Lannisters Clinch Title; Armadillos and Goofballs Move Toward Silver; Thunderwolves Suffer Tragedy

JK Lannisters (15-7-1) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (12-11)

Despite numerous contenders, the Lannisters clinched their second consecutive title this week.  After a grueling season in which numerous players were injured or ineffective, Jeff’s squad found just enough pieces to secure one more victory.  A more thorough write-up about the championship itself will be posted after the season.  This week, the Lannisters defeated the PhoeGnomes with a combination of timely hitting and solid pitching.

Leading the way was the team’s maligned rotation.  Jon Lester again proved to be a stabilizing force.  Unlikely subs like Martin Perez and Bartolo Colon added solid efforts.  Kenley Jansen added two saves.  Wade Davis contributed a save and even scored a win.  This was enough to easy wins in ERA and WHIP, along with victories.  Heather had more strikeouts thanks to more innings pitched, but the 3-1-1 lead would prove to be too much to overcome.

On offense the teams were relatively even.  Nolan Arenado and Kendrys Morales had two home runs each for the PhoeGnomes.  Odubel Herrera and Eduardo Nunez had three steals each; Heather led the league in the category.  However, the Lannisters had a better OBP and more home runs and RBIs.  David Ortiz led the way with three home runs and eight RBI.  Mike Trout had seven RBI and eight walks.  This gave Jeff a lead in OBP, home runs, and RBI.  The totals were enough to secure three more categories and earn a 6-3-1 win.  After losses for the Legion and Possums, this was enough to give Jeff the title for the year.

KG Capital City Goofballs (13-10) vs.  CM Happy Hollidays (2-20-1)

The Goofballs continued their push toward second place with a dominant victory over the Happy Hollidays.  Kevin set the stage for his victory with a dominant offensive showing.  He took all five categories and led the league in RBI and OBP.  Freddie Freeman and Maikel Franco continued to lead the way for the Goofballs.  They combined for five home runs and 15 RBI.  Yasmani Grandal added two homers and seven RBI in just seven at bats.  Freeman and Dexter Fowler had two steals each.  The Happy Hollidays didn’t have an answer, and Kevin built a 5-0 lead.

On pitching, Chris fared better.  He earned more victories and had a lower WHIP.  However, Kevin’s bullpen picked up five saves to go along with an excellent week from starter Joe Musgrove.  Chris had three starters go at least 6.0 innings and not allow any earned runs.   However, Anibal Sanchez was the lone problem for the Hollidays, and his rough start gave Kevin the edge in ERA.  Kevin also took strikeouts, and earned the win for the week.  He also moved into third place, just a half-game behind the Legion for second.

LK Armadillos (12-9-2) vs.  CP Legion (13-7-3)

The Armadillos are also looking for the silver medal, and moved into a three-way tie for third after a victory over the Legion.  The Armadillos fired on all cylinders this week, setting impressive marks on both offense and defense.  Gaby Sanchez paced the Armadillos’ offense with three home runs and eight RBI.  Mark Trumbo and Edwin Encarnacion had two homers each.  Giancarlo Stanton added a home run in limited playing time.  This gave Larry a large lead in home runs, RBI, OBP, and SLG.  The Legion were lifeless on offense, thanks to poor weeks from Jonathan Villar (2 for 19) and Jake Lamb (1 for 15).  The Legion had the lowest RBI, OBP, and SLG numbers in the league.  They did take steals, but the Armadillos maintained a 4-1 edge.

On pitching, the Armadillos also excelled.  They threw 79.1 innings and had a masterful 2.84 ERA.  Clayton Kershaw continued to shine, throwing 13.0 innings, striking out 13, and allowing a 0.54 WHIP.  In contrast, the Legion suffered a series of implosions from Kevin Gausman, Danny Duffy, and Ken Giles.  However, Giles, Roberto Osuna, and Cody Allen did lead the league in saves.  Unfortunately for the Legion, the Armadillos ended their title chances with a solid 7-3 victory.  Chris is likely disappointed with the loss, but can take solace in contending in a year when most thought he was rebuilding.  Yet again the Legion were in the championship race to the bitter end.  For the Armadillos, there is still a chance to compete for second place.

KK Thunderwolves (6-14-3) vs.  RK Possums (13-8-2)

The final match of the week saw the Thunderwolves overwhelm the Possums.  Kyle had the best offensive week of any team.  He led the league in home runs, steals, and SLG.  Nelson Cruz had four home runs and eight RBI.  In total, ten Thunderwolves had at least one homer.  Rick tried to counter with a nice three home runs week from Justin Upton, but it wasn’t enough.  Kyle earned the clean sweep.

On pitching, Kyle was less dominant but did enough to earn the victory.  He featured an epic eight inning, three hit, 12 strikeout game from Jose Fernandez. Sadly, the game would prove to be Fernandez’s last, as he died in a boating accident on Sunday morning.  The loss of Fernandez is a huge blow to the Thunderwolves, and the game of baseball as a whole.  Fernandez’s effort and love of the game were clearly visible whenever he pitched.  Kyle has lost an ace pitcher, and one of his best building blocks.  The game itself has lost a Hall of Fame talent and someone who, by all accounts, was a good person.  Kyle and the Thunderwolves will carry on without Fernandez, but the game itself will be diminished and less fun for everyone without being able to watch him compete.

Next Week

With the title wrapped up, the Lannisters will take a victory lap against the Happy Hollidays, and enjoy Big Papi’s final games.  The congested race for second and third is still to be decided!  The Armadillos can move up with a win against the Goofballs.  Kevin needs the victory to possibly take second place.  Rick also needs a win to maintain his position.  He plays the PhoeGnomes.  Finally, the Legion meet the Thunderwolves.  Chris wants to hold onto second, while Kyle hopes to play spoiler last in the year.

Week 23 saw only the Lannisters lose points at the top of the Elo ratings.  Chris, Larry, Kevin, and Rick all gained ground.  The Goofballs are now in a tie with the Armadillos for third on the overall leader board.

The Lannnisters and Legion are big favorites along with the Goofballs, who have a massive 73% change to defeat the Hollidays.  Larry is the only team in the top half to be an underdog, since he plays the Legion.

Legion, Possums Stay Alive; Armadillos and Goofballs Win

RK Possums (12-8-2) vs.   JK Lannisters (15-6-1)

With only three weeks left, the Possums faced a must-win against the Lannisters.  If the Possums win out and the Lannisters lose at least two games and tie one, Rick can win the title by tie-breaker.  Knowing this, the Possums put everything they had into a match against a depleted Lannister squad.

Rick delivered the best offensive performance in the league for the week.  The Lannisters struggled all around, and only won steals.  Rick was led by Xander Bogaerts, Joey Votto, Khris Davis, and Charlie Blackmon.  All four players had two home runs each and totaled 19 RBI.  This gave Rick the league lead in SLG and home runs.  He finished second in RBI and third in OBP.  The Lannisters had okay home run numbers, but no OBP or SLG presence.  It was one of the team’s worst weeks of the year.

On pitching, things got worse for the leaders.  Almost all of the Lannisters’ opening day starters are injured.  As a result, they threw several sub-par starters into the mix and got terrible results.  The Lannisters had the worst ERA in the league (on a week when two other teams had 6.00+ numbers).  They also had the worst WHIP.  Rick, on the other hand, lapped the league in wins, saves, and ERA.  They were second in WHIP.  All of Rick’s starters were consistent.  Only Justin Verlander gave up zero runs for the week.  The rest of the staff all gave up four or fewer with the exception of Miguel Gonzalez.  Zach Britton continued to pile up saves, and A. J. Ramos added three of his own.  Overall, Possums won in dominant fashion and stayed alive for another week.  The Lannisters played poorly, but have two favorable matches to end the season.  They need only a win to clinch the title.  The Possums must now wait to see what happens between the Lannisters, PhoeGnomes, and Happy Hollidays.

CP Legion (12-7-3) vs.  CM Happy Hollidays (2-19-1)

The other team left in the hunt is the Legion.  Chris is a game back, but does not have a tie-breaker on the Lannisters.  This means he is essentially 1.5 games behind.  He had to defeat the Happy Hollidays to remain in contention.  They won, but it was an ugly week that happened to come against another struggling team. Chris had good counting numbers on offense and tied for the league lead in steals.  However, his OBP was surprisingly low and his SLG was not above 0.420.  Fortunately for the Legion, the Hollidays had one of the worst offensive weeks in league history.  They managed only ten RBI for the week on two home runs.  They also had the worst SLG by far, at 0.293.  If not for Matt Kemp’s ten hits, it would have been eve worse.  Francisco Lindor was ice gold, managed just two hits in 23 at-bats.  For the Legion, Trea Turner had three home runs and four steals.  These numbers won two categories on their own.

On pitching, both teams were terrible.  The Happy Hollidays “won” ERA with a 6.203 number.  Chris P. took WHIP, and piled up strikeouts.  Overall, The Legion won handily, but benefitted from playing a weak team on a cold week.  The win keeps Chris’s hopes alive.  He must continue to win and hope that the PhoeGnomes can stop the Lannisters.  This would for a tie going into the final week.  He will still need the Hollidays to win or tie against the Lannisters, but anything is possible on the last week when playing time is up in the air.

HP PhoeGnomes (12-10) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (12-10)

The Goofballs kept on winning with a close, odd victory over the PhoeGnomes.  Kevin only won four categories, but it was enough to stop Heather and move Kevin closer to third place.  Leading the way was… Everyone?  Kevin started 21 offensive players and only two of them did not have hits.  One of them, Brandon Belt, had three walks.  Only Brad Miller went 0-4.  However, all of these players left the team with a mediocre SLG and OBP.  Kevin won RBI and steals, and tied home runs.  Heather’s more concentrated approach yielded fewer counting stats but better rate performance.  Andrew McCutchen showed signs of life with three home runs and 10 RBI.  This gave the teams a 2-2-1 split before pitching.

Kevin threw more than twice as many innings as Heather.  This gave him a massive edge in all counting stats.  This was clear in strikeouts, where Kevin led the league.  However, Heather was able to counter the counting advantage with great performances in terms of wins and saves.  She tied Kevin in both categories.  Unfortunately, Kevin had a slightly lower WHIP thanks to a rough week for Zach Davies.  Kevin secured his fourth category and earned a bizarre 4-3-3 victory.  The win puts Kevin in fourth place and a game behind the Possums.  Kevin is clearly playing for a medal, and wants to claim a spot on the podium in just his second season.

KK Thunderwolves (6-13-3) vs.  LK Armadillos (11-9-2)

The final match of the week paired the Thunderwolves and Armadillos.  Larry looked to continue to win, while the Thunderwolves hoped to pick up some momentum as the season ends.  The Armadillos won a closely contested battle.  On offense, both teams were evenly matched.  Kyle had a better SLG and RBI total, while the Armadillos took steals and OBP by equal margins.  Home runs were tied.  Kyle enjoyed three home run week from Ryan Braun and the red-hot Hanley Ramirez.  Larry benefitted from Gaby Sanchez’s three homers, and seven individual home runs from different players.

Pitching was where the battle was decided.  After the 2-2-1 hitting split, Larry deployed Clayton Kershaw and Ervin Santana, both of whom had good weeks.  Kyle threw fewer innings and had a bad Yu Darvish start, which put ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts out of reach.  Kyle’s bullpen fell just short, and he lost saves.  This was just enough for Larry to take a narrow win.  Once again, Kyle has to be disappointed with his outcome despite a pretty good week.  The Armadillos are looking better, and hope to move past their injury woes.

Next Week

The most important match of the week is the Lannisters versus PhoeGnomes.  If Jeff wins, he will clinch the title.  Heather would love to upset the leaders.  Chris must defeat the Armadillos and Rick needs a win against Kyle to stay in the hunt.  The Armadillos and Legion are one of the league’s most bitter rivalries and Larry would love to inflict some damage on the Legion.  Rick will have to take out Kyle and hope the PhoeGnomes take care of business.  Finally, the Goofballs look to keep moving forward against the Hollidays.

There were a few Elo shifts this week.  Kevin gained a lot of points and is not almost in third place on the list.  Jeff lost a corresponding number of points, but is still in first.  Rick also moved back above 1,500 for his career.  Kyle also gained valuable points, as did the Legion.

This week, the Legion, Lannisters, and Armadillos are the biggest favorites.  Chris P. is a huge favorite, one of the biggest of the year, over the Hollidays.  The Goofballs are also at near-even odds against the PhoeGnomes.

Possums, Legion Stay Alive; Goofballs Continue to Surge; Thunderwolves Dominate

LK Armadillos (11-8-2) vs.  RK Possums (11-8-2)

With the season winding down, several teams remain in contention for the league title.  The Lannisters entered the week with a three game lead and three weeks left to play.  Chris was 3.0 games back, and Rick was 3.5 behind.  Though unlikely, there is still a chance for both teams to win the title.  However, both needed to win this week against their opponents.  Each responded with close wins in clutch situations.

The Possums relied on their pitchers to carry the week.  Rick led the league in strikeouts, wins, ERA, and WHIP.  He was second in saves.  Max Scherzer, Corey Kluber, Masahiro Tanaka, and Justin Verlander were stellar across eight starts.  These four had more strikeouts than every other team except the Legion and Thunderwolves.  They easily overcame the solid (but unspectacular) week from the Armadillos.

Rick was less successful on offense, but he was able to take steals and thus secure the week.  Once again the Armadillos had a good home run total but lagged in RBI, OBP, and SLG relative to the rest of the league.  The lack of steals cost the Armadillos the tie.  Rick keeps his hopes alive at 2.5 game back with two to play.  He has a final match against the Lannsiters and then will need help.

CP Legion (11-7-3) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (12-9)

The Legion and PhoeGnomes had the closest match of the week.  Each team had standout categories, but the Legion managed to pick up the win and stay alive.  Chris relied on big saves and strikeout totals on the pitching side.  Cody Allen and Ken Giles were solid, and Jerad Eickhoff displayed dominant stuff over two starts.  Heather had a good counter in Zach Davies, who threw 14.0 innings and gave up just three earned runs.  Chris Sale was excellent as well, but didn’t get a win over two starts.  Chris took strikeouts and saves while heather took the rate stats.  The lack of a Sale victory cost Heather the tie for the week.

Both teams were evenly matched of offense.  Chris had more steals thanks to Trea Turner and Jonathan Villar.  The pair also had three home runs each.  Miguel Cabrera had two home runs, but it was Tuner and Villar that were the keys to the Legion attack.  They secured home runs, steals, and SLG.  Heather had a slightly higher OBP and better RBI count thanks to a three-home week from Chris Davis and an improved Kyle Seager.  However, Chris did enough to score the narrow win.  He is now two behind the Lannisters and need help to win the title.  The Legion and Possums remain the last two teams standing between the Lannisters and an impressive repeat.

KG Capital City Goofballs (11-10) vs.  JK Lannisters (15-5-1)

The Lannisters hoped to move closer to the title against the Goofballs, who refuse to roll-over late in the season.  With the win here, Kevin has defeated every team in the league and has shown why his squad is the most improved on the year.  Yoenis Cespedes and Brian Dozier led the Goofballs with seven home runs and sixteen RBIs.  They were joined by a monster week for Joc Pederson.  The Lannisters enjoyed goo production from Eric  Hosmer and Brian McCann, but it wasn’t enough.  They took OBP but Kevin won home runs and RBI with ease.  Slugging was closer, but Kevin pulled away here on Sunday as well thanks to Welington Castillo’s home run.

On pitching, the Lannisters’ injuries finally caught up with them.  Several starters were scratched and shuffled, leading to matchup problems and missed deadlines.  Kevin took advantage and piled up saves from Edwin Diaz and Dellin Betances.  The Lannisters had few answers and only took wins after Felix  Hernandez experienced a fluke win in a miserable outing against the Rangers.  Bizarrely, both teams tied in ERA for the week despite throwing 45.1 innings each.  The odd results added up to a Goofball victory.  Kevin is now in fifth place and two games over 0.500.  The Lannisters still need a win and a tie to clinch the title, but have three weeks left to play.

CM Happy Hollidays (2-18-1) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (5-13-3)

The week’s best offensive showing belonging to the Thunderwolves.  Kyle led the league in RBI, OBP, and SLG.  Adrian Beltre and Hanley Ramirez had three home runs each.  Five Thunderwolves’ players had at  least five RBIs.  Chris offered little competition, and Kyle took all offensive stats but steals.  Neither team had good pitching, but Kyle was able to get more out of his staff.  Kenta Maeda had a nice week, as did Chase Anderson and Jose Fernandez.  Kyle threw 26 more innings than Chris (who had another bad Cole Hamels start) and Kyle swept the pitching side.  The win didn’t affect the standings, but it was a nice showing for Kyle.

Next Week

With just three game left for each team, only the Possums and Legion can challenge the Lannisters.  Rick plays Jeff and must win to stay alive.  A Possums’ win will also help the Legion.  If Jeff wins, Chris must win.  If Jeff loses, Chris could possibly tie and still come out on top.  He faces the slumping Hollidays.  The Thunderwolves meet the Armadillos, and the PhoeGnomes battle the Goofballs.  Kevin is playing to win, while the Armadillos want to remain in the first division.

Week 21 saw lots of movement in the Elo ratings.  The Lannisters climbed back over 1,600 after a victory over the Legion.  Chris fell to 1,560 but still remains above the rest of the pack.  Heather also took over fourth place from Rick.  The Armadillos gained a few points and the Goofballs are now back above 1,500 after their victory.

Next week, the Lannisters and Thunderwolves are heavy favorites.  The Legion and Armadillos also have strong advantages.

Lannisters Approach Title; Goofballs and Armadillos Dominate; PhoeGnomes Climb Higher

JK Lannisters (14-5-1) vs.  CP Legion (11-6-3)

The most important battle of the week featured the Legion and Lannisters.  With the defending champs closing in on another title, the Legion faced a virtual must-win to stay in contention.  Unfortunately for the Legion, the Lannisters posted strong offense and just enough timely pitching to take a victory.

Mike Trout was the standout offensive player for either team. He had three home runs, a steal, and a 1.333 SLG for the week (along with a 0.652 OBP).  Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer had two home runs each, too.  This gave the Lannisters comfortable leads in four offensive categories.  Chris tried to rally behind a great week from Christian Yelich, who had three home runs and two steals.  Trea Turner added three steals, giving Chris his only offensive category.  The Legion had a decent offensive showing, but it wasn’t enough.  The Lannisters were near the top in their four categories, leaving Chris with little room to spare on the pitching side.

Neither team featured stellar pitching.  The Legion threw ten more innings than the Lannisters, but their performance was suspect.  Only Trevor Bauer was effective in his two starts, posting a win and a 1.88 ERA and 0.91 WHIP.  The rest of the starters were mediocre.  However, the Lannisters were unable to take advantage.  Their starters were even worse, and had a dismal 6.395 ERA.  This was over three times the lowest ERA in the league.  However, the Lannisters did manage more strikeouts than the Legion.  They also had a lower WHIP.  The timely return of Wade Davis led to a draw in saves.  Chris took wins, but ultimately it wasn’t enough.  The saviors for the Lannisters were Jon Lester, who threw a brilliant complete game, and newcomer Jose de Leon.  The young Dodgers’ starter had nine strikeouts and secured the category.

The loss is a bitter one for the Legion.  The opportunity was there on the pitching side.  However, Chris still remains in second place and has at least a mathematical chance.  The Lannisters need a win and a tie in their final four weeks to win the title.

RK Possums (11-7-2) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (10-10)

The Goofballs continue to surprise this season.  After shocking the Legion, Kevin turned his attention to the Possums.  Rick has been one of the league’s other big surprises, but the Goofballs proved to be too much this week.  Kevin’s pitching formed the foundation for his victory.  Kevin’s bullpen threw 7.1 innings and didn’t allow an earned run.  They recorded five saves, good for second in the league.  David Price continued to rebound, and Kyle Hendricks was excellent.  The Possums were okay on pitching, but lacked a standout performance to really lower the rate categories.  The wins and saves failed to add up, and Kevin had a clear lead.

On offense, the Possums suffered another down week.  The bats that produced so much damage in the Possums’ win streak have cooled.  Only Ian Kinsler had multiple home runs for the week.  Adam Duvall suffered a down week and slugged 0.263, lower than his OBP of 0.273.  In contract, Brian Dozier hit three home runs for the Goofballs and Freddie Freeman had ten walks and seven RBI.  Even Jayson Werth contributed a home run.  Dozier’s two steals contributed to a league-leading total, and the Goofballs won a hard-earned 10-0 sweep.  Although the Lannister’s win eliminated the Goofballs and placed the Possums in almost-eliminated territory, both teams have shown great progress in the season.  Both teams remained in the hunt until the end of the third cycle of games.  The Goofballs can now turn their attention to the draft, while the Possums will look to close the season strong until they are totally eliminated.

LK Armadillos (10-8-2) vs.  CM Happy Hollidays (2-17-1)

The Armadillos finally got back to winning with a crushing victory over the Happy Hollidays.  Todd Frazier led the way with three home runs for the Armadillos.  Seven other players also had home runs, including a huge week from Rougned Odor.  Chris wasn’t totally moribund on offense, though, and he actually took OBP by a small margin.  For several weeks, the Armadillos have been hampered by high-power/low-OBP issues.  This is a possible source of trouble that the team will need to address, especially with players like Odor and Starling Marte.  However, Larry still won four categories with ease.

On pitching, the Armadillos were clearly the best in the league.  They had the best ERA by far, the most strikeouts and saves, tied for first in wins, and were second in WHIP to the Goofballs.  Tanner Roark had two excellent starts.  He allowed just two earned runs in 12 innings and recorded a win.  Carlos Martinez was also good, striking out 19 in 12 innings.  Jeurys Familia threw 4.1 innings and got three saves.  The Hollidays endured meltdowns from Cole Hamels, and Francisco Liriano recorded an infinite ERA and WHIP after giving up two runs on two hits without recording an out.  [Note:  Technically, these are undefined since you are dividing by zero.]  The Armadillos won four categories and secured a relatively easy win.

KK Thunderwolves (5-12-3) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (11-8)

The week’s closest match pitted the Thunderwolves and PhoeGnomes.  Heather took a narrow victory, but Kyle kept things close.  Things looked to be going the Thunderwolves’ way on offense.  Kyle led the league in home runs, RBI, and SLG.  He was second in OBP.  Albert Pujols and Adrian Beltre were the key contributors.  They had seven total home runs and 14 RBI.  Nelson Cruz was excellent in light duty with two homers and a SLG of 1.125.  Heather didn’t have any offensive counters.  Her SLG was below 0.400 and she had the lowest home run total in the league.  However, she was able to record five steals thanks to Paul Goldschmidt and Brandon Crawford.  This category would be important to her win.

On pitching, Heather responded with a solid week.  Noah Syndergaard, Chris Sale, and Matt Shoemaker were stellar.  These good starts helped to offset a rare bad week for Jake Arrieta.  Heather didn’t lead the league in any categories, but she had a solid foundation.  Kyle had an acceptable pitching week, but he couldn’t quite catch Heather in any category besides wins.  Yu Darvish had a rough pair of starts, as did Jose Fernandez.  Ultimately, Kyle couldn’t get the save he needed to earn a draw.  Heather took four categories and secured a win for the week.

Next Week

The Lannisters look to move closer to the title against the Goofballs.  Kevin will not give any ground, and wants to continue to play spoiler.  The Armadillos and Possums meet in a true must-win game.  Both teams can possibly catch the Lannisters if the leaders falter.  The loser will be out for sure.  The same applies to the Legion, who must beat the PhoeGnomes to have a shot.  Finally, the Thunderwolves look to rebound against the Happy Hollidays.