Possums Lose Steam; Legion and PhoeGnomes Edge Closer; Goofballs Win

Several close match-ups brought the standings at the top of the league to a near-tie.  The Possums, Lannisters, and Armadillos couldn’t win, so the PhoeGnomes, Legion, and Goofballs gained ground.

HP PhoeGnomes (8-8) vs.  JK Lannisters (11-4-1)

The most important match of the week featured the PhoeGnomes and Lannisters.  Heather was essentially in a must-win situation.  A loss would have dropped the PhoeGnomes below 0.500 after entering the season as a favorite.  Fortunately for her, the offense responded with just enough firepower to secure the victory.  Leading the way was Miguel Sano with three home runs.  Heather had high expectations for Sano entering the year, but a decline in power has been worrisome.  Sano addressed these concerns with a big week.  Ten different PhoeGnomes had home runs for the week, including two from Yosmani Tomas and Nolan Arenado.  The Lannisters had a good offensive week two, especially from Jason Kipnis.  However, they were only able to win steals and tie in RBI.

Jeff started the week with good pitching, but experienced major meltdowns from Josh Tomlin and Carlos Estevez.  Heather struggled as well, but had slightly better production from her staff in the rate categories.  The injury to Wade Davis continues to plague the Lannisters, who lost saves by one.  Jeff won strikeouts and wins easily, but it wasn’t enough.  Heather managed a close victory that could have gone either way through Sunday.  The win keeps Heather’s hopes alive and also bolsters the contention of the Legion, Possums, and Armadillos.

CP Legion (9-4-3) vs.  LK Armadillos (10-4-2)

The second biggest benefactor of the PhoeGnomes win is the Legion.  After a close victory over the Armadillos, Chris P. is tied for first place.  Incredibly, Chris won the week despite not winning a single pitching category.  Neither the Armadillos nor the Legion had good pitching stats.  Both teams were near the bottom of the league in ERA and WHIP.  The Armadillos were marginally better in the rate stats, but Chris got two clutch wins for Jerad Eickhoff and Kyle Hendricks to tie the category.  The Armadillos picked up a win from Tanner Roark, but lost a close decision from Carlos Carrasco against the Yankees.  This gave Chris the single category tie he needed to win the week outright.

On offense, the Legion were solid.  They had the best OBP, second best SLG, and second best steals totals in the league.  Jake Lamb was the star for the week with three home runs.  Jonathan Villar contributed five steals, had an OBP of 0.613 and a SLG of 0.783.  Devon Travis and Miguel Cabrera were active as well.  The Armadillos couldn’t counter.  Ian Desmond was ice cold for the week.  Even players like Giancarlo Stantion, who hit two home runs, did little else.  He had just a 0.375 SLG.  Overall, Chris won all five categories and earned the close win.  The Armadillos had their chances, and could have won for the week if Billy Hamilton had been in the lineup Sunday.  His four steals would have turned the entire category and thus the final score.  Much like the Lannisters, who left Manny Machado on the bench with three home runs, the Armadillos are left to wonder what might have been.

RK Possums (9-6-1) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (4-10-2)

After a massive hot streak, Rick needed a victory to move closer to the league lead.  Unfortunately for the Possums, the Thunderwolves produced a hot week of their own.  Both teams were left with a disappointing draw.  The Thunderwolves had the league’s best pitching for the week.  They led the league in ERA and were second in strikeouts and WHIP.  Yu Darvish was excellent in his two starts, and Tyler Anderson and Gio Gonzalez were solid as well.  The Possums were okay on the mound, but starters like Masahiro Tanaka were inconsistent.  Ultimately, Rick was able to take both wins and saves, but Kyle seized the rate stats and strikeouts.

On offense, Rick continued his torrid pace.  He led the league in home runs and SLG and was second in steals and OBP.  Mike Napoli hit three home runs and Wilson Ramos added three of his own.  Ramos had a 1.053 SLG for the week, and even Rajai Davis added a homer of his own.  The Thunderwolves, however, were not going to be outdone by the Possums.  Ryan Braun and Jonathan Lucroy had three home runs each.  Brandon Phillips and Wil Myers each had two steals, giving Kyle the league lead.  Kyle was able to take both RBI and steals, but narrowly missed OBP and SLG.

The tied result is frustrating to the Possums, who gained only a half-game on the league leaders.  For the Thunderwolves, who had the second best offensive week and best pitching week, the loss is even more infuriating.  Kyle would have beaten every other team in the league.

CM Happy Hollidays (2-13-1) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (6-10)

The final match of the week paired the league’s two expansion teams.  Although both teams are largely playing for pride, the game represented a chance for the Goofballs to move closer to 0.500 and for the Hollidays to stay out of last place.  Kevin’s pitching was the standout effort from either team.  Chris Archer was strong, and Jake Odorizzi was spectacular in his one start.  The Goofball bullpen was especially effective.  Kevin’s relievers didn’t allow a run and recorded five saves.  The Holidays struggled.   Mike League was dreadful and Adam Wainwright suffered a bad two-start week.  However, Seung Hwan Oh recorded two saves.  This wasn’t enough, as Kevin swept all five categories.

On offense, both teams struggled.  However, the Hollidays took home runs with good weeks from Neil Walker and Jay Bruce.  Each had two home runs.  Four other Hollidays players had homers, and Chris M. easily took SLG.  The Goofballs were able to win both RBI and OBP.  They also took steals uncontested.  Ultimately, this was more than enough for the victory.  Kevin his now just a few games under 0.500 and firmly in the middle of the pack.  The Hollidays have more work to do, but this week was a valuable stepping stone.

Next Week

After weeks of brutal match-ups, the Lannisters hope they can catch a break against the Hollidays.  The Legion face the Thunderwolves.  Chris must be careful to avoid a loss, because although he is tied with the Lannisters, he can’t win the season tie-breaker.  He will need to win outright to take the title.  This means every win, loss, and tie is critical.  The Most interesting match of the week pairs the Possums and PhoeGnomes. The loser of this match will have a much tougher road to the title with only seven weeks left to play after this one.  Finally, the Goofballs play the Armadillos.  Kevin has given Larry trouble over the past two years and hopes to continue to be a spoiler.