Yardbarker: Fred Lewis

Giants' Fred Lewis gets two hits in his season finale

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:31:40 -0500

Damn bunions. I hope FAST Freddie gets well soon.

Could baseball's fastest man challenge Usain Bolt?

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:06:24 -0500

Baseball speed is usually measured in the 60-yard dash and the sprint from home to first. However, some players are called "fast" for stealing bases, covering ground in the field and having great baserunning ability. But, who's the fastest? Did you ever wonder if any of the current MLB players would challenge Usain Bolt in a race? Well, it's time for the 2008 MLB Track Olympics. Here are 16 guys that could give him a run for his money.

Break Work: One Sentence to Sum Up Each MLB Team

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:13:52 -0500

LA Angels (57-38): Pitching, Pitching, Pitching has the Angels tied for the best record in baseball.

Chicago Cubs (57-38): The Cubs are also tied for the best record, their reason though is that they never ever lose at Wrigley.

Boston (57-40): The youth pitching is once again paying off major dividends for the Sox who behind JD Drew have regained the AL East lead despite the absence of Papi.

Tampa Bay (55-39): If the Rays played all their games at the Trop they would probably be 30 games over .500.

Chicago Sox (54-40): Anybody who said that they saw Carlos Quentin having 70 rbi at the break to help the ChiSox to first place is a liar.

Minnesota (53-42): The Twinkies have gotten solid pitching from a bunch of youngsters and should be bringing Liriano up to increase the push to the division.

St. Louis (53-43): Ludwick and Ankiel both have 20 homers getting the Cardinals to a spot where they probably shouldn't be.

Milwaukee (52-43): CC has already shown his worth in one 1 week, with him and Sheets leading the rotation the Brewers look to be in the hunt for both the Wild Card and the division.

Philadelphia (52-44): After Cole Hamels there's a big gap in the starting rotation that needs to be addressed.

Oakland (51-44): Selling off pitchers despite being 7 games above .500 seems like giving up to me.

NY Mets (51-44): A 9 game winning streak to close out the first half of the season certainly makes the future look brighter.

NY Yankees (50-45): For some reason despite having all stars at every position the Yankees get shut out a lot.

Florida (50-45): Hanley Ramirez is a golden god who can be stopped by no one.

Texas (50-46): Check that, Josh Hamilton is a platinum god who can be stopped by no one.

Detroit (47-47): Dug themselves out of a hole when their bats finally started to heat up, poised for a second half explosion.

Toronto (47-48): The Blue Jays have been terribly inconsistent despite Roy Halladay being a beast.

Arizona (47-48): Starting the NL Western theme the reason the Diamondbacks are under .500 is because they don't have any good hitters.

LA Dodgers (46-49): Rafael Furcal has been a massive kick in the junk to both my fantasy team and the Dodgers who really really really need him in the lineup to score runs.

Baltimore (45-48): Um, I really have no idea how the Orioles are only slightly below .500 this season and I'm guessing they don't either.

Cincinnati (46-50): Edinson Volquez's dominating season has been balanced out by Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Haraang's poor seasons.

Atlanta (45-50): Injuries to the starting rotation and bullpen and an inability to win on the road has plagued the Braves this year.

Pittsburgh (44-50): Snell and Gorzy were both solid last season, this year they both have ERAs well above 6.

Houston (44-51): The questionable starting rotation has not been helped by #1 starters Roy Oswalt's inconsistencies.

Kansas City (43-53): The Royals don't have the worst record in their division which has to be seen as a big positive in KC.

Cleveland (41-53): Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner were terrible disappointments this season, and that was before both got placed on the DL.

San Francisco (40-55): When Fred Lewis, Randy Winn, and Aaron Rowand are your best hitters, you know you're not going to score many runs.

Colorado (39-57): The magical run that was slaughtered by the Red Sox, has remained dead this season.

Seattle (37-58): If anything could go wrong in Seattle, it has.

San Diego (37-58): Once again, hitting is entirely optional for the fathers.

Washington (36-60): A lineup as bad as the Giants and Padres, except with no starting pitching either.

Rally in the 9th not enough, Cubs lose 2-1

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 23:58:43 -0500

The difference in this game turned out to be a run the Giants got in the 1st inning when Fred Lewis stole home. It was a double steal and Soto didn't even look Lewis back to 3rd and he took off once Soto threw it to 2nd. What could have been? Too bad, too. Jason Marquis was excellent. He sent down 15 in a row at one point, pitched 7 innings and allowed only 2 runs. The Cubs tried to make it interesting in the 9th when Lee led off with a triple to right-center field. Soto knocked him in with a single and Fontenot got an infield hit putting the tying run in scoring position for Ryan Theriot. Theriot, Mr. Clutch, struck out. Cain was just better than Marquis. Not much you can do about that. The Cardinals lost so the Cubs keep their 2.5 game lead in the division.

MLB Injury Extra: Replacements

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 08:22:44 -0500

Screaming Sports' Drew Thibodeau breaks out another Screaming Sports original. With so many valuable fantasy studs going down with injury, Drew decided it was time to take a look at several replacements. So if you're one of the many fantasy GM's who have been ravaged by injury, then this piece is exactly what the doctor ordered.

This Week's Waiver Wire Candy

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 23:19:14 -0500

Check out why some of these names may be good pickups in your fantasy baseball league.

MLB Free Agent Specialty - Week 9

Wed, 28 May 2008 07:41:45 -0500

Not quite like Waiver Wire, this piece examines potentially available players that focus on a specific category. If you need some power, we have a suggestion. If you need some speed, we have a suggestion. If you need some K's, we have a suggestion. Unfortunately, these players will not help your fantasy team (most of the time) outside of the category they are listed.

MLB Free Agent Specialty - Week 8

Wed, 21 May 2008 06:55:57 -0500

Not quite like MLB fantasy Waiver Wire, this piece examines potentially available players that focus on a specific category. If you need some power, we have a suggestion. If you need some speed, we have a suggestion. If you need some K's, we have a suggestion. Unfortunately, these players will not help your fantasy team (most of the time) outside of the category they are listed.

AccuScore: MLB Waiver Wire Wonders

Fri, 16 May 2008 14:52:10 -0500

The availability of waiver wire players varies by league. Andrew Miller would be useless in a league that featured Todd Wellemeyer on the wire, but would be a solid option in deeper leagues. Luckily, AccuScore fantasy expert Tim Williams has a few "tips" for all types of leagues in this week's Waiver Wire Wonders.

Lewis piquing fans' interest

Tue, 06 May 2008 23:25:08 -0500

I cannot get enough of Freddie Lewis.

Stupid Comcast

Fri, 02 May 2008 05:47:42 -0500

Take That Jerry Coleman Bottom of the 8th inning, tie game, Ryan Howard at the plate...you can feel the excitement...except for the fact that Tom McCarthy is doing a feel good interview with old-head Jerry Coleman...Howard swings and sends a long drive to right...Jerry Coleman is still talking about something...they break away from the interview and we hear the end of Kalas' homer call. Thanks for nothing CN8. I like Harry Kalas homer calls like Buzz Bissinger likes horses, and CN8 made me miss a game-winner because they couldn't fit Jerry Coleman into any of the first seven and a half innings. Poor form, Comcast, poor form. --------------------------- Werth It? Jayson Werth is 2 for his last 19. There's been lots of talk lately about Werth playing more in favor of Victorino and Jenkins, but let's not forget that Werth is still a career .260 hitter who's best suited as a fourth outfielder. 250 to 300 at-bats this year will maximize Werth's value. After that I think we'll see diminishing returns on this investment. --------------------------- Mendoza Watch Howard gains ground up to .184; Ruiz loses only a little and clings to his .203; but DP Feliz, thanks to another 0-4, settles in directly at .200. Hopefully DP can bounce back, have a good series against his former team, and get up to at least .205. --------------------------- They Might Be Giants Aaron Rowand (.326-2-14) rolls into town with the light in the loafers hitting SF Giants. The Phils will have to face tough righties Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum, but considering the Giants offense is led by Rowand, one of the Molina's and Fred Lewis, the Phils should easily take 2 of 3.

AccuScore: The Need for Speed

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:01:09 -0500

Guys like Carl Crawford are taken in the high rounds because of their ability to steal bases and hit for a high average. Guys like Joey Gathright are sitting on the waiver wire because, despite their stolen bases, their average is much lower. AccuScore fantasy expert Tim Williams takes a look at the difference between Gathright and Crawford to your fantasy team, and discovers that Crawford's average doesn't justify his high price tag.

Week 5 Diamond Waiver Wire Gems

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:55:41 -0500

Another one of FIO's weekly baseball articles, staff writer Tim Hays gives you some waiver wire players who you should be paying attention to. Whether you're streaming guys at a position or need a fill-in due to injury, these are the players to look at for a pick-up.

Out of the cellar and into the streets!

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:47:51 -0500

Enjoy this while it lasts, Giants fans.