Fantasy Baseball: Thursday's Top Performers and Roto Roundup

Well, apparently they decided it was going to be nothing but offense in Atlanta today, because when I stopped watching the Braves-Reds game, it was 9-1. Apparently 9 was not enough, as Brooks Conrad finished the game with a walk-off grand slam and a 10-9 Braves victory. Lost in all of this were the performances of the two starting pitchers. Tommy Hanson only lasted 1 1/3 innings, giving up 8 earned runs and killing off any team that had him in a weekly matchup. Mike Leake pitched better, only allowing 6 baserunners and 1 earned run in 6 innings. However, that 9-3 lead that the Reds had built was not enough for their bullpen. Definitely one of the crazier games I have seen in a while.

My Thoughts from Yesterday's Games...

• Ubaldo Jimenez is good. Very good. He lowered his ERA below 1 yesterday in the victory, and from the parts I saw he looked as dominant as ever.
• Jose Bautista hit his 12th homer of the season yesterday, and at this point has become ownable in all formats. Even with the batting average concerns, he is eligible at 3B in most leagues, and is a solid play if you need power.
• Apparently being a late inning pitcher in the bullpen is a bit dangerous, as both the Blue Jays and Reds lost late on walk off hits. That marks at least 5 games this week I can remember where closers blew saves pretty spectacularly.
  
• The 5 pitch start of John Maine really looks unusual, as it appears that he was not happy with being pulled due to an injury. According to Sportscenter, manager Jerry Manuel pulled him because his velocity was down in the low 80s to start the game. I have to imagine that Jerry Manuel is probably next on the list of managers to get fired, whether it is fair or not.
  
• Interleague play starts today, with many teams playing their rivalry series. Remember to keep an eye if you have any DH only players, as many games are in NL cities this weekend.

Onto Thursday's Top Performers...

Hitters:

Pitchers: