Yardbarker: Ty Wigginton

What to Do Without Brandon Phillips?

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:49:51 -0500

Brandon Phillips is out for the year. What do you do now in the fantasy stretch drive? There are some options available. Plus, more injury news and players coming back that can help you win your league late.

MLB Stock Market - Week 23

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 06:21:49 -0500

Screaming Sports' Phil Yoon runs down several baseball Bulls and several baseball Bears in the latest edition of Stock Market. Carlos Pena? Oh yea, he's definitely a bull. Hideki Matsui? Ehhhh ... not so much.

Game--0 Thread / Astros @ Cubs (3 of 3)

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:16:46 -0500

Game Chat | Press Pass | BR Preview

SP	*Randy Wolf	SP	Ryan Dempster
	8-11, 4.73, 134 K, 64 BB, 158 IP		15-5, 2.95, 160 K, 69 BB, 176.2 IP

CF	*Michael Bourn	LF	Alfonso Soriano
LF	Ty Wigginton	SS	Ryan Theriot
SS	Miguel Tejada	1B	Derrek Lee
1B	#Lance Berkman	3B	Aramis Ramirez
3B	#Geoff Blum	C	Geovany Soto
RF	Hunter Pence	RF	Mark DeRosa
2B	*David Newhan	CF	Reed Johnson
C	Humberto Quintero	2B	Ronny Cedeno
P	*Randy Wolf	P	Ryan Dempster

Please.Win.This.Game.

Some stuff you may have missed in the comments or previous posts...

- Sean Marshall will take Zambrano's spot in the rotation on Sunday. Z did see the doctor today and was scheduled for an MRI, but for some reason did not show up for the MRI. It's been rescheduled for tomorrow.

- Kevin Hart has been called up.

- The Brewers already lost 9-2 this afternoon.

- Lou says Rich Harden is experiencing shoulder discomfort; although Hendry and Harden insist nothing is wrong at all.

- Iowa and Daytona start their playoff series tonight. Daytona was supposed to start yesterday and was down 4-0 early, but the game ended up being rained out before becoming official.

For What It's Werth

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:44:48 -0500

It never ceases to amaze me who shows up on this list from week to week. Players like the Phillies' Jayson Werth (OF) would never cross my mind, yet that's the beauty of major league baseball…it's unpredictable. Werth hit 4 HRs and had a stolen base while hitting .500 with an OBP of .613 last week (8/25-31). Finishing up one of the best months a member of the Houston Astros has ever had, Ty Wigginton (3B/2B/LF) hit 5 solo HRs (5 RBIs for the week) while hitting .348 with an OBP of .375 The Met's 1B Carlos Delgado has continued his second half surge by hitting 4 HRs of his own last week. The mighty 2B of the Boston Red Sox, Dustin Pedroia, continues to silence those who said that he couldn't follow up his Rookie of the Year (2007) performance this year, but he has. He currently leads the AL in batting average (as of 9/2/08) and some are even calling for some MVP votes (which might take away votes from teammate Kevin Youkilis). Dustin hit another HR last week while stealing 4 bases and hitting .500 with an OBP of .567 I think this might be the first time Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins has made this list this year. He had a HR with 7 stolen bases while hitting .483 with an OBP of .528 The rest of this top 10 list are the Dodger's rent-a-LF, Manny Ramirez who hit 3HRs, stole a base and hit .519 with an OBP of .594. When was the last time he stole a base as a player for Boston? National's OF Elijah Dukes with 2 HRs and 2 SBs while hitting .316 with a .435 OBP. The Met's SS Jose Reyes who stole 6 bases last week while hitting .429 with an OBP of .500. Another Met, CF Carlos Beltran, had 2 HRs, stole 1 base while hitting .320 and a .345 OBP. Last, but not least, comes Orioles DH Aubrey Huff who continues to have a career year. Last week he hit another 2 HRs and stole a base while hitting .478.

TCR Tuesday Notes

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:48:30 -0500

Just a few things that have been lying in my "in" box...

- Updating the August Player of the Month race, DeRosa and Ramirez didn't do much to help themselves this weekend. Ramirez did end up with the most RBI's in August, but his .975 OPS for the month is good for only 16th out of players with at least 50 PA's. DeRosa ended up 5th in OPS, 2nd in Runs Scored and 3rd in extra-base hits. Manny Ramirez had the highest OPS and his .415 BA along with 9 home runs(tied for 2nd) is going to look appealing as will Ty Wigginton's 12 HR's(1st), 26 RBI's(2nd) and 19 XBH's (1st).

- Fred Mitchell teases Cubs fans that Geovany Soto could have been an Orioles as part of the Sammy Sosa trade back in 2005.

- For those worried about the Cubs collapsing in September, don't forget Lou does his best work in September. The numbers in that article don't account for 2007, where the Cubs were 17-12.

- Alex Eisenberg, who runs things at Baseball Intellect, does some video breakdowns of 2008 draftees at The Hardball Times. Here's Andrew Cashner's and Ryan Flaherty's videos.

Game 139 Thread / Astros @ Cubs (2 of 3)

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:48:29 -0500

Game Chat | Press Pass | BR Preview

SP	Brandon Backe	SP	Carlos Zambrano
	9-12, 5.42, 122 K, 72 BB, 159.1 IP		13-5, 3.53, 114 K, 61 BB, 168.1 IP

CF	*Michael Bourn	LF	Alfonso Soriano
LF	Ty Wigginton	2B	*Mike Fontenot
SS	Miguel Tejada	1B	Derrek Lee
1B	#Lance Berkman	3B	Aramis Ramirez
3B	#Geoff Blum	RF	Mark DeRosa
RF	Hunter Pence	CF	*Jim Edmonds
2B	*David Newhan	C	Geovany Soto
C	Humberto Quintero	SS	Ryan Theriot
P	Brandon Backe	P	#Carlos Zambrano

While Cub fans are hoping that the team's bats will come back to life (no EBH's among the club's last 27 hits), the greater concern right now is with Carlos Zambrano.

All Cubdom would like to see that the two extra days of rest Zambrano got when his scheduled Sunday start was pushed back to this evening have proven beneficial to his ~~"fatigued"~~ ~~"dead"~~ tired arm. If nothing else, in the span of those two days, the calendar turned from August to September.

As mentioned here—and everywhere else—previously, in five starts this past month, Zambrano went 1-1, 7.42, allowing opponents to hit .284 with a cumulative 917 OPS. He was 0-4, 7.06 in August of 2007, and in his career, Zambrano has gone 12-16, 4.22 in August starts. His lifetime September numbers are better: 17-10, 3.48 in 32 starts. Of course, all that really matters right now is he does this September.

His opposite number tonight, Brandon Backe, was the victim of that eight-run third inning, not to mention a grand slam by Mark DeRosa and a three-run job by Alfonso Soriano, the last time he pitched at Wrigley, the first week in August.

Backe's team, however, comes into the game having won six games in a row and closed to within two games of the third-place Cardinals. Maybe the Astros' veteran catcher, growing wistful as he nears the end of his career, can distract his mates by infecting them with his wistfulness.

(Brad) Ausmus, like most Major Leaguers, considers the Windy City the best of all road destinations. Playing day games at a historic, festive ballpark such as Wrigley Field and having nights free to enjoy some of the "best restaurants in the world," by Ausmus' estimation, make trips to Chicago a pleasure for all.

"I'll miss Wrigley," Ausmus said. "There's nothing more fun than an 80-degree day in the middle of summer at Wrigley Field...When I'm done playing, I plan on making a trip and watching a couple of games from the bleachers," Ausmus said... "That is something I definitely will do."

The Houston Chronicle: Plagiarizers?

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:42:21 -0500

Got up at the crack of noon today, and opened up the sports page of the Houston Chronicle to see what they had to say about Ty Wigginton and the Astros' subtly brilliant August (Wigginton: 12 HR, 26 RBI, .379/.394/.806). Well, well, well, what have we here? I open the paper and find that they used [...]

The Houston Chronicle: Plagiarizers?

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:42:21 -0500

Inside The Box September 1st Edition

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:04:18 -0500

Today's visit shows how platoon players are made, speculation on Rookie of the Year, a guy who hits like Barry Bonds in his home park, how names can influence likability and a whole lot more.

MLB Punchlines: Carlos Delgado Continues Surge

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:25:51 -0500

Tom Glavine underwent successful elbow surgery yesterday and will be ready to pitch come spring training. Do you think he'll come back? (Washington Post)

The Mariners are close to becoming the first member of the 100-100 club. (Seattle Times)

You know that despite the A's dreadful second half of the season that Billy Beane is happy that his farm system has been replenished. (San Fran Chronicle)

Garrett Anderson is still contributing at a high level. Hasn't he always? (OC Register)

The best player in Mets history, Tom Seaver, will not miss Shea Stadium at all. (NY Post)

How unexpected has Carlos Delgado's second half surge been? He looked finished 2 months ago. (NY Daily News)

Speaking of the A's they placed both Justin Duchscherer and Sean Gallagher on the 15-day DL yesterday. (Miami Herald)

Mitch Maier is upbeat after taking a pitch to the face and breaking facial bones. (KC Star)

Unlike Seaver Ty Wigginton cherishes up Shea. (Houston Chronicle)

Yaz turns 69 today and is recovering from successful triple bypass surgery. (Hartford Courant)

Baseball highlights on your iPod? ESPN hopes so. (Rocky Mountain News)

Former Braves and Mets pitcher, Jorge Sosa, was suspended 50 games for his use of PED's. (AJC)

Oswalt shuts down Diamondbacks

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 19:04:29 -0500

The Skinny: Roy Oswalt limited the Arizona Diamondbacks to just 1 hit over 8 innings, and Ty Wigginton hit a 3-run homer in the first inning, giving the Houston Astros a 3-0 victory Sunday at Minute Maid Park. After Stephen Drew singled in the third, Oswalt retired 15 straight D-Back batters before g

Check the Schedule II: Buy-Low Hitters with Good Schedules

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:16:17 -0500

Searching for power? Many fantasy managers are staring their leagues trade deadline square in the face (if it hasn't already passed), wondering where they should search for a boost in power stats. As with pitching, it's often the matchups that determine a player's use in a small stretch.

How the Astros Line-Up

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:02:22 -0500

Everyone loves to quibble about line-ups, so we decided to add some fuel to the fire using the Baseball Musings line-up tool.

Overpriced or Good Value?

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 08:20:34 -0500

Read some very eye-opening winning bids at a recent fantasy baseball auction draft. This is a ten team, NL only league, head-to-head format with keepers. Here are the comments on the auction salaries of a few interesting players. You decide if these players are overpriced or a good value in a 26 player, $260 salary cap format.

Fantasy Baseball Preseason Rankings: Second Basemen

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:47:22 -0500

Staying in the infield with our preparation for 2008 fantasy baseball drafts, the FIO staff runs down its preseason rankings at each position. This time around, writer Shane Huff gives you the FIO's Preseason Top 20 Fantasy Second Basemen.