Paradise Lost, the Sequel: the trials of Joey Wendle

Yesterday I bemoaned the loss of paradise because I had made a tiny, correctable mistake in compiling one team’s statistics. Plus the Wolverines were no longer in first place.

But later in the morning I consoled myself: my team was working.  I had good, interesting players with upside at every position.  Max Muncy and Alen Hanson improved my infield… and were actually hitting.   And my pitching was fantastic — probably the best I’ve ever had.  And deep, too: Bumgarner was back and shining.  DeSclafani was back and … well, he was back. I could stash him with two other usable starters in the minors!

Then the news came: Shohei Ohtani had a strained UCL and might be out for months. I had worked for months to have the money for Ohtani.  He was my prized debutant. With him and Acuna on the DL, my entire April draft was on the shelf.

But within the hour I had regained my beatific composure.  After all, I had paired Shohei with Walker Buehler as #3 in my rotation.  Buehler was still there, and could carry that spot by himself. I might not even notice Ohtani was gone. As a pitcher.

Ohtani’s absence as a hitter was still a problem… until the Mariners announced they were brining up Dan Vogelbach, he of the 1.100 OPS in AAA!  Vogelbach is a gamble, but if he carried even 80% of his minor league stats into the majors, I wouldn’t miss Ohtani the hitter, either.

But then, last night before I went to bed, I learned that Walker Buehler had to leave his start early with a sore rib.  Probably a lat injury. OK, now I can seriously panic.  You can’t lose two starters in one day without panicking.  Panic is the only responsible reaction. Plus those back-up starters I bragged about have June ERA’s of 6.55, 7.20, and 27.00.  Oh, and Shane Greene triple chulked yesterday…

On the other hand, my grandsons are under my roof.  Maybe I can get through the weekend.

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