August 31, 2015

Dan McCloskey makes a return to first in our last August update with a large HBP lead over runner-up Danton Boller. Miguel Cabrera’s batting title reinstatement on Saturday gave Dan, Danton, Karen McCloskey, and Jim Kushner a nice boost in the standings; all four entrants are currently in the top five.

Michael Orobona, who led most of last week, can still find a way back to the top. Dan needs the hit-or-miss Felix Hernández to keep pace with Houston’s Dallas Keuchel in AL wins to maintain his lead in points over Michael. If the Orioles can stop their current 1-10 skid, perhaps Zach Britton can deliver an AL saves unique point-pick for Michael. Either way, Dan’s best means of protection is to gain in HBPs with his Sale-Cueto duo over Michael’s Dickey-Morton...

Our next weekly update will arrive either Monday or Tuesday, depending on plans for Labor Day. Enjoy the upcoming weekend!

-Jud and Dan

August 30, 2015

August 29, 2015

August 28, 2015

August 27, 2015

August 26, 2015

August 25, 2015

August 24, 2015

Michael Orobona leads with five correct picks, trailed in HBPs by Dan McCloskey and three others. Garrett Schwab was on top until 11:42 last night, when the Bucs’ Mark Melancon struck out Marlon Byrd and granted Michael unique rights to the NL saves point.

Miguel Cabrera is 15-for-30 since coming off the DL, bringing his season average up to a gaudy .367. Miggy’s now just 7 PAs off pace for batting title qualification…

See you next Monday!

-Jud and Dan

August 23, 2015

August 22, 2015

August 21, 2015

August 20, 2015

August 19, 2015

August 18, 2015

August 17, 2015

Michael Orobona is back on top in weekly update #16, with Dan McCloskey just one HBP behind. Karen McCloskey led for a stretch this week by virtue of two NL pitching points she no longer possesses (Scherzer IP and Rosenthal S). Michael has owned first place for 9 of 17 days this month.

We’ve seen more lead changes in our pool this season than any in recent memory; with the exception of All-Star break, each week since June 15^th has featured at least three different leaders. Some new pitching picks are coming into play for the home stretch… Madison Bumgarner scored a point for NL wins yesterday, and is a contender for IP as well. Michael’s AL saves pick of Zach Britton could become a unique companion to his NL counterpart Mark Melancon before long.

One familiar face made his return a bit earlier than expected: Miguel Cabrera returned to the Tiger lineup on Friday after six weeks on the DL. Miggy can re-qualify for the AL batting title in early September, given 4 or 5 plate appearances per game and a few days off. If his current mark of .352 holds up, Cabrera will give a crucial boost to four legit pool contenders (both McCloskeys, Danton Boller, and Jim Kushner).

See you next Monday!

-Jud and Dan

August 16, 2015

August 15, 2015

August 14, 2015

August 13, 2015

August 12, 2015

August 11, 2015

August 10, 2015

Garrett Schwab vaults from seventh to first in a week of twists and turns for the MLB Predictions Pool. Garrett has not held a lead since June 16^th; four entrants trail by a point but top him in HBPs.

Dan McCloskey snatched the lead from Michael Orobona last Monday night when Felix Hernández scored a rebound win against the Rockies. Dan’s turn at the top was brief, as Karen McCloskey took advantage of Mike Trout’s drift down the AL runs standings. Michael soon reclaimed the throne after DL denizen Miguel Cabrera’s stockpile of plate appearances finally failed to qualify him for the AL batting lead. Cabrera could be back in action within two weeks…  

So how did Garrett end up on top? Chris Archer’s 10K no-decision against the Mets yesterday, Trout’s aforementioned drought (two runs scored this month), and a Friday night gem by Sonny Gray (CG, 5H, R, 5K) pushed our current leader ahead of the pack. It’s likely that Michael, Karen, and Dan will already be ahead of Garrett after a few innings of Chris Sale against the Angels tonight, but that’s a story for our next update.

See you next Monday!

-Jud and Dan

August 9, 2015

August 8, 2015

August 7, 2015

August 6, 2015

August 5, 2015

August 4, 2015

August 3, 2015

First place returns to Michael Orobona in our first August weekly update. Dan McCloskey led for most of the week, but lost a point when Felix Hernández couldn’t keep pace with Houston’s Keuchel/McHugh duo for AL wins. Michael continues to prosper from Mark Melancon’s save output, although Padre (still!) Craig Kimbrel is catching up thanks to an MLB-high eleven saves in July.

In addition to Johnny Cueto’s trade to Kansas City, two transactions from last week had pool implications, specifically for Dan. Troy Tulowitzki’s move to Toronto removed the unlikely possibility of an NL batting title, but the Phillies’ dispatching of Jonathan Papelbon to the Nats was more significant. Papelbon’s arrival in Washington bumped Drew Storen back to his setup role, and effectively ended Dan’s chance at a key unique pick in NL saves. Again, all player stats start from scratch when switching to a new league with the exception of HBP tiebreaker points, which continue to accumulate across leagues (see here).

See you next Monday!

-Jud and Dan

August 2, 2015

August 1, 2015