Roto-Rx

If your question was not answered this time, you can go directly to the source @ https://www.roto-rx.com/
where Dr. Roto will answer all your Fantasy Baseball & Football questions.

The Doctor is in...

Question #1: Call it. Dodgers, Rockies or Giants for the division? – Randy, Clyo, GA

Randy: Dr. Roto is going to take the Dodgers for the division and the Rockies for the wildcard. Come find me when the playoffs start for Dr. Roto's playoff preview.

Question #2: Who is your best bounce back candidate for next year? – Michael, Corcoran, CA

Michael: Tough one here, as there are a few guys who need to bounce back in a big way next year. The obvious bounce back guy is Manny Ramirez. Many people drafted Manny in the hopes of getting 40 HR and 120 RBI. He'll be lucky to provide half of that this year. But Manny is still Manny which means that he is one of the top hitters to ever play the game. He will bounce back for sure. The other guy I have for you is another Ramirez--Aramis Ramirez. He's a guy with huge power potential who could not stay healthy this year. Give him an off season to get in shape and he will shine next year. His power numbers have been down, but he is hitting around .320 for the year. Not too shabby.

Question #3: In my league we get a 5 point bonus for having the Cy Young Winner on your roster (as well as bonus points for a few other awards). Do you think that Greinke actually has a shot at it? – David, Baker City, OR

David: Dr. Roto has never heard of these rules before. Do you lose points if your player gets suspended for steroid use? Yes, Greinke is right there for the CY Young. He stands a good shot at it so long as he finishes strong.

Question #4: If Tony LaRusa and Dave Duncan leave for another team, would you start picking up middle of the road pitchers on that team under the theory that Duncan will "Piniero" them? –Mark, Baird, TX

Mark: Love to see that you remembered Dr. Roto's love for Dave Duncan! You better believe I would follow LaRussa/Duncan anywhere. If they went to Japan tomorrow, Dr. Roto would start scouting the Chunichi Dragons and the Orix Blue Wave!

Question #5: I just picked just up Juan Pierre for a box of peanuts under the assumption that he will be playing in a starting role for someone else next year. Do you agree with that logic or am I wasting my peanuts? – Beverly, Capitola, CA

Beverly: I like your thinking here. If Pierre can ever land a starting spot again he's got the average and speed to be worth keeping as a last protect. You didn't waste your peanuts here, but I am glad you didn't throw in a hot dog...you would have over paid.

The Doctor is out...
 
Follow Dr. Roto on Twitter......

Ask Dr. Roto your fantasy baseball questions.

Giants Activate Randy Johnson

I saw something cross the tape late last night that hasn’t seemed to garner much attention. The Giants have activated Randy Johnson from the DL.

The Giants now have Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and now even Jonathan Sanchez all starting, firing on all cylinders down the stretch pitching very effectively, striking out a ton of batters (demoralizing the opposition) and pitching deep into games.

With Sanchez pitching so effectively since his no-hitter, the Giants are going to stick Johnson in the bull-pen. I don’t care how old Johnson is, if he’s coming of the DL that means he’s healthy enough to pitch. He knows how to pitch and if he doesn’t have to pace himself, for one, two, or three innings he can be a dominant force.

The Giants beat the Rockies again last night. They have no pressure on them as no one expects them to actually make the playoffs. They are having fun, playing with house money and are dangerous. Furthermore, in a 5 game series, if you have Randy Johnson coming out of the pen and have to face Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain twice each and Jonathan Sanchez once you have a shot to beat anyone. – Mike Cruise

Michael Cruise is "the biggest SF Giants fan in the nation"

----------
Have a Fantasy Football or Rotisserie Baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship!

An Old Fashion Pennant Race

We are two weeks into the college football season and the NFL has just completed its first week. If you are not in contention in your fantasy baseball league or your favorite team does not have playoff prospects you are probably not following baseball all that closely at the moment. But there are some interesting races coming down the stretch. There is even an old fashion pennant race!

In the American League, it’s all about the Texas Rangers. They are hanging tough in the AL West hovering 4.5 games behind the Anaheim Angels for the division lead and 4.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox for the Wild Card. With only 19 games left to go they are running out of time BUT they have 7 games left against the Angels (yes – 7 out of their 19 games left are against one team – who made that schedule?) and that makes this one not over by a long shot. It should be an interesting final three weeks.

In the NL East the Philadelphia Phillies lead the Florida Marlins by 5.5 and the Atlanta Braves by 6. The Braves have 3 games left with the Phillies and the Marlins have 5 games left with Phillies. Since the NY Mets are not the team in the lead a collapse is not likely, but stranger things have happened and it’s too early to give up faith if you are a Marlins or Braves fan. Your odds aren’t good but you do have a fighting chance to close the gap directly when you play the Phillies. Also, it’s not likely but there is an outside shot that the Marlins or Braves can still grab the Wild Card spot as they are the same number of games out from that as they are from the Division lead (but they have more teams to climb over).

On to the NL West where some real baseball like it ought to be is being played. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies are tripping over themselves all tied up and the San Francisco Giants are only 3.5 game behind. It hasn’t gotten a lot of press nationally (it’s gotten some here) but if the Rockies win the division it will be the greatest comeback in MLB history (in terms of the number of games) as they would have come from more than 15 games back to catch the Dodgers. The Rockies and Giants have 2 more games left with each other (tonight and tomorrow night) and then they each play 3 games against the Dodgers.

The Giants have some momentum after Tim Lincecum (in line for back to back Cy Young Award's) pitched another gem last night over the Rockies striking out 11 in the Giants 9-1 win. This one is not over by a long shot and is clearly the most interesting race in baseball. Assuming no one backs in here, the runner-up in the division has a real shot at being the Wild Card representative so it’s not all or nothing for any of them. - Paul Leume

Paul Leume is a MLB columnist from Montreal, Canada. Paul, a one-time beat writer covering the Montreal Expos for the Montreal Gazette is a proud grandfather of 3 girls and now spends his time offering his thoughts and prospective on Major League Baseball on a variety of blogs and websites throughout Al Gore’s internet.

----------

Have a Fantasy Football or Rotisserie Baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship!

Rockies on a Roll...........

First of all I’d like to take this opportunity on this 8th anniversary of September 11, 2001, one of the most tragic days in American history, to express my deepest sympathies and prayers to all of those who lost friends or family members on that horrific day. Those of us who are left to pick up the pieces and carry on have become stronger as a nation because of it and we will carry the collective burden of the losses together and persevere as one.
What better a topic to transition to……… our National Past-Time of Baseball.

The Rockies have now won 7 in a row and are 4 ½ games ahead in the Wild Card Race and only 2 games behind the Dodgers for the division lead.

If the Rockies catch the Dodgers it will be the biggest come back in MLB history as they will have come back from a 15 game deficit to win a division title.

The Colorado Rockies keep losing players and winning games. Starting pitcher Jose Contreras came out in the third inning with a strained quadriceps Thursday, his second start for injured Aaron Cook.

It's chugging along at full steam these days.

By sweeping four games from the Reds, the Rockies wrapped up a 9-1 home stand — one of their best in franchise history. Next, Colorado embarks on a nine-game road trip that includes three in San Francisco.  All this despite losing pivotal players.

We are playing great baseball," Jason Giambi said. "I'm excited that we are doing the little things, moving runners, getting big hits when we need it and getting great pitching. That's what you want to do down the stretch."

With Troy Tulowitzki and Ian Stewart sitting out a third consecutive game with back stiffness, the team again had to rely on a patchwork lineup. The Rockies went with Clint Barmes at shortstop, Garrett Atkins at third and Eric Young at second. The team even gave first baseman Todd Helton the day off, starting Jason Giambi instead.

Still, the lineup produced.

The Rockies are 63-32 since Jim Tracy took over.

Notes: Ubaldo Jimenez had his next start pushed back from Saturday to Tuesday due to a hamstring he tweaked while running the bases Monday. They are going to need their Ace if this run has a chance to continue. – Gregory Shapiro 

Greg is an orthopedic surgeon that has a number of professional athletes including MLB players as patients. He’s an avid MLB fan and rotisserie player with some unique insight into the world of professional athletes.

----------

Have a Fantasy Football or Rotisserie baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship.

Garrett Atkins..... a second opinion

We’ll, it’s come to this. When Garrett Atkins gets an at-bat, news wires are reporting it.

The thought was that with games against American League clubs this week, Atkins would get plenty of opportunity to straighten himself out, but before yesterday all he got was 1 pinch hitting appearance in the 1st two games of the Angels series.

The good news is that in the last 10 days Atkins has made the most of his playing time and gotten 8 hits in his last 16 at-bats and went 3-4 yesterday with a HR. Perhaps he’s turning it around? Hey, maybe he’s on the Atkins Diet?

I’m with Rob Fairchild on this one. I'm going against popular opinion too. I think Dr. Roto has made a premature diagnosis here and jumped off the boat too quickly. Perhaps he got the patient chart mixed up with someone else. He’s only 29 years old and has hit .305 with 75 HR’s and 330 RBI the past three years. Unless he’s off the juice (I can’t even believe I have to say that – but that’s the world we live in) he should be picked up if he’s a free agent. If he’s on someone’s roster, trade for him for a box of Crackerjacks if that’s all the other guy is asking.

I agree Ian Stewart should be playing and if he’s going to be playing 3B then the writing is on the wall. Atkins is going to have a good 2nd half. The question is whether it is for the Rockies or for someone else. -David Fry

David Fry is an independent sports photographer currently covering Major League Baseball. David will be reporting on observations as he sees them in MLB stadiums throughout the year.