I did manage to spend a whole 24 hours in 6th place yesterday, back in 7th now though. For the past couple of months 6th has looked like the realistic limit to my ambitions this year, the team in 5th bounces around in the mid to late eighties and, as of today, I’m at 76.5 points, though the guy had a bad day yesterday losing 3.5 points on a day of very few games so he might just be a little vulnerable still. I’m still not entirely sure what has generated this surge, other than having a bench full of hitters to move in and out of the team as someone gets hot, working the free agent pool and spot starting pitchers. But this is something I’ve been trying to all season long and I don’t feel that I have any better an approach to this strategy than I did at the start of the season. I’ve certainly cashed in on a few hot streaks, though it’s starting to look a little more than that for Delgado. Picked up a hot Fernando Tatis, and since flipped him for what I guess to be the other half of the platoon, Ryan Church, had Alexei Ramirez and then dropped him for Shin-Soo Choo and with Russell Martin in a bit of a slump I dropped Ramon Vasquez for Kelly Shoppach with Martin now being eligible at 3rd I’ve got him splitting time with a pretty cold Troy Glaus, though both are riding the pine at the moment as I have to find room for a hot Casey Blake. For all this activity though it looks from the points splits between pitching and hitting that it’s the pitching that’s moved me up the table having gone from 25/75 a month ago to 30/70. I’ve held on to Nolasco but with Chamberlain on the DL the other starters have been spot starts, Glen Perkins for a few, Braden Looper, Josh Johnson, Jonathan Sanchez, Manny Parra and even the venerable Jamie Moyer. Chamberlain is back now but it’s not clear what the Yankees have in mind for him, he made a relief appearance a couple of nights ago. Picked up Frankie Francisco as he seems to have the closing job for the Rangers, I don’t think I can make up anything in SAVES but I have points to protect there as a couple of teams are fairly close behind but the nearest in front is 10 ahead, though you never know, I could have a 4 SAVE night with Broxton, Francisco, Gonzalez and one of Ziegler or Devine and that might make things a little more interesting. Principally looking at WHIP and AVG to pick up more points though, but this has been the case for quite a while and they become harder to move as the season goes on, WHIP is at a seasons best of 1.36 but only comes down at a glacial rate yet seems to leap up disproportionately at the whiff of a 2 inning, 6 run outing. The line-up I have going tonight has a combine average of .326 for the past week and if this continues then I hope to keep the AVG moving up. Choo was picked up for nothing but average, going 10 for 18 in the past week and I suspect there will be other free agent pickups if they show a hot hand.