So, Texas puts up a major league record 30 runs in a game AND Garret Anderson goes off for 10 RBI in a game. One day apart?!
Huh, you don't say?
I see those stats and what do I do? Well, I head straight to my fantasy scoreboard to make sure I'm not playing against any of those guys. That's what I do.
Because, just like a hurricane in Legoland, those kind of stats can wreak all KINDS of havoc. Depending on what kind of league you're in, it can ruin seasons.
No joke.
In my head-to-head league, I'm battling for the last playoff spot right now, and I have two weeks to get there. I just happen to be playing against Texas second baseman Ian Kinsler. Luckily, he ONLY went 3-for-7 on me, but he scored three times and drove in two. I felt compelled to pray to God and say a couple dozen Hail Marys. And I'm not even Catholic.
Fortunately for me, I think I was one of the lucky ones.
Several of you out there may very well be facing off against Jarrod Saltalamacchia (4-for-6, 5 runs, 7 RBI) this week. Obviously, that would not be good. There are only so many categories you can win in a week, and you just took a major hit in three of them (RBI, runs and average).
Or perhaps you started Daniel Cabrera (5 IP, 9 hits, BB, 6 ER). That would kill you, too. Your ERA is immediately over 9.00, and your WHIP took an even bigger hit.
The average numbers of RBI and runs a team in my league scores each week is about 25. With one player in one game, I've already had to deal with a quarter of that total. That's some serious ground I'll have to make up. The same goes for the ERA and WHIP. One pitcher can ruin an entire week sometimes, and I don't have that kind of time if I'm to make up enough ground to make the playoffs.
And don't even get me started on Garret Anderson. Two home runs (one was a grand slam), two doubles, three runs scored and 10 ribbies. That's the stuff of legends. If you had him on your team, you're a genius, and you probably already locked up your RBI category by Tuesday night.
Hence, against the wrong player at the wrong time, ONE game or ONE player could very well have cost me some serious coin. Just consider yourselves fortunate this happened courtesy of a bunch of no-names in a usually terrible Rangers lineup and an aging, oft-injured outfielder who is still available on many of your waiver wired out there. If this came at the hands of the Yankees, Brewers, Phillies, Mets or Red Sox, there would likely be some serious carnage to sift through.
In a roto-style league, however, it's not quite as crushing. But it still stings a bit. How can't it? Getting that kind of production out of a lesser player - like any of the four I named before - is a big boost no matter how you slice it.
See, I bet one outburst like the Rangers' or like Anderson's can single-handedly make up two or three games in a head-to-head league. However, it probably does no more than give you an extra point or two in roto leagues, which reward owners for 162-game consistency moreso than record-setting nights at the dish.
In the end, making up ground in fantasy leagues is a heck of a lot easier to do in the weekly head-to-head scenario than it is in a season-long roto league. Especially this late in the year. It's science.
