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

The week’s most important match paired the Lannisters and Armadillos.  Larry’s team entered the week undefeated and in first place.  Their performance against a difficult schedule was so strong that other teams were actively rooting for the Lannisters to win.  Unfortunately for the Armadillos, their hot start came to an abrupt end after a deluge of injuries and a strong Lannisters performance.

By most metrics, the Lannisters have produced some of the worst pitching stats in the league.  This week was different as Gerrit Cole and Jon Lester returned to form.  The pair struck out 19 over 15.0 innings pitched and allowed just six earned runs.  The Lannisters led the league in strikeouts and were second in ERA.  They posted a strong WHIP and tied for wins.  The Armadillos had the better bullpen, but a nightmare outing for Mike Foltynewicz (4.0 IP, 7 earned runs) ended any hope the Armadillos could challenge for the rate stats.

The Lannister offense is difficult to beat, and without a pitching edge, the Armadillos were in trouble.  Jeff’s team led the league in home runs, OBP, and SLG.  Jose Abreu and Manny Machado combined for seven home runs and 15 RBI.  Eight Lannister players had at least 15 at-bats, and the lowest SLG posted by a player was 0.476.  The Armadillos won steals and the Lannisters had a low number of RBIs relative to their home runs.  The rest of the teams earned between three and four RBIs per home run.  The Lannisters had only 30 on 15 homers, well below average.  Still, it wasn’t enough for the Armadillos to compete and the Lannisters earned a strong victory.  Both teams are dealing with injuries to superstar players, though, and the rest of the league is likely happy to have the last undefeated team fall.

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

The closest match of the week saw the Possums edge the Legion in a tight contest.  The Possums relied on strong starting pitching while Chris placed his hopes in his offense.  Both strategies worked, but the Possums clawed their way to victory with a huge Sunday.

Both teams had good pitching.  Rick had the best ERA and WHIP in the league.  Chris was second in strikeouts and also took saves.  Lance McCullers was strong, striking out 14 over 13.1 innings pitched.  However, the Possums countered with players like Jason Vargas who allowed just one earned run in 12 innings and a strong effort from Max Scherzer.  The Possums took three categories to the Legion’s two.  All categories were closely contested and each team’s stats were at the higher end of the league.

Both teams also excelled on offense.  The Possums led the league in RBI and were second to the Lannisters in home runs and SLG.  The Legion were second in OBP, steals, and RBIs.  Joey Gallo continued to help the Possums with three home runs.  Joey Votto was an OBP machine and drew 11 walks.  Nine total Possums had home runs.  Chris countered with a three-home effort from Paul Goldschmidt.  Ryan Zimmerman stayed hot as well.

Going into Sunday, the Legion had the lead in RBI, SLG, and home runs.  However, the Legion faded with a 0.138 SLG on Sunday and just a single RBI.  The Possums posted a huge day, tallying three homers and seven RBI.  This was enough the flip three categories and take the victory of the week.  The Legion are likely devastated.  Their performance (and the Possums) would have defeated every other team in the league except for the Lannisters.  Unfortunately for Chris, he was matched with one of the only two teams that were better for the week.

CM Happy Hollidays (0-4) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (2-2)

After four weeks for frustration, the Happy Hollidays earned their first win of the year against the PhoeGnomes.  Chris M. won thanks to a solid pitching performance.  The Hollidays tied for the league lead in wins and had the third best ERA and WHIP.  Michael Fulmer was excellent over eight innings.  The PhoeGnomes tried to counter with a good week from Chris Sale.  However, the rest of the team suffered several blow-ups including bad outings from Ivan Nova and Ian Kennedy.  The teams tied in wins and saves, but Chris had a 2-1-2 category lead.

On offense, neither team performed well, but Chris did enough to take three categories.  Matt Carpenter was the main reason the Holidays stayed competitive.  He had four home runs and a SLG of 1.133.  Heather had more players with home runs but only Aaron Judge had a SLG over 0.500 for the week.  Neither team had standout efforts, but the Hollidays did just enough to take three categories and escape with a win.

KG Capital City Goofballs (2-2) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (1-2-1)

The week’s final match saw the Goofballs triumph over the Thunderwolves.  Much like the Hollidays and PhoeGnomes, neither team posted good stats relative to the rest of the league.  However, the match was competitive before the weekend.  Kevin was led by good performances from Freddie Freeman and Brian Dozier.  The Goofballs used a total of 20 players, and tried everything they could to stay competitive.  The Thunderwolves stayed close with a nice week from Eric Hosmer.  However, the Goofballs were a little bit stronger over the weekend and earned a five-category sweep.

Kyle needed a miracle on pitching, but it wasn’t to be.  Cody Allen and Neftali Feliz were great in the bullpen, but that was the only category Kyle could capture.  Rough weeks from Chase Anderson and Julio Teheran blew up the team’s ERA and WHIP.  The Goofballs took advantage and secured the win for the week.

The most important news from the Thunderwolves as the arrival of the team’s newest free agent:  William Jordan Kramer.  Liam is the heir to the Thunderwolves dynasty and is expected to be in uniform soon.

Next Week

After a huge win over the Armadillos, the Lannisters meet the Thunderwolves.  Larry will try to rebound against the PhoeGnomes.  The Hollidays will try their luck against the Possums.  Finally, the Legion and Goofballs meet in what might be the most interesting match of the week.  The Goofballs believe they are a team on the rise, and the Legion are desperate to win to stay near the top of the league.