Technically, the title is correct. But we’re off-roading more than we’re on with this podcast. It’s September, y’all, and we’re talking about whatever comes to mind. We’re like Kermit Ruffins and fantasy is our scat. I have no idea if that is factually accurate, but it sounds cool. Can you dig it? I knew you could. Meanwhile, Nick is visiting me in LA and in a less-than-stellar hotel that looks like how Eric Hosmer hits. Oh, and I recommended it. Hehe. Oops! What do I know? I live in LA; I don’t stay in hotels here, well, for longer than 4 hours and without putting down my own plastic sheets. Now pass me my sax while we go over some end of season strategies and Daniel Straily and Mark Teixeira and Mark Trumbo and a whole bunch of other shizz for your eyes and ears enjoyment (mostly your ears). Oh, and I try my damnedest to put the evil eye on Bumgarner because I told all of youse to bench him and I care about you. Let’s hug it out. Okay, that was weird, but strangely erotic. Anyway, here’s the Razzball Podcast, now with Nick in a fleabag motel:
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Haven’t heard from Rudy yet, so I’ll check with you:
Who do you like best for UTIL for a weekly 7×7 (adds XBH and OBP for hitters)?
Lind (3@NYY, 3@TB)
Lowrie (3@STL, 3 v. PIT)
Machado (3@SEA, 3@BOS)
Forsythe (3@ARI, 3@SF)
Beckham (3@KC, 3@LAA)
Pennington (3@DET, 3@NYY)
I have Lind and Machado now (Machado on the bench).
Thanks!
@royce!, I just threw the answer on his post… But don’t like them… Pennington…
@Grey, Well, pickings are awfully slim right now. I had Ortiz at IF and that was golden, but no sense crying over spilt milk.
How about Chisenhall (3 v. MIN, 3 @ KC), Segura (3@PIT, 3@WAS), Casilla (3@CLE, 3@DET) or Alonso (3@SEA, 3@BOS)?
And if I go with Pennington, can I drop Lind and Machado?
@royce!, sorry, Alonso is not on the O’s. Alonso gets 3@ARI & 3@SF
Eh, Pennington is the hottest bat from those guys… Yeah, I’d drop Lind and Machado…
@royce!, Oh, and an update, if you’re interested (or not, I suppose)– my team is up 6-5 now, thanks more to his crappy pitching (Masterson and Chacin) than anything my team has done. And I’m up to .132 in AVG!
See, it was still early! Though it might still be early…
@Grey, Yep! And there’s no way that Braun, Bruce, Sandoval and Fielder can continue hitting a combined .000…right? Of course not. Not possible.
Nope…Still early!
@Grey, Has Kennedy’s last start made you reconsider whether you would you start Kennedy (v. SD, @ COL) next week? I was considering going all Shock and Awe with a ton of 2-starters, like the Iraq war, it could backfire….
HA! Yeah, I wouldn’t go near him if he’s starting at COL in his 2nd start… Not worth the first good start…
@Grey, Cool. I grabbed him but then dropped him for Correia, so hopefully someone else will notice his availability and swallow that poison pill.
That would be nice…
@Grey, The first start’s not all that good anyway- he gave up 6 ER last time he faced SD at home.
Yeah, that doesn’t sound great…
follow up question, explain why you would keep justin upton in round 5 over allen craig in round 23 for next year and you’ve said you think rios is a risky pick for next year. Why would you keep bum in round 10 over samardzija in round 30. You wouldn’t keep billy hamilton in round 31?
Upton is a 1st round talent, in the 5th round you keep that over a guy whose ceiling is 8th round… Bum is a young ace, Samardzija is risky… Hamilton’s not guaranteed a starting job… Rios is risky, but Craig can’t stay healthy… Rios and Craig were a toss up for me…
What are you expecting from Matt Harvey tonight? Startable for my championship team?
SoN really likes him and I just tried to pick him up but I had no room… I’d give him a whirl…
@Grey, WOW, my opposition used his last two acquisitions on Griffin and Homer Bailey. I’m going with Harvey, Lee, and Dempster and all I need for a victory is to edge him out in K’s and hold him off in homers.
You’re definitely in the driver’s seat…
Hi Grey,
You answered my long-winded batty call question in Rudy’s morning thread (which, thanks, btw) by advising I go with EverCab. I had already made the move to go with DeWayne Wise because EverCab is off tomorrow. You ok with that, or should I dump Wise to use EverCab today? Hopefully Rizzo gets back Friday!
Yeah, I’m okay with you going with Wise, I’d hold there…
One more… Pedro Alvarez or Belt for the rest of THIS week? For this week AND next? (need steals and HR equally–AVG doesn’t matter)
Thanks!
Belt… Alvarez is back in one of his nasty funks…
I’m looking for runs and SB’s, would you drop Elvis for Everth?
Nope
You didn’t put Nick up at the Beverly Inn did you? Worst hotel ever.
Ha! Nah, Rodeway Inn…
@Grey, It’s hard to find a good, cheap place to stay in LA. I usually priceline something, but it’s always for downtown since that’s where I need to be for work. I usually end up with the Westin for under $100. Last time I was up, there must’ve been something going on because everything was super expensive. I ended up staying at an apartment in Silverlake/Echo Park area that I found through airbnb. And that’s my uninvited advice!
I need to start putting people up at my place… For a small fee, of course…
Dah! Last one, I promise… Today only: Belt or EverCab?
Belt
Grey:
I’ve got Matt Harvey and Kyle Lohse pitching today. I’ve also got Lincecum. Bench The Freak or let him toss at Coors Field? I need ERA and Ks.
Cheers,
DDD
Bench Timmy…
@Grey, Thanks!
No problem, DDD…
@Grey, How do you feel about Lohse and Harvey today?
I like both, Harvey better…
@Grey, Thanks for all your help. One last question: amongst Reddick, Crisp, or Cespedes, which two would you play today? Oh, and Freese or Lawrie?
No problem, Triple D…. I’d play Freese and Cespedes, Crisp…
@Grey, Thanks again!
@GREY: How goes it? Currently in a Playoff Battle and the score is 4-4. Currently I have the edge pitching wise based on matchups and assuming the Stream o Nator doesnt steer me wrong. My question for you is, is there any reason to play Beltran? Player Rater has Beltran worth $20 ehhh. Should Beltran be in the lineup over any of my other 4 Outfielders: Reddick Kemp Trout Eaton ? Or over my Util Guy Mccann ???
Good, how goes it with you? I wouldn’t play Beltran right now unless one of the other guys wasn’t playing…
I just read on cbs that Putz was sidelined with stiffness…
Hehe…
Damn. I thought Estrada was getting two starts this week. Is he not?
Doesn’t look like he’s pitching again until next Tuesday…
Rollins!!!
J. Roll!
@Grey, Rollins Rollin’
@Grey, Jimmy RoRo!
Hey, for ROS……..Logan Forsythe or Kendry’s Morals?
@BigFatHippo,
Desperately trying to fend off Steve for 2nd place……………
@BigFatHippo, I just want to finish in the money – so I don’t have to explain to my wife why I’m sending $50 to the US
Hippo! Logan…
@Grey, thanks
Weird, I’m trying to reply to Steve and it won’t let me. Tried twice.
That’s weird… What’s it saying?
@Grey, 1st time it just never went through so I tried again and it said word press error, looks like you already said that. So I worded it different and it never went through. I think it doesn’t like Steve.
Not sure… Maybe it went to spam… I’ll check in a little bit…
Grey — with Putz’s stiffness, I guess Hernandez is the grab (16 teams, root, saves at premium). But someone just dropped him and so he’s on waivers and wouldn’t appear on my roster until Saturday. Do you think Putz will be back by then? Or is he still worth a speculative pickup? I’m not sure what else I’ll use my No. 4 waiver priority for at this point.
Marshall is also available (not on waivers) but it looks like Broxton will have the gig while they rest Chapman, right?
If you think either Hernandez or Marshall is worth picking up, the candidates to drop are: Rutledge (I also have Desmond and Rutledge seems to have cooled), David Murphy (also cooled down recently), or Belisario (he doesn’t seem to be closing, though the vulture wins are nice).
Or do I stay put?
Thanks!
I’d lose Rutledge for Hernandez if Putz is out again on Friday…
Casey Kelley was HORRIBLE last time out. I should know – I started him.
Risk him again on Saturday? SON is lukewarm – his FIP is awful (small sample size) but the park variables look OK. It is the Rockies on the road…
@Steve, Or would you prefer Blanton v STL (108 on SON) or Porcello v CLE (103).
They’re the highest-ranked available…
None are good… I’d go with Kelly out of those 3…
@Grey, I’m in danger of falling behind on starts is all. I have two in the next couple of days, opponent has 7.
Some other options –
Friday
Norris v PHI
J Kelly @ LAD
Kluber v DET (109 on SON)
Saunders @ OAK
Saturday
Masterson v DET
Deduno v CWS
Feldman v SEA
None are great of course, but could you maybe pick three of those guys? Thanks!
Norris, Kluber, Deduno… Yeah, not great…
I wouldn’t unless I had to…
Sorry Cobb owners, but I need the Orioles to make a salad out of him…
Ha…
Don’t wanna jinx it (oh well) but could Matt Harvey be the first to have a 27 K game?
Wish I got him in my lineup…
@Grey, If he ends up with more than, say, 10 strikeouts, he could be named finals MVP. He’s already halfway there and he’s only pitched 2 innings!
Damn, really wish I made room for him on my team for today…
head 2 head playoffs through the last day of the regular season
is aroldis chapman a drop?
Yeah, he is…
Need you to be better than this, Bruce…
@Steve, Me too
@Grey:
Pagan’s not in the lineup tonight! Quick, who do I play?: Victorino (vs. Cahill), Reddick (vs. Santana), or Pierzynski (vs. Scherzer). Playoff panic attack!
–Triple D
@Dimond Demon Devil, I’d go with Victorino but that’s just me.
@BigFatHippo, thanks! @Grey: your take?
Victorino
@Grey, a thousand gracias-es.
Lately, BJ Upton has been like a fine………….ummm, BJ!
Ha… Oh yeah…
Thanks a third time!
Matty Carp just crushed that…………….
What happened to Fatt Adams?
@Grey, Still on DL in Memphis, haven’t heard anything lately.
Someone should check on him…
This time, Bruce?
He used it all up last week…
@Grey, DON’T SAY THAT!
Something from LaRoche would be nice…
@Steve, Better than nothing I guess.
How’s the matchup looking so far this week?
@Grey, Up 7-4, but a bit worried about getting swamped in Wins and Ks – thought I had a few more starts in hand. Though I do have 4 adds left to his 2.
Need my hitting to get going…
@Steve, It’s also be good if the Red Sox get stuck into Phelps, the Dbacks clobber Harang and the A’s torch Ervin.
Not much to ask.
Not a bad place to be…
@Steve, No way Bruce does anything with this. No way.
@Steve, Hitless this week. Jesus.
He gets so freakin’ cold…
@Grey, Chance coming to warm it up (Chris)…
@Steve, Really starting to piss me off…
Ha!
@Grey, Ugh. Hope Hill is not cooling off as well. Been great lately.
Yeah, I know… Shizzy time to go cold…
@Grey, Maybe CarGo warming up. Great time to get the running game going.
Someone on your team’s gotta be due here…
@Grey, Heh. My team has actually had a pretty good day, but one of those that could have been a lot better – Bruce and LaRoche stranded a ton and Hill has done nothing.
Don’t want to jinx it, but pitching has worked out better than I could have hoped, given he had four starters going against my one…
Ha, gotcha… He had some bombs for starts?
@Grey, Phelps got a win, but he came up empty on Harang, Cobb and Erv.
I got a win out my only starter (Cahill), plus got a Hold and a Save too.
Going to be 7-3 by day’s end. He has 3 starters to 1 tomorrow though and more hitters than me…
Nice… Hopefully his tomorrow starters fall apart…
@Grey, Yeah. I have Harrell going, who SON likes to the tune of a 113, but he gets the Phils and they have a bit of a head of steam up right now…
Yeah, the Phils do seem like they’re hitting a bit more… Hopefully no one is on in front of Rollins…
@Grey, Well as a Rollins owner, I’d take a 2-run dinger in a 6-2 Astros win…
Yeah, same here… Actually, I don’t have Harrell, so I’ll take a 3 HR night… 3 solo shots, for you…
@Grey, That works. My ERA is 2.13 so it can probably stand a 3-run outing…
Cool…
Harvey up to 10 K’s through 5! Holy crap!
Dammmit!
@Grey, No quality start, but I don’t really need one. Currently looking at a 8-6 lead with a little wiggle room on some stats due to Lee’s gem earlier.
Very nice!
@Grey, Like you said, I’m in the driver’s seat. But some some reason, I think I’m driving a school bus. Not comfortable enough yet. Thinking about picking up Wieters as a utility bat with Car-Gome getting hurt today and Ike the Dike losing playing time going forward to The Dude-a.
If that’s the best you got to choose from…
Okay. Everybody celebrating Granderson’s two slams tonight needs to thank me, because he came off ESPN’s Undroppable list earlier this week, and I dropped him this morning (needed room to add Broxton, in a tight battle for saves).
Of course, he would have been on my bench anyway.
Bet he hits another one just to piss me off.
Damn… That shizzy luck…
What’s up with Jonathon Broxton? Think he’ll sign somewhere to be a closer next season?
Yeah, could be…
These ghost teams really piss me off-I just lost a point in WHIP to a guy who has had Daniel Bard and John Danks all year… It’s insulting that I can’t manage a team to have a WHIP better than that…
I have a few teams like that I’m chasing in runs and RBIs…
Know what else pisses me off? H2H. I dominated all year (175-118-15) and now Braun can’t hit more than a single, Bruce can’t hit at all, and Jeter goes down with an ankle injury. Still early!
@royce!, 9 out of the last 10 years I’d agree with you. But this year I’m trying to be the guy that had a shitty team all year, just snuck into the playoffs and then won the damn thing because some crappy infielder got hot for three days.
@Steve, Forsythe? I went to the Padres game today. Sat in the “park in the park” with the wife and kid so I don’t actually know what happened in the game except that Forsythe homered…
@royce!, Oh – wasn’t meaning any player in particular there. Just highlighting the randomness of H2H.
Hopefully my carefully assembled team will just charge right through the playoffs. Though if you check the tone of some, er, most of my comments above…
In a keeper league, do you like Darin Ruf better than any of the following?
Jordany Valdespin
Logan Morrison
Welington Castillo
Derek Norris
Logan Morrison
Mark Rogers
Thanks!
Nah…
I wish I could tell other people about razzball but it is my dirty little secret that I don’t want to tell any of my league mates about. Once I get a real job out of school I will be sending plenty of daiquiris your guys way.
Also the stream-o-nator is the shiz. Made it onto my bookmarks. Keep up the great work guys.
Ha, no problem… Thanks!
Wouldn’t mind if Soriano blew this. #everymanforhimself
Giants need to get their (my) relievers into the game.
@Steve, Not him!
@Steve, Or him! Affeldt or Lopez, if you don’t mind.
@Steve, OK. That’s a Hold for Affeldt. Get him out of there!
Hehe… He’s been solid recently…
Aw, man. No fair. All that scoring action and then my guys (Wise and Konerko)…
@Steve, Jesus, Valverde. Shut the door on this damn thing.
@GREY: Need advice asap. Should i drop Eaton for Denard Span ??? Just noticed he was on waivers still from his DL trip ..
I’d hold
I read Yanks won but lost Jeter. Did they check A-Rod’s bed?
HA! Nice, you just made the roundup…
Nice job from Cahill there, after a crappy start. No walks and good Ks.
Yeah, not bad…
Grey: format question. Do you have a personal preference between roto vs H2H? Our league is considering switching to h2h next year but I’m kind of a sucker for roto.
I like roto much better…
Pulled the trigger on span ehhhh. Hopefully this move works out
Yeah, shouldn’t really be a huge difference either way…
You like Werner on Sunday v COL? Been pretty solid thus far…
Yeah, I do…
That Pujols home run, I did not need.
What’s with Putz?? Hernandez saves in back to back days. Putz only 1 appearance since Sept 3. My first round opponent has Putz so I’m happy to see it.
Putz is hurt, grab Hernandez…
@Grey: pick up Brandon Moss and drop Corey Hart? Or am I inschwane (i.e. insanely insane)? The playoffs have hard boiled my bean.
–Triple D
Ha! Yeah, make that switch as long as you can bench Moss when he doesn’t play… Though Harts not playing anyway…
@Grey, Seriously? I’m afraid to pull the trigger…
What is the eta on Dylan Bundy, Taijuan Walker, Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, and Archie Bradly?
The first three pitcher are consider to be future aces. How do you feel about Jameson Taillon, and Archie Bradly?
Bundy and Taillon could be in their rotations from Opening Day but I think they might all be June-ish call ups… Hard to say with rookie pitchers… I mean, look at Trevor Bauer, he’s gonna be good but he didn’t do anything this year… Take follow ups to the newest post…