CP Legion (2-0) vs.  LK Armadillos (2-0)

After week three there is only one undefeated team left in the league.  The Armadillos edged the Legion in another close contest.  Leading the way for the Armadillos was Giancarlo Stanton who had four home runs and seven RBIs.  Anthony Rizzo contributed three home runs and two steals.  This translated into a five category offensive sweep for Larry’s team.  Chris P. had good weeks from Jake Lamb, Christian Yelich, and Ryan Zimmerman but the rest of the offense didn’t generate enough power to compete for home runs, RBIs or the rate stats.  Chris also lacked speed for the week, and had to hope his pitching could come through.

For the most part, the Legion enjoyed a solid week from both the starters and the bullpen.  Ken Giles picked up three saves and the Legion easily took the category and tied for the league lead.  They also won strikeouts by a wide margin.  Unfortunately for the Legion, their superior stats didn’t translate to wins.  Danny Duffy didn’t allow a run in 7.1 innings pitched but did not get the victory.  The Armadillos’ pitchers also had better control and had the second lowest WHIP in the league.  Dallas Keuchel continued to show improvement and Carlos Carrasco was phenomenal, allowing three hits and one walk over eight innings.  This was enough to secure victory in the first of many important match-ups between these two teams.  The Legion need to address their offense – they are second from the bottom in team home runs and have the lowest aggregate SLG through three weeks.

HP PhoeGnomes (1-1) vs.  JK Lannisters (1-1)

The PhoeGnomes have struggled against the Lannisters in the past, but Heather hoped a strong offensive showing might change her luck.  Seven PhoeGnomes had home runs, including three each from Aaron Judge and Austin Hedges.  Hedges also had seven RBI and Jose Altuve and Jose Ramirez stole two bases each.  Other players like Paul Goldschmidt contributed a home run, but there was a general lack of power outside of homers.  The Lannisters had two fewer home runs but posted a higher SLG that led the league.  The defending champs also enjoyed the highest RBI and OBP stats for the week.  Mookie Betts ended an early slump and Bryce Harper had three home runs.  However, Heather was able to take two categories and had a chance with good pitching.

Unfortunately for the PhoeGnomes, several starters struggled for the week.  Of the eight PhoeGnomes’ starters, only Jerad Eickhoff had an ERA below 4.50 for the week.  Heather easily won strikeouts but the Lannisters had significantly higher wins and saves totals.  They also posted a lower ERA thanks to a good week from the bullpen.  The Lannisters’ closers only allowed one run for the week.   However, there was potential trouble on Sunday.  John Lackey allowed five earned runs in six innings.  Had he been in the lineup, Heather would have won ERA and tied the week.  Also, Heather’s starters have recorded just three wins for the season despite the team having the second best ERA in the league and being near the top in strikeouts.

RK Possums (0-2) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (1-1)

The Possums picked up their first win of the season with a dominant rout of the Thunderwolves.  Rick put together a great all-around week on both sides of the ball.  The Possums led the league in ERA, WHIP, and wins.  They tied for the lead in saves.  Max Scherzer was excellent, striking out 16 in 15.0 innings pitched.  He also recorded two wins and allowed just three runs.  Corey Kluber also pitched a complete game shutout and had a 0.56 WHIP for the week.  This was easily enough to sweep all five pitching categories and build a huge lead.

Unfortunately for Kyle, there was little help coming on offense.  The Thunderwolves had the lowest OBP, SLG, and RBI numbers in the league.  The Possums enjoyed huge weeks from Joey Gallo and Joey Votto.  The two Joeys contributed seven home runs and 14 RBIs.  Ryan Braun stayed hot for the Thunderwolves but Kyle’s two young Rangers, Rougned Odor and Nomar Mazara, combined to go 8 for 54 with just four RBIs between them.  The Possums cruised to an easy victory after a couple of rough weeks to start the year.

CM Happy Hollidays (0-2) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (1-1)

The week’s final match paired the two expansion teams.  On the offensive side, the Goofballs were among the league leaders in all five categories.  Freddie Freeman had a monster week with four home runs and a steal.  He also entered the league’s leading jersey sales for the first time, landing at #17 on the season (seriously).  AJ Pollock was 14 for 27 with a 0.741 SLG.  Trevor Story is starting to get hot, too, and had three home runs.  Overall, the Goofballs had a great offensive week and the Hollidays were not able to offer a lot of resistance.

Pitching was a different story.  The Goofballs struggled and had the worst ERA and WHIP in the league by far.  They also had the second fewest strikeouts.  The Hollidays were better, taking strikeouts, wins, ERA, and WHIP.  This put them in position to possibly tie, but they didn’t get the bullpen help they needed.  Brad Brach came through for the Goofballs with two saves and ensured that Kevin would move to 2-1.   However, the teams’ pitching is starting to be a concern.  The staff is near the bottom in all five categories for the season.  Only the Lannisters have a worse ERA.

Next Week

After a set of close games, the Armadillos and Legion don’t get any breaks – they face each other.  The Legion will try to rebound against the Thunderwolves.  Heather and Rick will meet and try to get back to 0.500.  Finally, the Lannisters are heavy favorites against the Happy Hollidays.