The 2012 Strat-O-Master League Chat Room

Saturday, 11-01-14:

LAST NIGHT:

In the featured match up, Havana took 2 of 3 from Pittsburg. The Cigaros maintained their 2 game lead in the West, while the Cubs Nats A's 2 fell to 3rd place - 3 games back.

Eastbound got swept for the second night in a row as misslonlyhearts held the Down to just 7 runs in the 3 game series. The losses placed Eastbound in a tie for 2nd place with nate's west. Both teams are 1 game behind the front runner in the East Division.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAST NIGHT:

BOSTON and Small Ball each scored a total of 7 runs in their series with the BEES taking 2 out of 3.

Pollard's Mike Fiers improved his record to 13-5.

Kris Medlen of Ballwin is now 13-6.

Ballwin's Aroldis Chapman picked up a save tying him for the league lead with 29.

CAN HAVANA'S OFFENSIVE MACHINE BE STOPPED?

I use to think that BOSTON, Eastbound and Pollard were the offensive powerhouses in the Strat-O-Master League. But the true "master offensive strategist" appears to be Golden Tongue. Below are some offensive statistics concerning his Cigaros team:

1010 hits - 1st - 56 more than Eastbound
188 doubles - 2nd - 13 less than Eastbound
196 homers - 2nd - 18 less than Pollard
338 walks - 2nd - 1 less than NKP
598 runs - 1st - 84 higher than Eastbound
.287 BA - 1st - 13 points higher than Ballwin
.355 OBP - 1st - 18 points higher than misslonlyhearts
.519 SLG - 1st - 14 points higher than Eastbound
.874 OPS - 1st - 44 points higher than Eastbound

Has the master strategist from Havana out-strategized us all? Or, did he illegally enter a Cuban national team into our league? Or, does he hunker down in the stalks of the sugarcane and discreetly plan his cunning picks? Or, has he just had an ongoing streak of luck with the computer dice rolls?

OPEN LETTER TO EDWIN ENCARNACION:

Edwin - I have read Golden Tongue's post from last night. If you want to defect from his tyrannic managerial style, the NKP Zorros would be happy to have you join our team. When the "Z's" lose on the road, which we seldom do, our players go to the bar and have a drink. Just let me know. akw8319

TONIGHT'S FEATURED MATCH UP:

In the East Division, 2nd place Eastbound plays 1st place Pollard. The Down have lost 6 in a row but are only 1 game out. The "Roos" hold a slight edge in series play thus far - 5 games to 4.

Sunday, 11-02-14:

LAST NIGHT:

The featured match up involved two of the giants in the league - Eastbound and Pollard both from the East Division. The Down drew first blood scoring 12 runs in their game 1 win. The Kangaroos administered the final blows holding Eastbound to just 3 runs while winning the last two games of the series. Pollard is tied for 1st place; the Down fell to 3rd - 2 games out.

misslonlyhearts bulled their way into a 1st place tie in the East by sweeping 5th Avenue. We haven't seen nate's west holding the top spot too often - if at all. I have a special liking for the misslonlyhearts owner - "mitcho" - who was the third person to sign up for the Strat-O-Master League. He patiently hung in there during the early part of the recruitment period as other teams trickled in.

BOSTON has re-emerged with a sweep of Ballwin in a Central Division contest. The Gators were held to just 7 runs in the series. The BEES have won 7 of their last 9 putting them in 3rd place - 4 games out. They are now 2 games above the .500 mark at 52-50. Ballwin remains in 2nd place - 3 games out.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Last night we went over the 100 game mark. Tonight intra-division league play resumes. Tomorrow starts week 6 of the Strat-O-Master League season with all the master strategists working hard to either stay on top of their respective divisions or in contention for the titles.

TONIGHT'S FEATURED MATCH UPS:

No earth shaking games are scheduled.

2nd place Ballwin needs some wins to pick up ground on Small Ball but it won't be easy. They travel to Pollard. The Central Division Gators are in 2nd place - 3 games out. The East Division Kangaroos are tied for 1st - 1 up.

Likewise for NKP. They, too, need wins to keep Havana in sight. But, again, it won't be easy. They travel to Small Ball - who has the best record in the league at 56-46. The West Division Zorros are in 2nd place - 3 games out. The Central Division Wonders are in 1st - 3 up.

Monday, 11-03-14:

Welcome to week 6 of the Strat-O-Master League. Is the cream starting to rise to the top? After 105 games, front runners in the Central and West are starting to pull away, as both Small Ball and Havana have opened up 5 game leads. In the East, misslonlyhearts is only 1 game behind Pollard, but 3rd place Eastbound is now 4 back.

With 57 games to go, it's time for those teams that are not in 1st place to either get tough and get going, or throw in the towel and ride out the rest of the season in shame. I think all of the master strategists will rise to the occasion as best they can. I'm one of those guys who are on the brink of being KO'd. We'll see what happens.

LAST NIGHT:

In a featured match up, Pollard swept Ballwin in 3 close games. The Kangaroos now have sole possession of 1st place in the East - 1 game up. The Gators are tied for 2nd in the Central - 5 out.

The other featured match up saw Small Ball take 2 of 3 from NKP. The 1st place Wonders are a comfortable 5 games ahead in the Central. The Zorros are tied for 2nd in the West - a distant 5 games behind.

Havana is still on cruise control as they swept the District. The Cigaros seem to be steamrolling through everyone lately, as they increased their 1st place lead in the West to 5 games. The last place Arsenal are 19 games back in the Central.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAST NIGHT:

Robinson Cano blasted a 3 run homer with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give Small Ball a 6-5 walk off win over NKP in game 2 of their series. OUCH - does that hurt.

Havana's Edwin Encarnacion hit his league leading 40th home run of the year.

Look out Edwin - you have company at the top. Adam Laroche of Pollard smacked 3 bombs and is now tied with Encarnacion for the home run lead at 40.

5th Avenue's Jonathan Papelbon saved 2 games and leads the league with 31. However, he lost the last game of that series lowering his record to 3-5.

TONIGHT'S FEATURED MATCH UP:

BOSTON has battled its way back to over .500. But the Big "RED" Machine - Havana - may be ready to exterminate the BEES. The Cigaros are 16-4 in their last 20 games, which includes a 3 game spanking of BOSTON just six days ago. Havana is on top in the West by 5 games. The 2nd place BEES are 5 games back in the Central.

Tuesday, 11-04-14:

LAST NIGHT:

In the one and only featured game, BOSTON slowed down Havana just a little bit by taking 2 games out of 3. The BEES moved into 2nd place in the Central - 5 games out. The Cigaros still hold the lead in the West - 4 games in front.

Eastbound swept the District. The Down closed to within 3 games of the top spot in the East. The 4th place Arsenal are 20 games behind in the Central.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAST NIGHT:

Eastbound's pitching dominated the District in a series sweep allowing them just 3 runs on 11 hits.

In a 2 games to 1 series win, NKP held Ballwin to a total of 4 runs on 12 hits.

Havana's Edwin Encarnacion and Pollard's Adam Laroche each belted 2 home runs. They are tied for the league lead in bombs with 42.

Felix Hernandez of Eastbound won for the 13th time against 7 losses.

Clayton Kershaw - also of Eastbound - picked up win number 13. He has lost 10 times.

LEAGUE LEADERS:

Batting Average
Mike Trout - 5th Avenue - .339
Melky Cabrera - Havana - .335
Kevin Frandsen - NKP - .330

Home Runs
Edwin Encarnacion - Havana - 42
Adam Laroche - Pollard - 42
Adrian Beltre - ARIZONA - 36
Mike Trout - 5th Avenue - 36

RBIs
Edwin Encarnacion - Havana - 98
Josh Reddick - Pittsburg - 84
Adam Laroche - Pollard - 82

ERA
Jonathan Niese - Small Ball - 2.98
Kris Medlin - Ballwin - 3.01
Brandon Beachy - BOSTON - 3.16

WHIP
Kris Medlin - Ballwin - 1.05
Alexi Ogando - misslonlyhearts - 1.12
Brandon Beachy - BOSTON - 1.15

Saves
Jonathan Papelbon - 5th Avenue - 31
Arnolis Chapman - Ballwin - 30
Joe Nathan - Small Ball - 28

TONIGHT'S FEATURED MATCH UPS:

Mano e mano, as Goliaths from the West and Central clash in a battle between division leaders. Havana with their ferocious offense takes on the pitching prowess of Small Ball. Both teams hold comfortable leads in their respective divsions - the Cigaros up by 4 - the Wonders in front by 5. Does Havana's good hitting beat Small Ball's good pitching, or vice versa?

BOSTON travels to play misslonlyhearts. The BEES are coming off an impressive series win over Havana. They hold 2nd place in the Central - 5 games out. nate's west are doing suprisingly well. They are tied for 1st in the East - 3 games up.

I think Zorro didn't post the WINS leaders because he didn't want to write Mike Fiers name.

Tuesday, 11-04-14:

ADDITIONAL POST CONCERNING TRANSACTIONS:

In case you haven't noticed, there have been 22 players dropped and 22 players picked up since 11-01. Transactions involving players worth 3.75 million dollars or more are listed below:

11-01 NKP dropped 1B Mark Teixeira (3.99M). Picked up by Eastbound on 11-03.

11-02 BOSTON picked up OF Michael Saunders (3.74M).

11-03 Eastbound dropped 1B Kendrys Morales (4.03M).

11-03 Eastbound dropped OF Gerardo Parra (3.82M).

11-03 5th Avenue dropped OF Michael Brantley (3.82M). Picked up by Eastbound on 11-03.

11-03 BOSTON dropped OF Jay Bruce (6.85M).

11-03 Pittsburg dropped OF David Murphy (5.43M). Picked up by BOSTON on 11-03.

11-04 NKP picked up 3B Matt Dominguez (4.67M).

WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?:

On 11-03, my trading partner - src5104 (owner of the Pittsburg team) - picked up free agent shortstop Munenori Kawasaki (.50M). Upon looking at Munenori's card, I think src5104 would have been better off buying a top of the line Kawasaki motorcycle with that money .

Wednesday, 11-05-14:

LAST NIGHT:

In a contest that pitted the powerful bats of Havana against the strong arms of Small Ball, the Cigaros came out on top 2 games to 1. In game 1, Havana scored 5 in the 9th en route to a 6-3 win. It was deja vu in game 2 when the Cigaros scored 2 in the 9th for a 3-2 victory. The Wonders' closer Joe Nathan - who is number 3 in the league with 28 saves - was the victim of both rallies. 1st place Havana now has a 5 game lead in the West and seems to be bulldozing through everyone in its drive to a division title. 1st place Small Ball is 4 games up in the Central.

In the other featured match up, BOSTON went 2-1 against misslonlyhearts. The 2nd place BEES - who have won 6 of their last 9 - picked up a game in the Central and are now 4 out. nate's west fell into 2nd place in the East - 1 behind the leader.

The DESERT scorched 5th Avenue with a series sweep. 4th place ARIZONA is 7 back in the West. The 4th place Green Team - who has been in a free fall as of late - is 7 games behind in the East.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAST NIGHT:

Pollard's Adam Laroche is now the sole league leader in home runs with 43.

Felix Hernandez of Eastbound won his 14th game in 21 decisions.

NOW I KNOW:

Yesterday I asked "what's up with that" when the Pittsburg owner picked up the nondescript .50 million dollar infielder Munenori Kawasaki. I then made a snide remark how he could have spent his money more wisely on the purchase of a motorcycle. Well, now I now what's up. Last night Kawasaki went 4 for 10 for the Cubs Nats A's 2. Yes src5104, you are a master strategist. You must have learned that technique (picking up bargain basement players) from Golden Tongue.

BLOCKBUSTER TRADE:

misslonlyhearts - in contention for a division title - was involved in a blockbuster trade with the District. nate's west sent outfielder Austin Jackson (9.28M) and pitcher Cliff Lee (3.71M) to the Arsenal in return for outfielder Alex Gordon (8.47M) and pitcher Matt Cain (4.58M).

MOST FOR YOUR MONEY:

The below offensive players can be considered "best buys" based on what they have returned to their teams for the money they have been paid:

HR - Havana - Garrett Jones - 32 - 8th in league - 3.55M

RBI - Havana - Josh Willingham - 73 - 10th in league - 4.18M

BA - NKP - Kevin Frandsen - .332 - 3rd in league - 5.14M

OBP - 5th Avenue - Chipper Jones - .379 - 10th in league - 3.97M

SLG - Havana - Josh Willingham - .593 - 7th in league - 4.18M

OPS - Havana - Josh Willingham - .955 - 5th in league - 4.18M

Considering the above, we may have to promote Golden Tongue to senior master strategist.

TONIGHT'S FEATURED MATCH UP:

misslonlyhearts will be tested this evening when they host Small Ball. nate's west is out to prove that it is a contender in the tough East Division. The Wonders look to come back strong after being spanked by the Cigaros last night. 2nd place misslonlyhearts is 1 out in the East. The Wonders are 4 up in Central.

In my earlier post today, I listed the "most for your money" offensive players. These are guys who are in the top 10 of a hitting category but are not high priced picks.

Tomorrow I plan on listing the "most for your money" pitchers. Here's a heads up for FALCON29 who may be thinking Mike Fiers will make that list. I probably won't include a "most wins" pitcher since I don't consider that a valid category.

Thursday, 11-06-14:

LAST NIGHT:

In an intriguing featured match up, misslonlyhearts - upon making a blockbuster trade earlier in the day - took 2 of 3 from Small Ball. nate's west - an inarguable underdog to win their fiercely competitive division - has reclaimed a tie for 1st place with Pollard - both of whom are 2 games ahead in the East. Meanwhile, the Wonders - who have led the Central Division throughout most of the season - remain in 1st place but now only 2 games up.

BOSTON is making its move to capture 1st place in the Central, as they stung Pittsburg with a sweep. The 2nd place BEES - who were 5 games out just two nights ago - are now within 2 games of 1st place Small Ball. The Cubs Nats A's 2 dropped to last place in the West - 7 games out.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAST NIGHT:

BOSTON allowed only 2 runs in their series sweep against Pittsburg, which included two 1 run games and a shutout.

Eastbound's Felix Hernandez is now 15-7 and has the league lead in victories.

Reliever Casey Fien of Ballwin picked up a win and is now 8-2.

Pollard's Mike Fiers won --------- wait a minute --------- no, he lost again. After starting the season 7-0, Fiers has returned to earth going 6-6 in his last 12 decisions. (I should talk. I wish I had a guy who won 7 straight games.)

NON-BLOCKBUSTER TRADE:

The ARIZONA DESERT sent pitcher Stephen Strasburg (4.49M) to the Havana Cigaros in exchange for pitcher Colby Lewis (3.82M). Both pitchers have struggled. Golden Tongue must not have been able to find any more .50 million dollar starters in the free agent market.

TRANSACTIONS:

misslonlyhearts released outfielder Will Venable (4.08M).

MOST FOR YOUR MONEY:

The below pitchers can be considered "best buys" based on what they have returned to their teams for the money they have been paid:

ERA - ARIZONA - Eric Stults - 3.95 - 8th in league - 3.15M

WHIP - misslonlyhearts - Alexi Ogando - 1.16 - 4th in league - 3.11M

WINS - Pollard - Mike Fiers - 13 - tied for 3rd in league - 2.78M

SAVES - Eastbound - Steve Cishek - 20 - 9th in league - 1.35M

TONIGHT'S FEATURED MATCH UP:

Another test for misslonlyhearts as they host Havana. If nate's west desires to be one of the elite teams in the league, they'll have to demonstrate that they can beat the hombre grande (big man) in the West. The merciless Cigaros take no prisoners during their conquests on the ball field. They have dominated the East Division winning 21 and losing only 15. Will misslonlyhearts be up to the challenge; or will they be just another East Division butt in the Cigaros' dirty ashtray? nate's west is tied for 1st in the East - 2 games up. Havana reigns supreme in the West - 5 games ahead of the pack.

To save Mr. Zorro a little work...

YTD INJURY TOTALS:
Pittsburg Cubs Nats A's 2 - 134
Pollard Kangaroos - 128
Eastbound and Down - 121
Ballwin KAW's Gators - 107
NKP Zorros - 99
5th Avenue Green Team - 98
Small Ball Wonders - 88
Havana Cigaros - 80
ARIZONA DESERT - 78
misslonlyhearts nate's west - 44
BOSTON BEES - 37
The District Arsenal - 28

MOST INJURED PLAYERS:
Jon Jay, Ballwin KAW's Gators - 40 games, 6 times (Injury Risk 3)
Giancarlo Stanton, Pollard Kangaroos - 34 games, 4 times (Injury Risk 3)
Joey Votto, NKP Zorros - 28 games, 8 times (Injury Risk 4)
Matt Carpenter, Ballwin KAW's Gators - 26 games, 5 times (Injury Risk 3)
Mike Napoli, Pittsburg Cubs Nats A's 2 - 23 games, 6 times (Injury Risk 4)
Carlos Gomez, Pittsburg Cubs Nats A's 2 - 23 games, 3 times (Injury Risk 2)
David Ortiz, Pollard Kangaroos - 23 games, 3 times (Injury Risk 4)
Andy Dirks, Eastbound and Down - 22 games, 7 times (Injury Risk 4)
Melky Cabrera, Havana Cigaros - 22 games, 4 times (Injury Risk 1)
Michael Cuddyer, 5th Avenue Green Team - 22 games, 4 times (Injury Risk 4)
Juan Pierre, Pittsburg Cubs Nats A's 2 - 22 games, 3 times (Injury Risk 1)