Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the August 6th edition of Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox.

Discussing baseball is as fun as the game itself. It has a way of bringing people together to share different opinions about the sport we all love. A similar action can be done with fantasy baseball where we not only discuss topics but also look to improve our teams as well as the teams of our fellow fantasy baseball enthusiasts. Everyone has their own perspectives which are not to be cast off as frivolous. They should be used as a method of expanding our own knowledge.

In this article, I review the previous day's boxscores and provide my opinion on a variety of topics. Some will be random, some will be fun, and some will be stat-driven. It's a soapbox so I may rant from time to time as well. So without any further delay, below are my thoughts on August 5th games. Enjoy them. You can even respond with your own thoughts on Twitter @EllisCan2.

Daily Musings

• Aaron Judge is a maniac...maniac at the plate (seven honers). And he’s swinging like he’s never swung before. (How many actually shimmied with the music in your head?)
• Aaron Nola dominates (6 IP, 1 ER, 12 K). Baton Rouge love. LSU pride!!!
• You want to build the fanbase, of a player and the game. On First w/Pete Alonso is how you do it right. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sEEvzSgr8o&feature=youtu.be
• For those keeping score at home, Kyle Tucker homers off a lefty.
• Just like he drew it up in the sandlot. Bottom of the ninth, two outs, one on base, and Josh Bell steps to the place. Home Run!!! The crowd goes wild as he revels in the glory as he rounds the bases. **Should we tell him they’re still losing and that there’s no crowd?**
• You’re telling me Corey Seager is underperforming his xwOBA (.627). I love it!
• Billy Hamilton. I don’t care that your hitting is subpar. We gotta respect your 300th stolen bases.
• He was really putting the Porsche (7 IP, 1 ER, 4 K) in Rick Porcello last night. *Huh?! It’s not pronounced that way?* It does sound very exotic though, doesn’t it?
• You know those people that freely give out their ride tickets because they’re leaving the park? J.A. Happ is that guy. Six free passes. So kind.
• “Don’t draft Mike Trout. His wife is having a baby & he will likely opt out.” Four homers later…and counting.
• Gardy Party! Brett Gardner with three shots of high society for everyone.
• J.T. Realmuto hooks it around the pole. (second HR). His owners celebrate 45th ADP. Gary Sanchez owners wonder if 0 HR, .074 AVG was worth 75 ADP. SURVEY SAYS…..
• 78% of people still own Robbie Ray. Enjoy that 6 H, 6 ER, 6 K Win vs HOU. Uh oh. 666. @COL next. DO NOT START!
• That’s exactly why you got the second round love. Bryce Harper w/ combo meal (second HR, first SB) **Hey, that doesn’t count. It was two different games.
• Luke Voit playing with fireworks again. Fourth rocket set off. 108.4 MPH exit velo.
• Both games are at Camden Yards. Why are we saying one was a home game for Marlins & one was home game for O’s?! Ridiculous.
• Marlins (5-1) sit atop NL East. Fix your face. Who else did you think would be leading?
• Pregame, Ryan Yarbrough jamming to ‘I Got Five On It’. Subsequently...5 IP, 5 ER, 5 K. My man. I don’t think that’s what it means.
• Young man’s game. Alex Verdugo (first HR) & Chavis (second HR) expressing their vitality.
• Andrew Benintendi & Christian Yelich forced to sit (hopefully not in the corner) to reflect on their performance.
• Send some love to Trevor Williams. He contained the Twins offense (7 IP, 1 ER, 5 K)
• Handlebar Randy Dobnak feeling a little randy after his second win. I guess he always is. My eight shares appreciate it.
• Playing HR Chicken, they both waited as long as they could until smashing long balls. Max Kepler (four) succumbs first, then Bell (two).
• Your generosity, Mike Clevinger (5 BB), is unparalleled. It’s still a big ‘ol W.
• ATL continued their wind turbine powered ways at home vs. southpaws 35%). Hyun-Jin Ryu w/ eight K and a win.
• Willson Contreras is not breaking any sound barriers, but his 27.7 ft/sec sprint speed gets his first SB. Great from the catcher spot.
• Isiah Kiner-Falefa giving you three SB though. Even better.
• Yu Darvish (second W), you’re a champ & was a steal on draft day.
• 46-degree homer?! Brandon Belt gets it up into the wind for his first homer.
• Three-straight, and counting. Nolan Arenado shoots one 395 feet.
• Kole Calhoun running like his hair was on fire. Someone check his sprint speed now. Lance McCullers not happy about giving up a little-league homer.
• I love it when young men find success as rookies. Good job, Andres Gimenez (.320 AVG, two SB)
• Get Your Stole Bases HERE! Max Stassi allowed four. He did HR, though.
• A’s fans…Do you feel the breeze? No, it’s not a hurricane, just Joey Gallo’s 4 Ks.
• Matt Olson smacks two long balls. Pause the video and you can see that mustache smile.
• Kyle Gibson (6 IP, 3 ER, 9 K) gently gives his precious Win to the bullpen. They receive it and….SMASH!!
• Fantasy owners looking defeated. Why do we even try? McCullers (3 IP, 8 ER)
• Shohei Ohtani returns to the lineup today, supposedly. Get ready for an offensive explosion. 75% owned in yahoo. What leagues are you in?
• Cliff notes: There were homers in AZ, many of them.
• Fernando Tatis has options, it’s either Panera Bread or Atlanta Bread company. Either way, it’s a Pick Two (fourth HR, fourth SB).
• Trent Grisham novel cont: Beau and Josephine sit down for the evening to watch a little tv. The baseball game is on rain delay. It provided Beau with an opportunity to tell Josephine (again) about his days as a ballplayer. He wasn’t the fastest player on the field, but he could steal a base..or three.
• Max Scherzer - It’s ok. He just tweaked his hamstring.
• To celebrate the Uber driver, Handlebar Randy, here’s the best GB%:
  • Adrian Houser 74.1%
  • Randy Dobnak 68.2%
  • Alex Cobb 67.5%
  • Ivan Nova 61.1%
  • Luis Castillo 59.4%
  • Max Scherzer 59.3%
  • Dallas Keuchel 56.9%
  • Max Fried 56.8%
  • Lance McCullers Jr. 55.6%
  • Zack Wheeler 55.3%
  • Erick Fedde 55%
  • Alec Mills 54.3%
  • Dustin May 54.1%
  • Kyle Gibson 53.6%
  • Sandy Alcantara 53.3%
  • Sonny Gray 52.9%
  • Shane Bieber 52.5%
  • Chris Paddack 51.1%
  • Sean Manaea 50%
• Endgame
  • Seth Lugo (2). Two-inning SV. Diaz pitched well the day before.
  • Hector Neris (1) One-out SV.
  • Zach Britton (5). I hope you handcuffed Chapman.
  • Brandon Kintzler (2).
  • Stephen Tarpley (1).
  • Carl Edwards Jr. (1). Is he the man 29.4 K-BB%
  • Brandon Workman put in some…work. Nearly clean inning (1 BB, 3 K).
  • Brad Hand (4). He got by with a little help from his friend in black.
  • Anthony Bass (2).
  • Josh Hader (2).
  • Trevor Gott (3)
  • Joakim Soria (2). 1.2 IP, 3 K. Next in line. 7% owned.
  • Kenley Jansen (4). Wasn’t clean but it got the job done. No worries.
• Have a great Thursday. We all deal w/ stress: hurricane, fantasy, life, work, and relationships. As with most struggles, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep it moving. You'll be ok. You have friends out there that will help you. Just reach out.
• No Fear, Just Fantasy.
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