FanHouse Jason Frasor

Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

While the main drama happened on Heinz Field last night, there was plenty of drama to be found in Washington D.C. No, President Obama didn't sign a health plan into law. But the Phillies entered the ninth inning down six and ended up losing by one after having the tying run on third base with only one out. Let's see how we got there.

Joe Blanton has been fantastic this year, and he entered the game with a 3.80 ERA and a 136/43 K/BB ratio in 166 innings. That's why it was surprising to see him perform so terribly in Thursday's game, where he gave up eight runs in less than five innings of work. The big blow came in the fifth inning, when Blanton gave up two homers to hitters at very different points in their careers.

Detroit Tigers closer Fernando Rodney has only one blown save this year. He's recorded 23 saves, has almost a strikeout per inning pitched and at 3.86, his ERA, while not superb, is manageable. So, why is his job on the line?

It could be the 18 walks he's issued since June 1st in only 28 innings of work. It could also be the five home runs he's given up since June 1st compared to only allowing one prior. But, most likely, it's the way he's started out the month of March. In five appearances Rodney has two saves and a win, but he's allowed four earned runs in only five innings. Patience is wearing thin in Detroit, and they have other options.

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

Fantasy football season is a sprint. Fantasy baseball is a marathon. You might have heard this before, but it bears repeating when we see such headlines as: "Opening-day starter Ricky Nolasco demoted to minors" and "Magglio Ordonez benched indefinitely."

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

Here are three abbreviations you don't want to see near your closer's name in the box score: BS, BB and HBP. Those three -- blown save, walk, and hit by pitch -- were all a part of B.J. Ryan's line Wednesday night against the Rangers. Prepare for the uptick in ownership of Jason Frasor and Scott Downs. Is it time to hit the panic button on Ryan after three blown opportunities?

B.J. Ryan hasn't had a good first week, and that's an understatement. He's now appeared in two games and looked pretty awful. In his first outing, he blew a save by allowing a game-tying Brandon Inge home run. His second time out should have been a nice, leisurely way to get himself on track. He had been spotted a four run lead, thanks to Roy Halladay and the Jays' bats. Plus, he was facing the bottom of the scuffling Indians' batting order.

Ryan walked three hitters and allowed a single. He also mixed in a double-play ball, so Mark DeRosa came to the plate with the bases jacked and 2 outs. DeRosa doubled in three, cutting the Blue Jays lead to 5-4. Ryan was promptly removed from the game.

July 31 is rapidly approaching. Buy or Sell lets each team know where they stand on the trade market with the deadline right around the corner.

This is the year that the Jays really thought they were going to take that step into the stratosphere of the Yankees and the Red Sox. Of course, you could probably say that about the Blue Jays every year for the last ten. But with the acquisitions of the likes of Scott Rolen and David Eckstein, this was really going to be the year.

Instead, not only were they passed by the Rays, but they've been passed by the Baltimore Orioles. And these are two franchises that haven't been known for great baseball decisions over the past ten years.