Fantasy Horror Show: Week 1

Will Middlebrooks sees your pain, hapless fantasy owner. And he's going to keep crushing you anyway. (USA TODAY) Fantasy baseball can be a cruel mistress --

Will Middlebrooks sees your pain, hapless fantasy owner. And he's going to keep crushing you anyway. (USA TODAY)

Fantasy baseball can be a cruel mistress -- and nothing's crueler than suffering a loss after a series of unfortunate Sunday events. Just ask the owners who saw their ERA and WHIP balloon after duds from typically trustworthy aces like David Price, Cole Hamels and Matt Cain yesterday. Mid-week idiocy can be just as lethal, of course. Just ask the owners who kept Chris Davis on the bench during his Babe Ruthian tear...

Because misery loves company, we decided to solicit fantasy baseball horror stories from our readers. Some trends: Will Middlebrooks swung a lot of matchups with his three-homer outburst against the Blue Jays; stud starters and elite closers failed to live up to their lofty draft slots in equal measure; and Ryan Braun's back spasms were as ill-timed as the Biogenesis report.

And now, a sampling of sad:

Aces wild

@si_mlb Cole Hamels, 0-2, 10.97 ERA, 1.97 WHIP, absolutely killed me #SIFantasyHorror

— JB (@jb_1335) April 8, 2013

@si_mlb: Hamels and Gallardo my top two starters in NL-only league. My team ERA is now 7.329. That's a horror story. #SIFantasyHorror.

— David Dobin (@Ddobin) April 8, 2013

@si_mlb Made a trade for Matt Cain to start the weekend. Ended the weekend out of 1st place #SIFantasyHorror

— Brandon Spalding (@spaldingbp) April 8, 2013

what annoys me is when a SP GOING 5.2 innings and misses out on a QS #SIFantasyHorror

— Tim Morel (@TimMorel) April 8, 2013

Closed out

Babe "Don't Bench Me" Ruth

@SInow While moving to a new city, I left Chris Davis on the bench during his HR tirade. #SIFantasyHorror

— David Pottgen (@Pottz_of_Gold) April 8, 2013

@si_mlb #SIFantasyHorror. I left Chris Davis at the bench

— ocmika (@ocmika) April 8, 2013

Where there's a Will, there's a way

Was killing it this week until Middlebrooks decided to crush 3 dingers #SIFantasyHorror. Blew a lead in one day

— Shawn Salaj (@S_Salaj) April 8, 2013

@SInow opponent had Harper, Middlebrooks, and J Upton...Rosario for good measure. My TEAM hit 5 homers. #SIFantasyHorror

— Joe McCarthy (@JMcCarthy86) April 8, 2013

Just because these don't fit into one of the prior categories doesn't make them any less sad

@SInow THE GOOD: Having a decent week w/ 46 runs, 10 HR, 42 RBI, 261 BA. THE BAD: Opponent having 50 runs, 24 HR, 81 RBI, and a 296 BA.

— Eric Murphy (@TheGuvernator) April 8, 2013

@si_mlb #SIFantasyHorror I lost because Braun was out for almost all my days

— Jason Roehl (@PNW_JASON) April 8, 2013

@si_mlb apparently I drafted the wrong Upton #SIFantasyHorror

— paul cody (@paulcody27) April 8, 2013

Don't mess up next week: Get all the advice you need from SI.com's fantasy experts with Eric Mack's Weekly Planner, Michael Beller's Waiver Wire and much more.