, manager LaRussa has sat him in 3 games out of the 10 this season, even though he's hitting so well, so that does have me a bit nervous...but for now, he's my choice.
So, today, I'm looking to see how many people chose Matt Kemp, and not as many as I would have expected did. This is probably because his game doesn't get started til 10 pm, and who wants to wait that long?
However, as I'm paging through the pages (there's 397 people with active streaks of 10 games right now, and over 700 with active streaks of 9 games), I've come across at least 10 players so far who had 10-game streaks who just didn't make a choice for today. Now, a 10-game streak is nothing to sneeze at! Why let it go???
On a side note, I had given serious thought to choosing Bonifacio of the Marlins today. He's been red hot, and the game started at noon.... but fortunately I did not change my mind, because he's had his last at bat and he's 0-5.
But, because of that, although I had initially chosen him for tomorrow's game, now I'm going to go with Ryan Ludwick of St. Louis instead. He's 3-4 against Zambrano in his career, and he's batting over .400 at the moment.
Apparenlty there's some controversy, manager LaRussa has sat him in 3 games out of the 10 this season, even though he's hitting so well, so that does have me a bit nervous...but for now, he's my choice.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Thank you Placido!
Placido came through for me in his 2nd at bat, hitting a 2-run double.
Tomorrow, Thursday April 16, is a difficult decision. Derek Jeter is going up against a pitcher that he is .400 against, but overall on the season he isn't batting .300 yet... so I'm nervous.
On the other hand, in a 10 pm game, Matt Kemp, who is hitting .520 against Barry Zito and .357 on the year, is going up Zito who really got roughed up in his last outing and is not the pitcher he was.
So it would seem to be a slam dunk, so much so that the BTS "pundits" have also chosen him (there's a little Burger King face next to his name.)
So, although I hate being in suspense that long, from all I can see he's defintely the best bet.
The only danger of course is that since he does hit Zito so well, Zito will end up walking him 4 times out of 5, giving him only one chance to hit!
Still, I'll think positive.
I'm going to play it safe tomorrow,a nd stay with Matt Kemp.
Tomorrow, Thursday April 16, is a difficult decision. Derek Jeter is going up against a pitcher that he is .400 against, but overall on the season he isn't batting .300 yet... so I'm nervous.
On the other hand, in a 10 pm game, Matt Kemp, who is hitting .520 against Barry Zito and .357 on the year, is going up Zito who really got roughed up in his last outing and is not the pitcher he was.
So it would seem to be a slam dunk, so much so that the BTS "pundits" have also chosen him (there's a little Burger King face next to his name.)
So, although I hate being in suspense that long, from all I can see he's defintely the best bet.
The only danger of course is that since he does hit Zito so well, Zito will end up walking him 4 times out of 5, giving him only one chance to hit!
Still, I'll think positive.
I'm going to play it safe tomorrow,a nd stay with Matt Kemp.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Bobby Abreu makes it 8
In his 2nd at bat against Carlos Silva and the Mariners, Abreu hit a double.
Thanks!
Tomorrow, April 15, I've chosen Placido Polanco of the Detroit Tigers.
Anyone who chose a player of the Detroit Tigers or White Sox for this afternoon game will note that it was rained out. In such cases, your streak isn't broken, so make sure you choose a player for tomorrow - Polanco will do!
Just hope that game isn't rained out as well!
Thanks!
Tomorrow, April 15, I've chosen Placido Polanco of the Detroit Tigers.
Anyone who chose a player of the Detroit Tigers or White Sox for this afternoon game will note that it was rained out. In such cases, your streak isn't broken, so make sure you choose a player for tomorrow - Polanco will do!
Just hope that game isn't rained out as well!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Whew! Placido Polanco comes through!
In his last at bat of the game, Placido Polanco came through for me, hitting a triple. Off a reliever.
Cabrera had gotten a hit in this third at bat, and so I'd been a bit annoyed that I hadn't chosen him, but thankfully Placido ended up getting his hit, which gives me my 7 game streak!
Only 51 more games to go, and I'll have that million dollars!
Yeah baby!
Okay..who is my choice for Tuesday, April 14?
Well, I've chosen Bobby Abreu, who is a monster against Carlos Silva of the Mariners.
I'm torn, of course, as I like the Mariners and hope they play well, but I don't think Silva can win against the Angels, and Abreu is, as I said, a monster...
The only problem is that the game takes place on the East coast so it will be a 10 pm game... don't know if I want to wait that long...
We'll see...
Cabrera had gotten a hit in this third at bat, and so I'd been a bit annoyed that I hadn't chosen him, but thankfully Placido ended up getting his hit, which gives me my 7 game streak!
Only 51 more games to go, and I'll have that million dollars!
Yeah baby!
Okay..who is my choice for Tuesday, April 14?
Well, I've chosen Bobby Abreu, who is a monster against Carlos Silva of the Mariners.
I'm torn, of course, as I like the Mariners and hope they play well, but I don't think Silva can win against the Angels, and Abreu is, as I said, a monster...
The only problem is that the game takes place on the East coast so it will be a 10 pm game... don't know if I want to wait that long...
We'll see...
Placido Polanco today, Monday the 13th...
I've given it much thought, and I've elected to go with Polanco. He hits that pitcher the best on his team, and he is "hot", having got 3 hits yesterday.... and I think it's best to have someone within the top two lineup spots. Lead-off hitter is best, 2-hole is second best...and so on.
So, Placido, make me placid today, please!
So, Placido, make me placid today, please!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Thank you Chipper Jones!
To play: http://www.mlb.com/mlb/fantasy/bts/y2009/
Third at bat, and Chipper Jones got a hit, which extends my streak to 6.
As a matter of fact, it extends several people's streaks. He was the "featured pick" of the day. He's hitting well now, and he was going up against a pitcher whom he'd hit well. First ab was a walk, second was a strike out, but he came through with the third try.
When you're playing Beat the Streak, your choices are locked an hour before the first game of the day starts. Up until then, you can change your choices as much as you want - and you can't see what anyone else is doing.
There's a button where you can check the standings. Severasl hundred people have 6 hits already - now 7 thanks to Chipper, I'll be at 6 tomorrow, since I got started a day late.
It's kind of fun to go into the standings - you can see who people chose for that day, and who they chose for the previous day. To my surprise, at least one percent of people lose their streak because they forget to choose a player for the following day! Silly! It's $100,000 and you're being careless?
So...who shall I choose for Monday, April 13?
My original pick (when I chose my original 10 a few days ago...) was Akinori Iwamura against the Yankees.
However, I confess it, part of my choice is that I don't like waiting hours and hours to find out if I'm going to get a hit. So I try to choose a game that's being played as early as possible. This is actually foolish, I know... the real way to play is to follow one team, and keep track of all its hitters, and choose one of them each day. That way, you know who's healthy, who's not, etc.
Just by going by the numbers presented by the Beat the Streak info machine, you can make mistakes. For example, a couple of days ago I'd originally chosen Marlon Byrd as my hitter of the day, because he had a great average against the pitcher Byrd's team was facing. But when I came to do my research - Byrd wasn't even scheduled to play that day! So if I'd chosen him...I wouldn't have lost my streak, since if a player doens't play there's no penalty, but I wouldn't have have added to it either, and that would have been annouing.
Anyway...let us check CBS Sportsline for tomorrow to see whe the earliest games are being played...
Detroit goes against Chicago at 1.05 pm, or Houston goes against Pittsburgh at 1.35 pm. I know nothing about the Pirates or the Astros...but I'll take a look at the players records at the Beat the Streak site...
Adam LaRouche and Nate McLouth look like they bat exceptionally well against the Astros pitcher Brian Moehler, but on the year they each have averages below the Mendoza line! Therefore, I do not think so!
Alternatively, for the Astros, Hunter Pence is hitting at a torrid pace so far this young season, but he's 2 for 6 againsst Zack Duke of the Pirates for a .333 average..but not good enough. Carlos Lee hits Duke well at .318 (7 for 22), but he's only .263 on the season. Geoff Blum is hitting exceptionally well for the Astros, and he's 0-1 against Duke.
So, I just don't know enough about these players to really choose this early in the year.
Let's check out Detroit vs the White Sox instead. I like leadoff man Granderson of Detroit.... I trust him!
And according to the stats, Granderson does hit well against White Sox pitcher Gavid Floyd. 8-25, or .320. On the young year though he's only at .280 right now. Miguel Cabrera is batting .500 right now, 11 for 22, and against Floyd he's 5 for 17, or a .294 average. I'm leaning towards Cabrera, just because he's so hot...
BUt...where does he bat in the batting order? To be safe, it's the lead-off man that should be chosen, because he typically gets more at bats than any other player... back to CBS Sportsline...
And there I see that Cabrera is the cleanup hitter, batting 4th. (And today, he's already 2 for 2!) Well, that seals the deal. He's so torrid right now, I'm going with him.
On the other hand...Placido Polanco also hits Floyd well....381, and although before today his season average was only .273, he has 3 hits today which has brought his average up to .346!!!! And since Polanco bats 2nd... chances are he'll get more at bats than Cabrera...
I've chosen Cabrera for now, but I'll revisit the choice throughout the day...
Third at bat, and Chipper Jones got a hit, which extends my streak to 6.
As a matter of fact, it extends several people's streaks. He was the "featured pick" of the day. He's hitting well now, and he was going up against a pitcher whom he'd hit well. First ab was a walk, second was a strike out, but he came through with the third try.
When you're playing Beat the Streak, your choices are locked an hour before the first game of the day starts. Up until then, you can change your choices as much as you want - and you can't see what anyone else is doing.
There's a button where you can check the standings. Severasl hundred people have 6 hits already - now 7 thanks to Chipper, I'll be at 6 tomorrow, since I got started a day late.
It's kind of fun to go into the standings - you can see who people chose for that day, and who they chose for the previous day. To my surprise, at least one percent of people lose their streak because they forget to choose a player for the following day! Silly! It's $100,000 and you're being careless?
So...who shall I choose for Monday, April 13?
My original pick (when I chose my original 10 a few days ago...) was Akinori Iwamura against the Yankees.
However, I confess it, part of my choice is that I don't like waiting hours and hours to find out if I'm going to get a hit. So I try to choose a game that's being played as early as possible. This is actually foolish, I know... the real way to play is to follow one team, and keep track of all its hitters, and choose one of them each day. That way, you know who's healthy, who's not, etc.
Just by going by the numbers presented by the Beat the Streak info machine, you can make mistakes. For example, a couple of days ago I'd originally chosen Marlon Byrd as my hitter of the day, because he had a great average against the pitcher Byrd's team was facing. But when I came to do my research - Byrd wasn't even scheduled to play that day! So if I'd chosen him...I wouldn't have lost my streak, since if a player doens't play there's no penalty, but I wouldn't have have added to it either, and that would have been annouing.
Anyway...let us check CBS Sportsline for tomorrow to see whe the earliest games are being played...
Detroit goes against Chicago at 1.05 pm, or Houston goes against Pittsburgh at 1.35 pm. I know nothing about the Pirates or the Astros...but I'll take a look at the players records at the Beat the Streak site...
Adam LaRouche and Nate McLouth look like they bat exceptionally well against the Astros pitcher Brian Moehler, but on the year they each have averages below the Mendoza line! Therefore, I do not think so!
Alternatively, for the Astros, Hunter Pence is hitting at a torrid pace so far this young season, but he's 2 for 6 againsst Zack Duke of the Pirates for a .333 average..but not good enough. Carlos Lee hits Duke well at .318 (7 for 22), but he's only .263 on the season. Geoff Blum is hitting exceptionally well for the Astros, and he's 0-1 against Duke.
So, I just don't know enough about these players to really choose this early in the year.
Let's check out Detroit vs the White Sox instead. I like leadoff man Granderson of Detroit.... I trust him!
And according to the stats, Granderson does hit well against White Sox pitcher Gavid Floyd. 8-25, or .320. On the young year though he's only at .280 right now. Miguel Cabrera is batting .500 right now, 11 for 22, and against Floyd he's 5 for 17, or a .294 average. I'm leaning towards Cabrera, just because he's so hot...
BUt...where does he bat in the batting order? To be safe, it's the lead-off man that should be chosen, because he typically gets more at bats than any other player... back to CBS Sportsline...
And there I see that Cabrera is the cleanup hitter, batting 4th. (And today, he's already 2 for 2!) Well, that seals the deal. He's so torrid right now, I'm going with him.
On the other hand...Placido Polanco also hits Floyd well....381, and although before today his season average was only .273, he has 3 hits today which has brought his average up to .346!!!! And since Polanco bats 2nd... chances are he'll get more at bats than Cabrera...
I've chosen Cabrera for now, but I'll revisit the choice throughout the day...
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