The second week after the All-Star Break saw many strange results.  The league led fell to the hot Possums, but none of the other contenders were able to gain any ground.  Some teams had offensive problems and others failed with pitching.  The standings barely changed, and many teams are left confused about where they stand.

JK Lannisters (11-3-1) vs.  RK Possums (8-6-1)

The week’s big winner was the Possums.  Rick used a combination of power and effective pitching to earn a narrow 5-4-1 victory.  Rick easily led the league in home runs and SLG.  Khris Davis and Xander Bogaerts each has three homers.  The unknown Hernan Perez was signed as a free agent and hit two home runs and stole four bases.  However, other Possums were cold, like Ian Kinsler, who had a 0.192 OBP.  Jeff was able to take RBI and OBP thanks to big weeks from role players like Russell Martin and Brett Gardner.  This led to a 2-2-1 spilt for the teams.

On pitching, the Lannisters started the week well but had several implosions at the end.  Matt Shoemaker embarrassed himself over six innings.  Wade Davis suffered a meltdown and went on the DL.  Jonathan Papalbon allowed six base runners and three earned runs in 0.1 innings pitched for an 81.00 ERA.  Rick had better luck despite trouble from Masahiro Tanaka, A.J. Ramos, and Doug Fister.  The Possums were able to take three categories after the Lannisters’ ERA and WHIP ballooned over the weekend.  This was enough for a 5-4-1 win.  The Possums remained red-hot with the win.  They are now in fourth place and just two games behind the Lannisters with the tiebreaker.

LK Armadilos (10-4-1) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (4-10-1)

The Armadillos had a chance to move into first place with a win.  However, the Thunderwolves had other plans and eventually forced a tie that likely frustrated both teams.  Neither team performed well on offense.  The Armadillos had a sub-0.300 OBP.  The Thunderwolves barely broke 0.400 in SLG.  Rougned Odor was the only bright spot for the Armadillos.  He had three home runs and two steals.  Adrian Beltre and Mitch Moreland had two home runs each for Kyle, but Hanley Ramirez cooled off and had a 0.174 SLG.  The Armadillos took three categories.

On pitching, each team was a little better.  Both had ERAs near the league average, and their WHIPs were also good.  Kyle had more saves thanks to a huge week from Alex Colome.  Jeurys Familia had two saves for the Armadillos, but he also allowed four earned runs.  Carlos Martinez was a disaster, allowed six earned runs and eight walks in 12 innings pitched.  However, he picked up one win, and gave Larry the category.  Both teams had roughly the same number of innings, and Kyle was slightly more effective at striking out batters.  This gave the Thunderwolves the third category and a tie.  Both teams had chances to get the outright win, and the tie must be frustrating.

KG Capital City Goofballs (5-10) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (8-7)

The Goofballs earned a massive 9-1 victory over the PhoeGnomes.  Heather’s squad had abysmal offensive numbers that doomed the team for the week.  The squad had the lowest home run, RBI, OBP, and SLG in the league.  Only one PhoeGnome with more than 10 at-bats had a SLG above  0.390.  or an OBP over 0.280.  The Goofballs deployed a much better offensive core and led the league in steals.  They also had great weeks from Brian Dozier, whose SLG topped 1.075.  Kevin earned a five-category sweep before pitching.

Heather fared better here.  She had 11.1 more innings pitched than Kevin, and this translated to her only category win in strikeouts.  However, several PhoeGnome starters struggled, including Steven Wright and Jimmy Nelson.  Kevin took advange and had the lowest WHIP and ERA in the league.  He also took the other counting stats and cruised to a massive 9-1 win.  Heather lost a good opportunity to move up with a Lannister loss.

CM Happy Hollidays (2-13-0) vs.  CP Legion (9-4-2)

The Legion were also frustrated in their attempts to gain ground.  The Happy Hollidays posted the second best home run and SLG totals in the league.  Jay Bruce had four homers and seven RBI.  The Legion used a small base of players and had their own set of four homers from Miguel Cabrera.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to win any category.  Chris P. did win steals, but it was his only offensive category and gave him a challenge on the pitching side.

The Legion’s bullpen put together a good saves total, led by Roberto Osuna. The Legin’s starers were okay, but no one on the team picked up any wins.  The Hollidays had fewer innings thrown than the Legion, so Chris P. also took strikeouts.  Meanwhile, the Hollidays’ starters imploded.  Francisco Liriano allowed 11 earned runs in 8.1 innings pitched.  Mike Leake was alsmost as bad, giving up six with a 10.80 ERA.  The Hollidays had the worst ERA and WHIP in th e league by a wide margin.  This gave Chris the four categories he neede to earn the tie.  Instead the two teams suffered through a draw and neither gained ground on the leaders.

Next Week

Next week, more important battles take place.  The PhoeGnomes have another shot at the Lannisters, and need a win to get back in the hunt.  The Possums will try to continue to roll against the Thunderwolves.  The Happy Hollidays and Goofballs meet in a battle of expansion clubs.  Finally, the Legion and Armadillos renew their bitter feud.  Both teams really need a win here to keep pace.