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Fri Sep 04, 2009 5:14 pm EDT

Weekly Rundown: Ubaldo Jimenez double dips

By Andy Behrens

Look, this is most definitely NOT the Sacagawea of fantasy primers. It's more like the George Donner. The long weekend has wrecked our normally reliable schedule. Evans isn't available for Weekly Rundown duty and Pianowski (dizziness, dead arm) can't close tonight. Thus I'm hitting you early with a review of potential two-start pitchers for the week ahead. Later in the weekend we'll sweep the diamond, looking for scraps. 

http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_fantasy_experts__17/ept_sports_fantasy_experts-758475759-1252087983.jpg?ymwyu1BDEN9awxW3

If you're at all curious about Ubaldo Jimenez's(notes) value, just listen to broken closer Huston Street(notes) as he discusses the 25-year-old right-hander:

"Every time he takes the mound, our team expects to win. That, to me, is the sign of a true ace."

Street will get no argument from the fantasy community. Jimenez is a must-watch starter with triple-digit heat. He somehow has better numbers at Coors Field than he has on the road. He's not going to win the Cy Young this year, but he belongs on the ballot. The Rockies currently sit atop the National League wild card standings, one game ahead of the Giants, and Jimenez has put them there. He's 6-1 since August 1 and his ERA is down to 3.28. 

Jimenez is going to win twice next week. He's scheduled to beat Cincinnati on Monday, then he'll travel to PETCO to shame the Padres on Saturday. His rest-of-season schedule works, too: at Arizona in Week 24; vs. San Diego, vs. Milwaukee, at Los Angeles (as needed) in Week 25. It's not like you can run out and add Jimenez – he's 97 percent owned in PLUS leagues – but you need to fear him down the stretch. He tops the list of two-starters in Week 23.

http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_fantasy_experts__17/ept_sports_fantasy_experts-338792279-1252092521.jpg?ymp5v1BDbhZBnKsM

The discard pile: Justin Lehr(notes) (at COL, at CHC), Garrett Mock(notes) (vs. PHI, at FLA), Brian Moehler(notes) (vs. PHI, vs. PIT), Tim Redding(notes) (vs. FLA, at PHI), Felipe Paulino(notes) (vs. ATL, vs. PIT), Pat Misch(notes) (vs. FLA, at PHI).

http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_fantasy_experts__17/ept_sports_fantasy_experts-360592315-1252092598.jpg?ym26v1BDbC0bYW52

Just…no: Carlos Carrasco(notes) (vs. TEX, vs. KC), Brian Bannister(notes) (vs. DET, at CLE), Andy Sonnanstine(notes) (at NYY, at BOS).

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Photo via US Presswire

Related: Weekly Rundown, Fantasy Baseball

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43 Comments

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  1. million_dollar_sleeper
    1. Posted by million_dollar_sleeper Fri Sep 04, 2009 5:25 pm EDT

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    nice. lewis n clark suck anyway. so youre saying (if you had to) youd eat David Bush or Kyle Davies first? i couldnt get a dude to trade me Ubaldo for Nelson Cruz.... i want him
  2. Jared
    2. Posted by Jared Fri Sep 04, 2009 5:30 pm EDT

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    Damn you Behrens you didnt put me in a football league!! Haha
  3. Jared
    3. Posted by Jared Fri Sep 04, 2009 5:30 pm EDT

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    Damn you Behrens you didnt put me in a football league!! Haha
  4. Diz
    4. Posted by Diz Fri Sep 04, 2009 5:34 pm EDT

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    My Rays either make it or break it this week!
  5. matt
    5. Posted by matt Fri Sep 04, 2009 5:44 pm EDT

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    Jiminez/Johnson, the 2 NL Cy Young Dark Horses
  6. BigBad
    6. Posted by BigBad Fri Sep 04, 2009 6:34 pm EDT

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    MDS, 11 minute response time? WOW. I love my fantasy sports, but seek help man. You dont even get paid to do this. Do you constantly refresh your page until you see an article pop up so you can post some nonsense further proving that you have no life? Or are you just obsessed with Behrens? GO OUTSIDE! There is a whole world out there man. Bring your sunblock though.
    P.S. Your website sucks, and your rankings do too. Get a job.
  7. Reflex
    7. Posted by Reflex Fri Sep 04, 2009 6:38 pm EDT

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    MDS - Didn't you call out Ubaldo as a pitcher to avoid back at the beginning of the season? I seem to recall him on your list. No easy way to search posts here, I'd love to look at your reccomendations at the beginning of the season and see how they panned out.
    Love your writing style though, not dissing, just curious how you compare to the 'experts' on Yahoo.
  8. dre
    8. Posted by dre Fri Sep 04, 2009 6:44 pm EDT

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    pedro martinez is my daddy
  9. A Gels
    9. Posted by A Gels Fri Sep 04, 2009 7:25 pm EDT

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    MDS, I love the blog. I actually read all the artcles on there Keep up the work man. Can I get re linked though i lost it :(
  10. A Gels
    10. Posted by A Gels Fri Sep 04, 2009 7:29 pm EDT

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    MDS, I love the blog. I actually read all the artcles on there Keep up the work man. Can I get re linked though i lost it :(
  11. A Gels
    11. Posted by A Gels Fri Sep 04, 2009 7:29 pm EDT

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    Double post!!!!!!!!!!!! noooooooooooooooooooo
  12. Rob
    12. Posted by Rob Fri Sep 04, 2009 8:10 pm EDT

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    P-Mart should be in the bottom 5.
  13. million_dollar_sleeper
    13. Posted by million_dollar_sleeper Fri Sep 04, 2009 8:18 pm EDT

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    those rankings arent for the little tiny leagues you play in bigbad. its called a blackberry. how much do you get paid to keep track of me? and when exactly did you become obsessed?
    ubaldo has made a believer out of mds, you have a good memory reflex. the walks were the issue. now that i look closer he seemed to be walking ppl on the road... he pulled an erving santana on us
    youll have to go back to the 9U article, i cant plug myself like the statsonstats spammer
  14. Reflex
    14. Posted by Reflex Fri Sep 04, 2009 8:29 pm EDT

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    Well your posts stood out, so I was paying attention. I play in a 12 team keeper and was sitting on him, so I noticed when you called him out and have paid close attention to his peripherals this season. I certainly understood the skepticism, the walks were out of control, but this season he's significantly reduced his pitch count due to the lack of walks, which has me less concerned about him based on your initial stated issue: You pointed out that he had gone up a massive number of innings year over year, and likely would do so again, which made him a strong break down candidate.
    Thats still a possiblity, of course, pitchers always carry that risk, but with his drastically improved efficiency I think he stands a fair shot of avoiding a major problem.
    Wish I could find that post again, was a pretty good analysis overall. Hopefully you post that kind of info on your blog next season, I don't play football so won't get to enjoy the world according to MDS for months. BTW, enable commenting on your blog, I'd love to debate the best stats for a custom league with you sometime.
  15. Sir Baron Von Bagglesworth
    15. Posted by Sir Baron Von Bagglesworth Fri Sep 04, 2009 8:53 pm EDT

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    Are we sure Correia is a two-starter? They don't play on Thursday.
  16. John P
    16. Posted by John P Fri Sep 04, 2009 8:58 pm EDT

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    the world according to MDS? You have a BLOG??? I need me one of those...I'd like to bouce some ideas off of you too...
    Anyways, here are some side notes on the top of my head.
    1. What the hell is with Alfredo Aceves (10-1)??? ROY candidate? Hey, if Brad Ziegler was one last year....damn Yankees.
    2. Is Nyjer Morgan still gonna get ABs at some point, or was that just a dream I had?? Nationals will be so much better in 2010 if they pick up FA pitchers. Aroldis Chapman's on the top of my hit list.
    3. Since when was Dustin Nippert...you know....decent?? This isn't Nolan Ryan's work, is it?
    4. Where the hell has Ben Sheets gone this year?? I can think of 10 teams off the top of my head that desperately needed him this year. And if Brad Penny is still employed, why isn't Sheets?
    5. MDS-- I'd eat David Bush. I'm sure the reference there is clear.
  17. tupark82
    17. Posted by tupark82 Fri Sep 04, 2009 9:27 pm EDT

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    Now Pedro has your attention? I picked him up the moment i heard he was signed. Aside from a couple of his starts ruined by rain, I couldn't be happier. Pedro should not be available in any league at this point. It's pretty obvious that everyone including just about every major league team wrongfully overlooked him.
  18. tupark82
    18. Posted by tupark82 Fri Sep 04, 2009 9:28 pm EDT

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    Now Pedro has your attention? I picked him up the moment i heard he was signed. Aside from a couple of his starts ruined by rain, I couldn't be happier. Pedro should not be available in any league at this point. It's pretty obvious that everyone including just about every major league team wrongfully overlooked him.
  19. Billy Bean
    19. Posted by Billy Bean Fri Sep 04, 2009 9:40 pm EDT

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    I have a blackberry. I also have self-respect unlike some idiots who live in their mom's basement.
  20. Luigi
    20. Posted by Luigi Fri Sep 04, 2009 10:40 pm EDT

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    Jimenez is one of the players I made sure to draft in every league. His Yahoo O-Rank (in the mid 200s) was ridiculous.
  21. german_bum
    21. Posted by german_bum Sat Sep 05, 2009 12:12 am EDT

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    Pedro's 9k against Lincecum? you mean against "the Giants and their formidable line up of power hitters" (sarcasm)... sorry, that did not get my attention
  22. Max
    22. Posted by Max Sat Sep 05, 2009 12:50 am EDT

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    three bullet points:
    1. pedro is still nasty. period.
    2. MDS does indeed need a job. it's unreal how you're always top 10 to comment on every post. i'd like to be invited into one of these expert leagues to compete against you guys though. if i talk enough trash will you invite me in to try and beat me?
    3. JP Howell needs to stop doing his best brad lidge impersonation
  23. Max
    23. Posted by Max Sat Sep 05, 2009 12:55 am EDT

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    and to the guy that pointed out aceves...it's unreal. i can't EVER remember seeing a middle reliever go 10-1. there's a lot of luck there, it seems like he can get pounded and still avoid the loss/vulture a win, but he's been great for us in real life...wouldn't count on him for fantasy though. i don't see him winning 10 of his next 11 decisions
  24. Max
    24. Posted by Max Sat Sep 05, 2009 12:56 am EDT

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    and to the guy that pointed out aceves...it's unreal. i can't EVER remember seeing a middle reliever go 10-1. there's a lot of luck there, it seems like he can get pounded and still avoid the loss/vulture a win, but he's been great for us in real life...wouldn't count on him for fantasy though. i don't see him winning 10 of his next 11 decisions
  25. mattevilspawn
    25. Posted by mattevilspawn Sat Sep 05, 2009 1:59 am EDT

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    Luigi @ 20:
    I completely agree! Ubaldo's 2009 draft-day ranking was absurd. Say goodbye to those days! Looks like this kid will be an ace for years to come. Colorado's done a superb job of developing his talent and keeping his IPs/pitch-counts in check. I've always been a ginormous Ubaldo fan. Does anyone have a better two-seamer?
    On a related note, here's a discussion topic:
    With Lincecum's IPs, and more importantly his pitch-counts, really piling up, do you think he'll be next year's Cole Hamels? The pitch-counts have been worrisome lately. If the Giants make the post-season, Lincecum is going to be quite a dilemma for me come draft-day in 2011. The counter-argument is, "Well, C.C. Sabathia bounced back, so why can't Tim Lincecum?" That argument doesn't hold water with me, though. C.C. was a vet who'd built more arm-strength when he accumulated those insanely high IPs in 2007. I also put C.C. in the Iron Horse category, i.e., guys who are naturally durable. Nolan Ryan and Cal Ripkin are famous examples. Guys like C.C., Pujols, Adrian Gonzalez, and Juan Pierre (yes, that Juan Pierre - the same one that throws like a girl) are good present-day candidates. So... Will Lincecum's nine-billion pitches thrown in 2009 render him less effective in 2010? Or is he one of those naturally durable fellas who will breeze through and contend for another Cy Young? Let the discussion begin!
    John P @ 16:
    I asked the same Sheets-related question here a few months ago and found the answer myself. He's hurt. Out 'til at least mid-2010 (if memory serves).
    Behrens:
    Methinks you should compile your more entertaining Roto Arcade pix into an album. The crowd/foul-ball shot was a real work of art. Along with all the all the Manager/Closer love-hugs, it would make one heart-warming collection.
    BTW - Thanks for spotlighting Ubaldo!

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Roto Arcade is a fantasy sports blog edited by Andy Behrens. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

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