Roto Snips

[DOUGHBOYS]

'Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com speculates that Ike Davis could be a trade target for the Red Sox.
The Red Sox traded Adrian Gonzalez to the Dodgers in August and James Loney is due to hit free agency this winter, so it's a natural fit. The club had two scouts in attendance for Monday's Mets-Marlins game, though it's not clear whether they were there to see Davis. Many teams figure to be interested in the 25-year-old first baseman, though Heyman hears that the Mets will be looking for a "boatload" in return.'

Well, if John Heyman 'speculated' it, then it must be fit to print!
Roto World starts anew with rumors for the off season.
I can't wait to see if an un-named source with the Red Sox backs up Heyman's speculation.
Oooooh!

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'Dexter Fowler (wrist) appeared as a defensive replacement in Monday's win over the Diamondbacks.
He entered the game in the ninth inning before D.J. LeMahieu pinch-hit for him in the 11th. Fowler will not hit for the rest of the season due to inflammation in his left wrist, so he can be dropped in redraft fantasy leagues'

A friend of mine told me a week ago when CarGo was at .303 and Fowler was at .300 to get both out of my fantasy lineups because they were not gonna risk their averages.
I said 'hogwash' and started both.
They haven't had an at bat since.
Bad teams do bad stuff. Last year, the Mets put an emphasis on Jose Reyes winning a batting title. Now, the thought rankles even Mets fans.
They also wanted to give RA Dickey as many starts as possible to get 20. Luckily, Dickey did it on his own without having to go in relief in a meaningless last game of the season to get 20.
Tis the time of season when bad teams want to keep their players happy and have something to brag about for the coming year.
Will it sell an extra season ticket or two to tout CarGo and Fowler as .300 hitters?
Maybe.
At the same time, they've lost respect from a few folks as well.
AND SOMEHOW, none of that is in this 'update'.

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'Wade Miley struck out 10 Rockies in Monday's start, but he didn't get a decision after allowing three runs in 7 2/3 innings.
An Arizona win tonight could have gone a long way towards backing Miley's ROY campaign, but it wasn't meant to be. He ends up 16-11 with a 3.33 ERA and 144 strikeouts in 194 2/3 innings. He still probably rates as the NL's most valuable rookie, but there's a good chance Bryce Harper will overtake him for the hardware'

Yeah right, that extra win might have put him over the top.
He was 'overtaken' weeks ago.
I learned a long time ago that the rookie of the year vote, more than any other awards vote, is more about popularity than numbers.
Ask a lot of folks if Drew Smyly, Miley Cyrus, or Wade Miley will win the NL ROY award, I guarantee the vote would be split.
Bryce Harper is the NL ROY.

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This is the RotoBlurb from last night.....
'Kyle Kendrick had his stuff working Monday, spinning seven shutout innings in a 2-0 win over the Nationals.
Kendrick permitted just four hits and a walk while striking out four. The right-hander had a couple rough outings this month, but overall he pitched very well down the stretch, putting up a 2.43 ERA over his final 10 starts. Kendrick is set to make a good chunk of change this winter via arbitration, and it will be interesting to see if the Phillies choose to tender him a contract.'

This is the RotoBlurb before his fantastic two months.....
'Kyle Kendrick surrendered five runs in seven innings Thursday in a loss to the Pirates.
On the plus side, he bounced back well after giving up all five runs in the first inning. Still, he hasn't won since June 1 and he's now 2-8 with a 5.38 ERA for the season. It'd be for the best if the Phillies could send him back to the pen.'

And three weeks before that......
'Kyle Kendrick tossed the first shutout of his career in Saturday's 4-0 defeat of the Cardinals.
Kendrick yielded seven hits, but he didn't walk a batter and struck out four while throwing 70 of his 94 pitches for strikes. The right-hander has now pitched well in three straight outings and may be worth scooping up in deeper mixed fantasy leagues for his next start against Miami.'

This game is 100% easier giving advice after the fact, isn't it?
Well, maybe not.
Sufficith to say, Kendrick is a streaky pitcher and I enjoy seeing RotoWorld flip flop as often as a sunburning fat woman on a hot beach.

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'Anthony Swarzak will start Tuesday against the Blue Jays.
Samuel Deduno isn't ready to go after leaving his last outing with left eye irritation, and the Twins decided to go with Swarzak over Brian Duensing. "Swarzak is starting," Gardenhire said. "We didn't have to use him yesterday, so he's the most rested. So we'll run him out there and however innings it takes, and then we'll ad-lib from there."

This isn't a snip at RotoWorld as mauch as it is about Gardenhire.
The quote shows that Gardenhire has as much confidence in Swarzak as American people have in politicians.
It also describes the Twins season.
Once, it was unthinkable to think of Gardy being fired.
Now, not only thinkable, but do-able.

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'Hector Santiago twirled an unexpected gem Monday, striking out 10 while allowing just one hit and no runs over seven innings in an 11-0 win over the Indians.
Santiago walked one and hit a batter, allowing just three baserunners in the magnificent performance. The left-hander began the season as the White Sox’ closer, but he’s positioned himself for a possible rotation spot next year after putting up a 1.86 ERA over four starts down the stretch. Overall, he finishes the season with a 3.33 ERA and 1.34 WHIP to go along with 79 strikeouts over 70 1/3 frames.'

This is giving away the punchline with one early word.
Anytime, ANYTIME, a pitcher 'twirls' it means that they had a great game.
A pitcher never 'twirls' badly.
He may pitch or throw or even hurl badly (although when a pitcher 'hurls' it is an indication that he threw for a long period of time.)
Also, relievers never twirl.
They blow gas, bring the heat, or can even be nifty or thrifty, and they can be filthy or have a 'clean' inning, but never, twirl.

[Likewhat17]

I'm always excited to read through the blurbs that you highlight here Don, and especially happy when none of my own musings are chosen.