Top 1: Pedro Alvarez hit an RBI single to right against Tommy Hanson

Top 3: Alvarez grounded out against Hanson

Top 5: Alvarez struck out swinging against Hanson

Top 8: Alvarez struck out swinging against Jonny Venters

Top 10: Alvarez called out on strikes against George Sherill

Top 13: Alvarez out on sacrifice bunt against Christian Martinez

Top 15: Alvarez struck out swinging against Martinez

Top 17: Alvarez flew out to center against Scott Proctor

Final Line: 1-for-7, RBI, 4 K, 7 LOB

Notes: First off, I can’t believe there was only one sombrero is a 19-inning game.  I’d still take a 1-for-7 golden sombrero performance over Martin Prado’s 0-for-9 night.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 77

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Top 1: Drew Stubbs struck out swinging against Tommy Hanson

Top 3: Stubbs struck out swinging against Hanson

Top 5: Stubbs grounded out to shortstop against Hanson

Top 6: Stubbs flied out to right field against Scott Linebrink

Top 8: Stubbs called out on strikes against Scott Proctor

Top 9: Stubbs called out on strikes against Craig Kimbrel

Final Line: 0-for-6, 4 K

Notes: Stubbs’ 0-for-6 performance in the Reds’ 5-1 win over the Braves, might be the ugliest sombrero this season.  After fanning in his first two at-bats against Tommy Hanson, it looked like Stubbs might avoid a sombrero.  However, a two-run, ninth inning against Braves’ closer Craig Kimbrel gave Stubbs one final at-bat with two outs.  And as if it was meant to be, Stubbs struck out looking to put a sour note on a nice win by the Redlegs.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 32

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June 1, 2010

“With the one hundred fourth pick of the 2010 Denslow Cup Draft, the Capital City Corporate Towls select Ubaldo Jimenez, Starting Pitcher, Colorado Rockies.” These words (which would have been uttered by Denslow Cup commissioner Robbie Unsell had we done an in-person draft but were instead simply printed on a screen) have launched my Capital City Corporate Towls into the world of fantasy baseball relevance for the first time since the team’s championship run back in 2007.  And why not?  Jimenez this year has been the best pitcher in baseball and after two months, has to be the favorite to win the NL Cy Young in a league that includes Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum, whom Ubaldo just outdueled in his latest gem. The Rockies are 10-1 when Ubaldo takes the hill and 17-23 when he doesn’t, and they’ll count on him to continue his dominant season atop their rotation if they’re to have any hope of making the playoffs.  His ten wins, 0.90 WHIP and microscopic 0.78 ERA all lead the Majors by a comfortable margin. Before moving on, it is important to compare these numbers to the historical pitching performance of the Rockies, a franchise whose struggles from the mound are well-documented, particularly in the pre-humidor era of hitter-friendly Coors Field.  A few statistics jump out immediately:

(more…)

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NL East: Phillies, Braves, Marlins, Mets, Nationals
NL Central: Cardinals, Brewers, Cubs, Reds, Astros, Pirates
NL West: Rockies, Giants, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Padres
NL Wild Card: Giants
NLCS: Cardinals def. Phillies

NL MVP: Albert Pujols
NL Cy Young: Tommy Hanson
NL ROY: Stephen Strasburg

AL East: Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles
AL Central: White Sox, Tigers, Twins, Indians, Royals
AL West: Rangers, Angels, Mariners, Athletics
AL Wild Card: Rays
ALCS: Rays def. Yankees

AL MVP: Evan Longoria
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander
AL ROY: Austin Jackson

World Series: Cardinals def. Rays in 6 games.
World Series MVP: Adam Wainwright