Armadillos Edge Lannisters; Upsets Disrupt Standings

The fifth week of the fantasy season saw an anticipated match between the Lannisters and Armadillos.  Larry won the first battle of what may be a season-long war.  Meanwhile, the Happy Hollidays staged an upset over the PhoeGnomes.  The Goofballs and Legion also picked up victories, pushing the Thunderwolves and Possums farther down the leader boards.

LK Armadillos (3-0-1) vs.  JK Lannisters (4-0)

The week’s most interesting match saw the Lannisters and Armadillos battle for the early lead for first place.  Jeff had won four straight weeks to start the year.  Larry was also unbeaten with a single tie.  Both teams produced league-leading offensive stats.  The Armadillos and Lannisters tied for the league lead in RBI with 39.  Larry led the league with 16 home runs and Jeff tied with Chris for second with 13.  The Lannisters led the league in OBP while Larry was third.  He easily won SLG while Jeff finished third.  Overall, both teams put up monster numbers, but Larry had the slight power edge to take a 3-1-1 lead before looking at pitching.

The Armadillos were led by Rougned Odor and Chris Carter, who had three home runs each.  Four other Armadillos had two home runs, and Gregory Polanco and Mark Trumbo added one each.  Billy Hamilton contributed two steals to give Larry the easy category win.  However, Jeff was able to answer with excellent weeks from Robinson Cano with four home runs and nine RBI.  Bryce Harper added 13 walks.  Unfortunately for the Lannisters, the Armadillos were able to add just a few more home runs along with a higher overall SLG.

On pitching, both teams were evenly matched.  Jeff deployed as many starters as he could, and managed to win strikeouts.  However, Larry managed more wins despite fewer starters and close races for ERA and WHIP.  He was able to take both rate categories, which was enough to secure the win.  Jeff could have secured a tie with slightly better luck:  He was one RBI and one win away.  Given the disgraceful performance of Felix Hernandez and a rare Jacob deGrom dud outing, the Lannisters are left with thoughts of what might have been.  The Lannisters posted numbers good enough to have beaten any other team for the week by a comfortable margin.  The loss should give comfort to the Possums and Goofballs, who were defeated by the Lannisters despite posting numbers good enough to have won against other teams.

For now, the Armadillos have taken over first place and remain unbeaten.  The win also gives Larry the early edge in potential tie-breakers.  However, there are three more match-ups between the two teams, both of which remain title contenders.

CM Happy Hollidays (1-3) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (2-2)

The biggest upset of the week belonged to the Happy Hollidays, who were able to record their second win of the year against the PhoeGnomes.  Chris M. opened the season with a win before dropping three straight games.  Heather looked to continue to rebound after her loss to the Lannisters two weeks prior.  Unfortunately for Heather, Chris put together an excellent week despite managing while in Europe on vacation!

Chris’s victory was led by his offense, which won four of five categories.  The star for the week was Ben Zobrist who had four home runs, 15 RBI, and five walks.  Francisco Lindor and Stephen Piscotty combined for 13 hits and two home runs.  Heather tried to counter with good weeks from several players, including the red-hot Jose Altuve.  However, Paul Goldschmidt managed just three hits and a .182 SLG.  Altuve’s four steals were easily enough to win the category (and lead the league) but the rest of Heather’s bats just weren’t working this week.  Chris took a solid win on offense.

On the pitching side, Heather was more competitive.  Jake Arrieta and Patrick Corbin were both excellent, combining for an ERA under 2.00 and a solid whip.  Madison Bumgarner continued to turn things around, striking out 10 in just 7.1 IP.  Chris was able to counter with a brilliant week from Marco Estrada, who threw 13 IP, struck out 11, and had a 1.38 ERA and .62 WHIP.  Heather was able to win strikeouts and wins, but her advantage in innings pitched did not translate into victories in ERA or WHIP.  Chris took both categories with a quality-over-quantity strategy.  Despite the 3-2 edge on pitching, Heather was unable to close the gap and Chris took a solid 6-4 win.  The improved offensive performance is good news for the Hollidays, who had been ice-cold lately.  Heather can take comfort in putting up good numbers that weren’t quite enough to pull out the win.

RK Possums (0-3-1) vs.  CP Legion (2-1-1)

Although the Lannisters and Armadillos had the best offensive numbers of the week, Chris P. put up numbers that were almost as good.  Chris tied for second in the league with 13 HR and 4 steals.  He was second outright in SLG, third in OBP, and tied for third in RBI.  Overall, this was good enough to take a dominant 5-0 victory over the Possums, who posted lackluster totals across the board.  Rick’s squad was last in RBI, OBP, and SLG.  He tied for last in HR.  Josh Donaldson had a miserable week, going just 4/24 with a .167 SLG.  Chris responded with a monster week from Joc Pederson, who had three home runs.  Seven other Legion players got into the act, including Christian Yelich who had three homers and a steal.  The Legion’s part-timers made the most of their opportunities, too:  Justin Bour and Kolton Wong had two home runs in just six at-bats.

On pitching, neither side was outstanding.  The Legion endured dreadful weeks from Gerrit Cole and Matt Moore.  These were offset by Drew Pomeranz and heavy use for reliever Steve Cishek, who saved three games.  The Possums’ aces Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander combined for a 12.60 ERA over 10 innings.  However, the Possums’ bullpen was very good.  They recorded five saves, and won the category.  They also helped Rick win WHIP.  However, this wasn’t enough to help the Possums overcome their offensive deficit.  Chris took the comfortable victory and improved to 3-1-1.  The offensive performance is even more impressive considering the Legion dealt away many of their best offensive weapons.  The development of players like Pederson will determine how quickly the Legion return as title front-runners.  If they can improve their pitching, they may be able to skip rebuilding entirely and compete today.

KG Capital City Goofballs (1-3) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (0-3-1)

The week’s final match saw the Goofballs battle the Thunderwolves.  Both teams needed victories to get back on track, and each team’s offense answered the call.  Kyle and Kevin both had solid home run totals, but Kyle won the day thanks to bid weeks from Jonathan Lucroy and Brandon Phillips.  Kyle had 12 total home runs, though Kevin made it close thanks to a three-homer week from Yoenis Cespedes.  Brandon Belt drew seven walks for the Goofballs, who used a staggering twenty-two players for the week.  Of these 22, only two did not record a hit (in a combined five at-bats).  Kevin was unafraid to dig deep for talent, and he was rewarded with wins in OBP, SLG, and RBI.  The two teams tied in steals, but Kevin held a 3-1-1 advantage before pitching.

Kyle fared better on the pitching side and led the league in strikeout and saves.  Alex Colome was especially good, recording four saves for the Thunderwolves.  Michael Wacha and Aaron Nola struck out 26 in 15 IP.  However, Yordano Ventura had a terrible week, and Edinson Volquez wasn’t much better in two starts.  Kevin was able to take WHIP and ERA by virtue of strong performances from Chris Archer and Jeff Samardzija.  This was enough to give Kevin a well-earned second victory for the season.  The Goofballs were able to right the ship after several weeks of bad luck.  For the Thunderwolves, the improved offensive performance is a good sign.  However, they need to put together a complete week to earn their first victory of the year.

Next Week

The week’s most interesting match-up pairs the first-place Armadillos with the PhoeGnomes.  Heather needs to rebound and Larry wants to consolidate his grip on the lead.  These teams both pile up strikeouts, so hitting will likely decide the victory.

The Thunderwolves are still looking for their first win, but face the Lannisters.  Jeff’s team has dominated this match-up through the years, but anything can happen.  The Goofballs and Legion meet in yet another interesting match.  Kevin has shown his versatility, but the Legion may be stronger than we thought despite their trades.  Finally, the Possums will face the Hollidays, who hope to start a winning streak.

Rules Note

This is a reminder that relief pitchers can’t be used in starter slots.  If the reliever is primarily a starter, this is fine.  However, if he is working from the bullpen, he must be in a RP slot.  Please make sure you aren’t inadvertently using a fourth reliever.