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Tout Wars Head 2 Head Halfway Report! It’s all Hershey and Zimmerman!

Tout Wars Head 2 Head is different than the other Tout leagues.

In those other leagues, scored Rotisserie style, you look at the standings and you see who is winning and losing.

In Tout Head 2 Head, you have to look at the Head to Head records, in which Brent Hershey is tied with Jeff Zimmerman.

Then, since we’ve reached the halfway point in the season, you need to look at the first half roto standings, which determine the outcome of 12 additional games. (You can see the complete first-half standings here.)

Hershey finished ahead of Zimmerman in the roto standings, so he earns a first-half record of 12-0, while Zimmerman adds an 11-1 mark to his head to head score. Do this for all 12 teams and you have the combined first-half records.

Hershey has a slim lead over Zimmerman, with Peter Kreutzer and Jake Ciely close enough to challenge. Then Michael Beller and Jeff Boggis have room enough to dream.

How many second-division teams will be able to move up? That’s why they’ll play the second half, while Brent Hershey and Jeff Zimmerman battle to win. All teams will be affected by 12 games awarded based on second half stats and another 12 games awarded based on the overall season roto standings.

How do our Tout Wars teams’ records compare to their major league counterparts? In other words, how are they doing?

Brent Hershey equals the Chicago Cubs, and then some.

Jeff Zimmerman is a supercharged San Francisco Giants.

Peter Kreutzer is the Cleveland Indians.

Jake Ciely is the Washington Nationals.

Michael Beller is the Boston Red Sox.

Jeff Boggis is the Houston Astros.

Stephania Bell is the New York Yankees.

Jeff Mans is the New York Mets.

Howard Bender is the Oakland As.

Paul Sporer is the Tampa Bay Rays.

Doug Anderson is the Atlanta Braves.

Andrea LaMont is the Minnesota Twins.

Good luck in the second half everyone!

Independent Bidding on Free Agents is No Holiday. FAAB Analysis Here for July 4!

The boys from Mastersball analyzed the FAAB claims in five Tout Wars leagues on the fourth of July.

Mike Gianella’s take on the week’s short slate of FAAB purchases, at Baseball Prospectus.

Want to Win Tout Daily? A Breather Helps Ring the Bell.

Stephania Bell didn’t play Tout Daily by RTSports any of the four weeks of Period 3. She was busy, work and life got in the way, one has to prioritize. But when she was ready to play, in Week 1 of Period 4, her team exploded, popping into first place late in the evening on Johnny Cueto’s win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Cueto wasn’t Bell’s best pitcher. Reserve that spot for Michael Fulmer, whose 10 strikeout winning performance against Tampa Bay was the biggest scoring game on the night.

And some of her hitters contributed, too, mainly James Loney, owned by one percent of RTSports owners last night, had a homer and a double on his way to 12 much-needed points. Having Mike Trout didn’t hurt.

Bell finished just two points ahead of Scott Engel, who had also taken a leave of absence in Period 3. Engel got a fine night from Jaime Garcia, who won his game versus the Brewers, and strong hitting performances from Kendrys Morales (playing right field!), Chase d’Arnaud (who cost only $1.6K), and Mookie Betts. Brett Lawrie, Carlos Correa and George Springer contributed four points apiece.

Speaking of Springer, his name is on the roster of six of the top seven finishing teams on the night, though his four points (at a cost of $5.7K) was not particularly efficient. Perhaps it is telling that he was also the night’s last-place finisher’s roster.

Three teams missed the unusual 6:05pm early start of the week’s contest. They were not allowed to play for the night’s championship, but were allowed to submit rosters before the 7:05pm regular start so they could compete in Period 4 overall.

Top 10 pitching performances (pitchers on teams that finished in the Top 10): Johnny Cueto (16), Michael Fulmer (21), Jaime Garcia (17), Ian Kennedy (10), Bud Norris (18!), Julio Teheran (7.66), Steven Wright (8), Jacob deGrom (15).

One final note: It looked like a good night to stack hitters from the Texas teams, but it was not.

One extra final note: Eno Sarris finished 10th and got no, zero, nada, nunca points from his outfielders, Ryan Braun, Adam Jones and Angel Pagan.

See the whole Leaderboard here.

You can play RTSports.com’s daily fantasy games for prizes or fun every day of the week. Click here to start!

Tout Daily Picks, Canada Day Edition

We start Period 4 of Tout Daily by RTSports.com tonight. Everybody has a fresh beginning, we’re all equal, at least until tonight’s games start. For the game’s rules, check here.

But nine touts have golden tickets into the finals already. All honor to Brian Walton, Rob Leibowitz, Patrick Mayo, Jason Collette, Jeff Erickson, Patrick Davitt, Tristan Cockcroft, Rick Wolf and Tim Heaney.

Each week we ask who the touts are picking tonight. Their answers follow, and you can follow the night’s action (or play tonight’s game for prizes or for free) at RTSports.com/tout-wars.

Who are they picking?

Phil Hertz

I like Jacob DeGrom ($8,700 vs Cubs) at home. I rostered Danny Espinosa ($3,200 vs Cincinnati) BEFORE last night’s explosion; I’m sticking with him.

Gene McCaffrey

Tough night – risky pitchers abound. I’m going with Steven Wright ($6,800 vs Angels) at home vs. the Angels. If he can contain Trout he should post a good start. Hitter: Daniel Murphy ($4,900 vs Cincinnati) is still way too cheap.

Tim Heaney

1B Victor Martinez ($4,700 @ Tampa Bay): Coming off a six-homer June, he’ll face gopher-ball-plagued Drew Smyly. V-Mart boasts .931 OPS against southpaws.

SP Steven Wright ($6,800 vs. Angels): Sad Angels lineup a perfect target for the knuckleballer.

Jeff Boggis

Top Starting Pitchers Tanner Roark ($6,600 vs Cincinnati) and Ian Kennedy ($5,300 @ Philadelphia) I typically pay top dollar for starting pitching, but in tonight’s contest, I am taking a contrarian approach. I don’t see the value in paying top dollar to roster Johnny Cueto (SP-SF) at $9,000, especially after his latest outing where he gave up 6 earned runs and has a difficult opponent tonight at Arizona. The same also applies to rostering Jacob DeGrom (SP-NYM) at $8,700. His matchup tonight is a tough one at home against Jason Hammel of the Chicago Cubs. Plus there is a 75% chance of rain tonight in New York. Tanner Roark is at home versus Cincinnati and can be rostered for only $6,600. He’s won 3 out of his last 4 outings and has averaged 6 strikeouts per game over this time period. Ian Kennedy has a favorable matchup at Philadelphia and is coming of a great outing on June 26th versus Houston where he struck out 11 hitters.

Top Hitter Charlie Blackmon ($6,300 @ Dodgers) Charlie Blackmon is facing right-handed pitcher Bud Norris tonight in Los Angeles. Against right-handed starting pitchers, Charlie Blackmon is batting .310 with 9 nine home runs and 30 RBIs. Over the past week, Blackmon owns an OPS of 1.072.

Charlie Wiegert

A fresh start is what I need, along with some of that magic I had last year!
Top Pitcher, and the guy who won it for me last year was Clayton Kershaw, who is now on the DL. Maybe that is a sign I should take the pitcher who is taking his spot!?! Bud Norris ($4,400 vs Colorado) had been pitching well in ATL and getting some Ks, which when healthy he always has. Hoping for 8 tonight with 7 innings and a win, get me 20 Bud!

Top hitters..stacking Houston vs CWS and Marwin Gonzalez ($3,500), Jose Altuve ($5,900), Colby Rasmus ($4,200), Evan Gattis ($4,700) and Luis Valbuena ($3,100). Hoping Stro’s score in double digits and this group is productive.

Lawr Michaels

I like Jacob DeGrom ($8,700 vs Cubs) and Steven Wright ($6,800 vs. Angels) as pitchers, and Ian Desmond ($4,900 @ Minnesota) on the hitting end.

Mike Gianella

Top pitcher: Julio Teheran ($7,100 vs Miami) The Marlins offense has been good this year – and there are certainly softer match-ups tonight – but Teheran has pitched like an ace the last few weeks and is priced like a second-tier pitcher. He is one of the 10 best pitchers in baseball by Baseball Prospectus’ WARP. Even if he doesn’t throw another gem, I’ll take the bargain.

Top Hitter: David Ortiz ($6,700 vs Angels) Jhoulys Chacin has struggled away from Anaheim. A Red Sox stack with Ortiz front and center is just what the DFS doctor ordered this evening.

Stephania Bell

My fave picks:

Johnny Cueto ($9,000 @ Arizona) Last outing was an aberration

Michael Fulmer ($6,900 @ Tampa Bay) He’s been a great find this last month (June) and last outing was explained by his dehydration

Mike Trout ($6,700 @ Boston) Captain Obvious, I know. But he’s been on a hot streak even by the standards he sets.

I need a solid outing tonight. Counting on my band of misfits here.

Scott Swanay

Pitcher: Nathan Eovaldi ($6,600 @ San Diego) On a night devoid of appealing high-end options I’ll cast my lot with Eovaldi. He won’t be pitching at the All-Star game later this month in San Diego, but maybe the mystique and aura of Petco Park will inspire him to pitch like an All-Star for just one night.

Hitter: Mark Trumbo ($5,600 @ Seattle) I’m streaming A’s and O’s tonight, banking on some early holiday weekend fireworks, and hoping my luck will be better than Matt Davidson’s (and Jason Pierre Paul’s).

FAAB Notes From Mastersball and Baseball Prospectus for June 27!

Lord Zola and company post on Tout AL, NL, Mixed Auction, Mixed Draft, and Head 2 Head at Mastersball.com.

Mike Gianella’s Expert FAAB Review appears at Baseball Prospectus and covers Tout AL, NL, and includes mixed prices. He also sometimes riffs.

Mike Gianella Romps, Doesn’t Quite Make Finals in Tout Daily!

Week 4 of each Tout Daily by RTSports.com period is all about the finals. Who made it? Who fell short?

Mike Gianella made a run for it, with an 84.66 point week, finishing solidly ahead of Ray Murphy and Chris Liss, but wasn’t quite able to close the gap. He finished fourth overall for the period.

Golden Tickets to the August 26th Tout Daily Finals go to Tristan Cockcroft, the three week leader, Rick Wolf, who finished first in Week 1, and Tim Heaney, who held on after tying Wolf in Week 1 and winning Week 2 all on his own. Wolf and Heaney were Top 10 finishers in Week 4, and they needed it.

Screenshot 2016-06-25 08.43.49 — Click for a larger version.

Gianella rostered two of the game’s best pitchers, Max Scherzer and Danny Salazar, but it was outsized hitting from Jean Segura, Cheslor Cuthbert, Wil Myers, and Yasmany Tomas that carried him to victory.

Scherzer got the strikeouts against a Milwaukee team that produces strong winds by the lake, but wasn’t able to produce a victory.

Salazar was staked a nice lead against Detroit, but his command issues ran up his pitch count and cut his stint short. He took home a Win but struck out only three.

Other Top 10 pitchers on the week: Jake Peavy (13), Aaron Sanchez (8), Zach Davies (11), Jameson Taillon (2), Scherzer (11), Masahiro Tanaka (14), David Price (-2.67), Steven Matz (-1.67).

Scherzer was rostered by 80 percent of RTSports.com’s teams last night.

While the pitchers struggled, the hitters feasted. Other 10+ point earners were Willson Contreras (10), Melvin Upton (15), Jacob Lamb (10), James Loney (13), and Matt Joycer (11).

Yasmany Thomas’s 18 points was the big score of the night. The Cubs catcher Willson Contreras was rostered on 25 percent of teams and scored 10 points. The Diamondbacks Phillip Gosselin was rostered by 36 percent of teams and scored no points, going 0-5.

The Touts will gather next Friday for the start of Period 4 of Tout Daily by RTSports.com, the fourth of five four-week contests to distribute 15 tickets to the finals.

In addition to Cockcroft, Wolf, and Heaney, tickets have already gone to Jason Collette, Jeff Erickson, Brian Walton, Patrick Davitt, Rob Leibowitz, and Patrick Mayo.

You can follow all the action on Friday nights at RTSports.com. Use the same link all week long to play for prizes or fun.

The complete leaderboard is here. Next week we start over.

Period 3: Down to Wire Catching Tristan Cockcroft Edition!

Check out the leaderboard here.

There is one night of picks left, and Tristan Cockcroft has a 14.33 point lead over Tim Heaney, and 20.33 points over Phil Hertz (with a 20.34 lead over Howard Bender) in Tout Daily Period 3 by RTSports.com.

You can follow the night’s contest at RTSports.com. Use the link to join a league for prizes ($$$) or fun (free)!

As usual, some of the Touts have sent in their favorite picks for tonight. Here’s who they’re buying:

Phil Hertz

Recommending Aaron Sanchez ($7,000 @ Chicago White Sox) against the slumping White Sox. For hitting Paul Goldschmidt ($6,800 @ Colorado) is expensive, but he’s been hot and he’s playing at Coors.

Brian Walton

The reeling Mariners have the Cardinals coming to town, fresh off sweeping the Cubs at Wrigley. On Friday at Safeco, St. Louis’ best pitcher this season, Carlos Martinez ($8,100 @ Seattle), will take the mound. The 23-year-old has been especially good lately, having allowed just four runs in his last four starts (29 1/3 innings) for a 1.23 ERA to go with 24 strikeouts.

I am staying with St. Louis for my hitter. Perhaps baseball’s most underrated star, Matt Carpenter ($5,400 @ Seattle), is leading MLB in June on-base percentage at .514, and his .375 BA isn’t bad, either. I don’t see M’s starter Wade LeBlanc slowing the red-hot third baseman down. (As a side point, Carpenter is also now second base-eligible in many full-season leagues.)

Lawr Michaels

I am trying to exploit the lower end pitching to pick up some points, and Steven Matz ($7800 @ Atlanta) facing the Braves—no matter how hot they have been–coupled with Aaron Sanchez ($7,000 @ Chicago White Sox) facing the Pale Hose, coupled are my chosen path.

As for hitters, a pair of pinstripes—Carlos Beltran ($4500 vs Minnesota) and Didi Gregarious ($3600 vs Minnesota)—facing the Twins and lefty Tom Millone seem like great plays.

Scott Swanay

Aaron Sanchez ($7,000 @ Chicago White Sox) The end is near (at least for his days as a starting pitcher)! He’s been a revelation—experience the rapture before it’s too late!

Socrates Brito ($3,800 @ Colorado) Stacking hitters for a potential Coors Field slugfest is always a sound philosophy.

Charlie Wiegert

Steven Matz ($7800 @ Atlanta) Going against the grain with this pick as the two teams are going in opposite directions, but hoping Matz gets 8-10 k’s and the Mets can score so he can get a W.

As for hitters, stacking Nick Hundley ($3,900 vs Arizona) and Nolan Arenado ($6,800 vs Arizona) at Coors.

Mike Gianella

Max Scherzer ($9,800 @ Milwaukee) He burned many of us the last time he started on a Friday (May 27, against the Cardinals), but his high strikeout potential facing off against a Brewers lineup with the third-highest strikeout percentage in the majors is simply too much to pass up this week.

Jay Bruce ($5,300 vs San Diego) Bruce is a reliable stand by for me in DFS when I’m spending heavily on the pitching side. Bruce faces Colin Rea, who has a .470 SLG against away from Petco.

Jeff Boggis

Max Scherzer ($9,800 @ Milwaukee) By no surprise, Max Scherzer is the highest salaried pitcher in tonight’s contest at $9,800. He has a good matchup tonight as he goes on the road to face the Milwaukee Brewers. Over the past 4 starts, Scherzer has rewarded DFS managers who have paid up to roster him. For his 4 starts in June, Scherzer has 28 innings pitched, 3 wins, 4 earned runs, a K/BB ratio of 38/3, an ERA of 0.96 and a WHIP of 0.675. That’s money in the DFS bank.

Charlie Blackmon ($6,400 vs. Arizona) Over the past 14 days, Blackmon is hitting .288 with 12 runs scored, 4 home runs, 7 RBIs, and 2 stolen bases. He is at home tonight and faces left-handed pitcher Archie Bradly of Arizona, who owns a season ERA of 4.83. Charlie Blackmon has at least 2 hits per game in his last 4 games played.

Derek VanRiper

Peter O’Brien ($2,500 @ Colorado) It’s amazing that he’s tucked away as a catcher at this price, facing a lefty, and at Coors no less. While it’s extremely chalky, sometimes chalk is necessary.

Thanks to POB pricing, Max Scherzer ($9,800 @ Milwaukee) is much more reasonable as the most expensive pitcher on the board. Many of the top arms are on the road tonight, but the Brewers’ team K percentage is always appealing and the 7.5 O/U makes that matchup one of the lowest on the board in what figures to be a big run-scoring night around the league. I’d rather pay the extra money for Scherzer to get the max ceiling arm than try to navigate the other options in the top price tier.

Gene McCaffrey

Max Scherzer ($9,800 @ Milwaukee) against the Brewers should be a 10-K outing. Carlos Gonzalez ($6,500 vs Arizona) is expensive but worth it. Both are chalk picks but no sense losing to everyone. Beat them somewhere else. UPDATE: Cargo is out Friday night with a sprained wrist.

Tim Heaney

Max Scherzer ($9,800 @ Milwaukee) Going into today’s action, Milwaukee leads all teams with 506 K’s against right-handed pitching. That will send Mad Max charging down Fury Road.

Willson Contreras, ($2,400 @ Miami) Here’s hoping for a repeat of last week’s Peter O’Brien selection, with another underpriced big bat who qualifies at catcher but may not necessarily play there.

Jeff Erickson

Jameson Taillon ($4,800 vs LA Dodgers). I suspect at $4,800 he’ll be heavily owned, yet using him opens up the door to use one of the aces going tonight *and* pay up for a couple of elite hitters.

I’m going with cheap AZ hitters in Coors—Peter O’Brien ($2,500 @ Colorado), who should be roughly 98 percent owned with his price at catcher, and Phil Gosselin ($2,100 @ Colorado)—and then pay up for Encarnacion + Donaldson against LHP Carlos Rodon in Chicago.

The Tout Wars FAAB Reports for June 20!

Mastersball has commentary about five leagues, plus Todd Zola’s wisdom about each.

Mike Gianella has wisdom about Tout AL and NL FAAB moves for the week, and dabbles in the mixed player pool via the LABR pickups.

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