Featuring picks and comments by Rob Dudek
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That was a long, strange walk down DraftStreet on Thursday night. The three most obvious pitching choices all performed below expectations, so point scoring was way down across the board.
Some nights, your team needs over 80 points to win. The odd combination of a limited number of games and the “best” pitchers faring badly meant that 60 points was an excellent score.
Even though he got rocked, and using him didn’t pay off, Dylan Axelrod was a tremendous bargain. A SP with a great minor-league record, coming off a strong 2013 debut, for less than $3,000? I’d make the same play every time; you can’t control results but you should take advantage of those rare opportunities when they occur.
Zack Greinke had a worse night than me or anyone else who overpaid for him in a daily fantasy league. He hit Carlos Quentin — obviously not intentionally, on a 3-2 pitch in a one-run game — and Quentin charged the mound. In the ensuing bench-clearing brawl, Greinke broke his left collarbone and will be out indefinitely. Quentin deserves a lengthy suspension, but those are often appealed.
Weather continues to be a factor in daily leagues, as the Yankees game in Cleveland was postponed for the second straight night. Too bad if you used the scalding hot Robinson Cano or took a flyer on Phil Hughes. The latter is being skipped in the rotation; he will not pitch tonight.
There’s a full slate of 15 MLB games, but the matinee (Giants at Cubs) is not included in contests that close at 7:05 Eastern. It will be cold and damp in Boston tonight, and there’s even the possibility of snow flurries in Minnesota. While I like some players in those games, I’m leaning to other options in better conditions.
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