Sarris Crushes Tout Wars Daily Field! Walton Takes Big Lead!

Screenshot 2016-08-13 10.13.58Eno Sarris got a monster game from Charlie Blackmon in Philadelphia (his three solo homers added up to 19 points on the night) and a solid game from Rajai Davis (his three steals were owned by just one percent of RTSports players), plus nice games from Dylan Bundy and Evan Longoria to lap all the Tout Daily by RTSports.com field except Todd Zola.

Zola finished six points behind Sarris, riding Yu Davish’s first 100+ pitch game since starting his recovery from TJ, Hanley Ramirez’s rout (two homers, six RBI) and Longoria’s nice game, plus solid contributions from Stephen Vogt, Jabari Blash, and Billy Hamilton (3 steals on one hit, one walk, three strikeouts).

Derek VanRiper led the rest of the pack, 13 points behind Sarris, with Brian Walton in fourth. Walton’s strong finish vaulted him to the top of the Period 3 standings, 19 points ahead of second place Steve Moyer.

Moyer’s lead after period two was erased following his weak performance in week 3 (Christian Yelich, for example, was 0-4 with four strikeouts), and he is now in a dogfight with VanRiper and Sarris for the final two golden tickets to the finals, about 15 points ahead of the next pack of contenders led by Zola, Adam Ronis, Jake Ciely and Lawr Michaels.

Ronis (fourth) and Ciely (sixth) have the most total points in the Tout Daily series in 2016, without earning a ticket to the finals. Next Friday’s contest is their last chance this year. Before the season Ciely was a strong advocate for giving the highest scoring team to not earn a ticket a ticket into the finals. What did he know then?

Walton and Zola are the only contenders who already have tickets to the finals.

See the complete leaderboard here.

Join us next Friday for the final week of the final period of Tout Daily by RTSports.com.

And join us August 26th, when 15 teams compete for the title of Tout Daily 2016 Champion!

Tout Daily Tonight! Third week of final period kicks off at 7pm!

Steve Moyer and Brian Walton have big leads going into the third week, but one stumble can erase those. Jake Ciely, Lawr Michales, Derek Van Riper, Adam Ronis, Scott Pianowski, Jeff Erickson, Jason Collette and Rob Leibowitz trail them, right now competing for the final ticket to the Tout Daily Finals on August 26th.

You can watch all the action at rtsports.com/tout-wars. Or play along for cash prizes or fun, just follow the link to get set up.

Of those competing for the final tickets, Brian Walton, Jeff Erickson and Rob Leibowitz already have tickets. Jeff Erickson already has two tickets!

Adam Ronis has the third highest point total for the season, but doesn’t not yet have a ticket to the finals.

We asked the Touts for their best picks in tonight’s games. Here’s what they told us:

PHIL HERTZ

Favorite Pitcher: Stephen Strasburg ($9,200 vs. Atlanta). Favorite Hitter: Neil Walker ($4,200 vs San Diego).

BRIAN WALTON

Yordano Ventura ($7,100 @ Minnesota) may not excite, but the Royals right-hander has allowed three runs or less in each of his last six starts while averaging almost 10 points per outing. On Friday evening, Ventura draws the last-place Twins, 23 games under .500 and coming off three straight losses during which they were outscored 32-14.

Neil Walker ($4,200 vs San Diego) is working on a nine-game hitting streak during which the Mets’ second baseman is 17-for-37 (.459), including three home runs and six RBI.  He will take on Paul Clemens of San Diego this evening.

LAWR MICHAELS

Going high and low with my pitching, riding David Price ($9,200 vs Arizona) and then Jonathan Gray ($6,000 @ Philadelphia), hoping both can twirl away from home.

For hitters I like Ryon Healy ($2,800 vs Seattle) on the low end facing newbie Southpaw Ariel Miranda, and Michael Saunders ($5,100 vs Houston) facing Joe Musgrove.

JEFF BOGGIS

I’m just playing the role of spoiler and need a DFS miracle tonight, so I am going to go with SP Joe Musgrove ($4,000 @ Toronto). He faced Toronto on August 2nd a and struck out 8 betters in only 4.1 innings pitched. For my top hitter, I am also going try to steal some DFS points with starting Billy Hamilton OF ($4,500 @ Milwaukee) for $4,500. If he gets on base and steals some bases, he’s good for 10-15 points. If he goes 0-4, then I will take the 0 DFS points for the night. High risk, high reward player.

HOWARD BENDER

Ross Stripling, SP ($4,400 vs. Pittsburgh) I love his ground ball rates, especially when he’s facing a team like the Pirates who have been mashing the ball in the dirt 49.2-percent of the time over the past week. On top of that, Pittsburgh has just a .292 wOBA which comes with a .095 ISO and 22.7-percent strikeout rate.

David Dahl ($4,600 @ Philadelpha) and Gerardo Parra ($4,500 @ Philadelphia) Stacking Rockies? Come on! How cheap can you get? Well, they’re not in Colorado tonight so the prices are a bit more reasonable. With Dahl and Parra batting fourth and fifth in the lineup tonight against Jake Thompson, I’m looking for a whole lot of BOOM and hopefully very little bust. Thompson’s MLB experience isn’t extensive but when I see lefties posting a .484 wOBA against him, I’m willing to overlook the sample size.

[We’ll update later if more picks come in. Good luck tonight!]

 

 

August 8 Tout FAABaganza Commentaries.

The big trading-deadline FAAB bids have been made. Who are the winners? Who are the losers?

Mastersball has all the action here.

George Bissell of Baseball Prospectus takes on Tout AL and NL, plus LABR mixed, with his commentary here.

Tout Daily P5 W2: Pianowski Says It Loud!

Scott Pianowski led the field in Week 2 of Period 5 of Tout Daily by RTSports.com, five points ahead of Brian Walton, who edged Week 1 winner Steve Moyer.

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Click to enlarge

He did it by rostering the day’s big pitchers, Stephen Wright, who was owned by just six-percent of teams, and a resurgent Justin Verlander, who was owned by a resounding 61 percent. The two combined for 39 points.

Second place Brian Walton paired Verlander and John Lester for 34 points, while Moyer continued the daisy chain, mixing Lester and Jameson Taillon (who pitched well, but didn’t win) for 28 points.

Pianowski’s offensive squad received significant contributions from newly-annointed Seattle catcher Mike Zunino, who hit a three-run homer, and Cubs outfielder Dexter Fowler, who also homered, but all his hitters contributed something to the win.

You can see the complete results at RTSports.com/tout-wars.

Halfway through the final tilt for the last golden ticket to the Tout Wars finals, Moyer and Walton have sizeable leads over Jake Ciely and Lawr Michaels.

Three tickets to the August 26 finals will be awarded to the Top 3 finishers in the fifth period.

View the entire leaderboard here.

Check in here at ToutWars.com next Friday, August 12, for a preview of the Week 3 contest and Tout picks.

And play every day for prizes (even New York residents!) and/or fun at RTSports.com.

 

 

The Second Week of the Final Period of Tout Daily is Tonight!

Steve Moyer looks to build on a 10 point lead, as the rest of the field–notably Chis Liss, Brian Walton and Derek VanRiper–looks to finish in the Top 3 in the Period’s four weeks of Tout Daily at RTSport.com.

Click the link to follow along with tonight’s action live, starting at 7:05 ET, see the final results, or get to the entry page, where you can play for prizes or fun!

In tonight’s contest the Touts like:

TIM HEANEY

OF Giancarlo Stanton ($5,700 @ Colorado): Chalk? Perhaps. But it’s at Coors Field, versus Jorge De La Rosa. Stanton boasts a .960 OPS against left-handed pitchers.

SP Anthony DeSclafani ($6,500 @ Pittsburgh).

PHIL HERTZ

I’ll go with rookie Jameson Taillon ($5,100 vs. Cincinnati) and veteran Nelson Cruz ($6,300 vs. LA Angels).

JEFF BOGGIS

Justin Verlander ($7,800 vs. NY Mets) Verlander is the fifth highest salary at $7,800 and is facing the highest salaried pitcher tonight in Noah Syndergaard at $9,500. I’ll save the $1,700 and invest it an SP2 or hitter. Verlander has allowed 2 earned runs or less in his last 6 starts. He has averaged 18 fantasy points per game in his last 4 outings.

Edwin Encarnacion ($6,700 @ Kansas City) As much as I would like to start Miguel Cabrera at first base tonight, his poor matchup against Noah Syndergaard concerns me enough to go with Edwin Encarnacion. Encarnacion faces Dillon Gee and his 4.66 ERA and 1.58 WHIP tonight. Encarnacion is batting .280 against right handed pitchers this season.

LAWR MICHAELS

I like King Felix Hernandez ($8,500 vs LA Angels) and Big Ervin Santana ($6,500 @ Tampa Bay) as pitchers and Adeiny Hechavarria ($3,000 @ Colorado) and Martin Prado ($3,600 @ Colorado) facing de la Rosa in the Rockies…

MIKE GIANELLA

Top Pitcher: Noah Syndergaard ($9,500 @ Detroit). The perception is that Syndergaard has slipped because of a bone spur in his elbow, but the ERA is still solid and his strikeout rate remains one of the highest in baseball. Most of the Tigers lineup has never faced Syndergaard, which should work to the big Norseman’s advantage

Top Hitter: Charlie Blackmon ($6,600 vs. Miami). The Rockies are facing converted reliever David Phelps at Coors. If you’re not using at least a couple of Rockies hitters tonight, it is to your detriment.

JEFF ERICKSON

Pitcher: Anthony DeSclafani ($6,500 @ Pittsburgh), going vs. Team Financial Flexibility. DeSclafani is averaging nearly 12 RT Daily points per start, so that makes him a pretty good bargain at $6,500.

Hitter: Aaron Altherr, ($3,500 vs. Philadelphia) and Christian Friedrich. Because someone besides Todd Zola has to use him!

Steve Moyer for the Win in Tout Daily by RTSports.com!

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Click to enlarge

He made it look easy. Steve Moyer cruised to a 10.33 point victory in Period 5 Week 1 of Tout Daily.

Moyer rostered both of the night’s best pitchers, Max Scherzer and Junior Guerra, and got explosive nights from Rougned Odor and Thomas Pham.

He’ll bring his big lead into next Friday’s Week 2 contest, vying for one of the three remaining available Golden Tickets.

The players trailing Moyer are Chris Liss, Brian Walton, Derek VanRiper, Peter Kreutzer, and Jake Ciely.

Other productive pitchers on the night were Tyler Chatwood, Jake Odorizzi and Jose Quintana.

Look for our weekly preview next Friday here at toutwars.com, and get the latest results and follow along at rtsports.com/tout-wars.

 

The Final Countdown For Tout Daily!

It’s Week 1 of Period 5 in Tout Wars Daily, by RTSports.com.

All the Touts start fresh, though 11 of them hold tickets to the August 26th Tout Daily Finals. Jeff Erickson has two tickets already, and is pursuing a third. Follow the action tonight at RTSportsc.om/tout-wars.

We asked the Touts who they were picking in tonight’s contest:

JEFF BOGGIS

I’m rolling with Jose Quintana ($7,800 @ Minnesota) at starting pitcher and Josh Donaldson ($6,800 vs. Baltimore) as my top hitter.

LAWR MICHAELS

I like Jose Quintana ($7,800 @ Minnesota) and Vincent Velasquez ($6,800 @ Atlanta) as starters. Well, I picked them and hope I like them in the morning.

As for hitters, Joey Votto ($6,500 @ San Diego) and Tucker Barnhart ($2,500 @ San Diego) going against Edwin Jackson.

CHARLIE WIEGERT

Top Pitchers..still trying to find a diamond in the rough, I’m going with Ivan Nova ($4,500 @ Tampa Bay). Hoping he’ll put up a good game for all the scouts that will be watching. Staying on the cheap, Kendall Graveman ($5,100 @ Cleveland) has been good his last three starts, hoping for one more at Cleveland.

Top Hitters…Riding some hot hands; Freddie Freeman ($5,500 vs. Philadelphia), Justin Turner ($4,200 vs. Arizona), Neil Walker ($4,200 vs. Colorado) and Aledmys Diaz ($4,300 @ Miami). And went big in the OF with Matt Kemp ($5,400 vs. Cincinnati), Mark Trumbo ($5,700 @ Toronto) and Andrew MuCutchen ($5,500 @ Milwaukee).

MIKE GIANELLA

Top Pitcher: Max Scherzer ($9,800 @ San Francisco) – After some bumps in the road earlier in the year, Scherzer has been a near-automatic points machine in DFS. There is a risk he doesn’t cash in on the win in a tough matchup in San Francisco, but he is worth the start anyway.

Top Hitter: Trevor Story ($5,900 @ NY Mets). Story’s pedestrian numbers on the road bury a significant split against left-handers and right-handers away from Coors. His match-up against Steven Matz looks very favorable for Story in this light, and while it is a high price to pay, Story is a strong play this evening.

SCOTT SWANAY

Pitcher: Vincent Velasquez ($6,800 @ Atlanta) – one of the few times all season the Phillies should be heavy favorites on the road; facing Atlanta will do that for you.

Hitter: Jay Bruce ($5,300 @ San Diego)– assuming he isn’t traded by game time, he’ll get to take batting practice against Edwin Jackson for at least a few innings.

BRIAN WALTON

Phillies starter Vincent Velasquez ($6,800 @ Atlanta) is a steal at just the 10th-most expensive pitcher. After averaging 13 points over his last five outings, the right-hander draws the power-free Braves Friday night and his mates should tee off on rookie Tyrell Jenkins.

I had been looking at Milwaukee shortstop Jonathan Villar’s ($4,700 vs. Pittsburgh) splits closely, as I just acquired the National League steals leader in NL LABR on Thursday. Villar has a stellar .910 OPS this season against lefties and draws one in Bucs’ rookie Steven Brault Friday night.

GENE McCAFFREY

Pitcher: Steven Matz ($7,800 vs. Colorado) at home against the Rox, who are better vs. righties.

Hitter: Tim Lincecum is begging to be hit, let Travis Shaw ($4,300 @ LA Angels) answer the call.

JEFF ERICKSON

Going with Mad Max Scherzer ($9,800 @ San Francisco) and Ivan Nova ($4,500 @ Tampa Bay), who’s been surprisingly capable lately and allows me to afford right-handed Red Sox, who get their turn to paste Tim Lincecum.