Baseball Recap 4/14

1. Uncle Phil (76.5, -1)

Viano's second week atop the charts saw him lose one point overall, but increase his lead to 4.5 points. Run scoring continues to be a great team strength, as they crossed the plate 41 more times this week. The team knocked in 44 runs (league high) to go along with the run scoring prowess. The WHIP and ERA produce a combined 19 points, thanks to continuing excellence from Brian Bannister and Ben Sheets. Rafael Soriano going on the DL hurt the saves category (a 1.5 point drop from last week) but BJ Ryan is back now and has already locked up one game since he returned.

2. Bob Loblaw (72, +1.5)

Very little movement overall, moving no more than 2.5 points in any category. Dropped 2 points in OBA, but gained 2.5 in wins. The RBI lead stayed in tact behind Pat Burrell, Josh Hamilton and BJ Upton. Pitching stands to get a boost now that we've seen the return of Francisco Liriano. Though the return was uninspiring, no further complications have been reported in regards to his injury.

3. Fukkake (67.5, -7)

Bad week for the bullpen, recording zero saves which caused a 6.5 point drop in that category. Though they didn't help in ERA and WHIP either, those categories stayed strong because of some strong starting pitching (+4.5 points in wins). The offense had a rough week hitting just 6 homers and driving in only 19 runs, dropping 7 points between OBA and RBI. David Wright is heating up, hitting homers in his last two games, a good sign.

4. Hank White (66.5, +14.5)

This week's biggest riser not only saw a nearly 15 point jump, but also spent time in second place. Despite Shane Victorino's injury, Stem picked up 4 points in stolen bases. Saved 5 games, jumping 2.5 points in that column. Also struck out 45 batters, good for 3 points. Derek Lowe continues his amazing season, throwing eight great innings in a win this week.

5. Curse of the Veggies (60.5, -6.5)

Jimmy Rollins' ankle injury doesn't bode well for JR's speed, and it showed last week. COTV swiped just one base, and lost 3.5 points in that column. Lost the lead in homers, but picked up 3 points between gains in ERA and SV. Got 4 homers and 11 RBI from Raul Ibanez (!) to go with a a two-homer, six-RBI game from Jeff Francouer.

6. Bondo and the Asians (47.5, -12.5)

This week's big faller lost major, major points in pitching. Lost points in every category except Ks, losing no fewer than 3 in each. We'll see if the return of Randy Johnson helps any. Johnson's skills haven't disappeared the last couple seasons, just his health. Hit 12 homers this week, and the offensive numbers helped stopped the bleeding at least a little. Carlos Pena (6 R, 4 HR, 8 RBI) and Chien-Ming Wang (1 run CG) had really good weeks.

7. The M.B.A.s (43, -6.5)

Not a disastrous week, but a steady decline in power caused most of the damage here. Just six homers in seven days. Major slumps from Victor Martinez and Ryan Zimmerman are to blame. Tim Lincecum was excellent, striking out 18 guys in 12 innings, with a 2.25/1.25 in those innings. Troy Percival, despite no save opps, threw three perfect innings with a K per inning.

8. Slick (43, +8.5)

Of all the numbers I can throw out here, none will be more astounding than the ones in this paragraph. Despite an injured Michael Cuddyer all week, led the league in runs scored (42) and home runs (13) with 7 stolen bases. The offensive surge keyed the second largest point jump in the league, proving once again that sometimes the best moves are the ones you don't make.

9. Harangautans (38.5, +4)

The hardest categories to track (for me at least) are the average stats like WHIP and OBA. That's where Baron's gains came from this week, +5 in OBA and +3 in WHIP. I can't say exactly why, but six players with on-bases higher than .429 had to help. Sexy Matt Holliday is back, hitting two homers, scoring 6 times and knocking home 10 RBI. Baron also swiped a league high 8 bases.

10. Dr. Jerry (31, +5)

Huston Street's big week (3 saves, no runs) keyed a six point jump in the SV category, as Champ waits for his offense to heat up. Only seven homers so far this season, which is awful. The team OBA sits at .314, which is Corey Patterson-esque. Yunel Escobar remains the team's best player, scoring another seven runs last week. Zack Greinke had another great outing last week, and new-pickup Joe Saunders is having a great start to the season. JR's right Prince, eat a burger.

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I'd like to use this space to announce some personal news. April 25th will be my last day with Walgreens. I've accepted a job with a State Farm Agency until I become an Agent. At least that's the plan for now. Cheers.