CP Legion (7-3-1) vs.  RK Possums (4-4-3)

The week’s most important match featured the Possums and Legion.  Rick needed a victory to stay over 0.500.  Chris P. hoped to gain ground on the Armadillos.  The match was close, but a strong pitching performance earned the Possums a victory.  Rick’s team posted some of the best pitching numbers in the league, including the highest strikeout total.  The team also had strong rate stats and excellent bullpen work.  The key was Corey Kluber.  He threw 16.0 innings pitched, struck out 24, didn’t allow an earned run, and had a WHIP of 0.50.  The return of Kluber as an ace could stabilize the top of the Possums’ rotation along with Max Scherzer.  Chris wasn’t competitive in ERA, WHIP, or strikeouts.  He managed a tie in wins, but difficult weeks from Marco Estrada and Brandon McCarthy left the Legion with a 0-4-1 hole.

On offense, Rick posted excellent power numbers.  He led the league in home runs and was second in RBI.  He also tied for the lead in steals.  Ian Kinsler added two home runs and two steals.  Cody Bellinger had a monster week with five home runs and 12 RBI.  However, Chris was more competitive on offense.  Aaron Judge continued to surge with three home runs.  Chris had better consistency up and down his lineup and won OBP with ease.  He also managed to take SLG by a few points.  Unfortunately for the Legion, the team had too big a hole on pitching and Rick took three categories and secured a solid 7-2-1 win.  The Possums are still in 6^th place after the win, but remain just two games behind the Armadillos.  The Legion fell to one game back.  Both teams benefitted from the Lannisters’ result against the league leaders.

JK Lannisters (6-5) vs.  LK Armadillos (8-3)

After a series of difficult weeks, the Lannisters needed a positive result against the league leaders.  A loss would have spelled disaster.  The Armadillos hoped to have enough offense to overcome a troubled pitching week and stay on top.  The Lannisters showed a second week of great starting pitching.  Jeff led the league in WHIP and was second in ERA.  The team also led the league in saves.   Jacob deGrom continued to show improvement and had a solid start.  Gerrit Cole also performed well, as did Mike Fiers.  Three Lannisters’ relievers had two saves.  The Armadillos had more strikeouts over a higher innings count, but they were not competitive in the rate stats.  Wins were tied, despite the Lannisters making a solid pickup for an emergency Sunday start.  Derek Holland left the game with a lead, but the White Sox bullpen blew the game.  The lack of a win cost Jeff the victory for the week.

Both teams were evenly matched on offense.  The Armadillos won steals, but the Lannsiters led the league in RBI.  The two teams tied in home runs.  Corey Seager had a monster three home run game for the Lannisters, but the Armadillos countered with three from Mike Zunino.  The two teams eventually tied the category.  After a strong Sunday, the Armadillos pulled ahead by narrow margins for the rate stats.  Giancarlo Stanton and Keon Broxton had Sunday home runs, which tied the category and put the team over the top on SLG.  Larry was able to salvage an unlikely draw.  The Lannisters likely believe they deserved better for the week, but can take comfort in not losing ground and tightening the race overall.  The lack of a win helps the Legion not fall as far, and gives a boost to the Possums, PhoeGnomes, and Goofballs.

HP PhoeGnomes (6-5) vs.  CM Happy Hollidays (2-7-2)

Like the Possums, the PhoeGnomes needed a win to gain ground on the Legion and Armadillos.  The Hollidays showed some fighting spirit on offense, but were doomed by abominable pitching.  On offense, both teams showed solid power.  Heather had great weeks from Andrew McCutchen and George Springer, who combined for five home runs.  Seven Hollidays’ regulars had home runs, and they led the league in SLG.  Justin Turner had ten hits in just 22 at bats.  However, Chris didn’t record a steal and Heather took the category with ease.  This led to a 2-2-1 tie before pitching.

The PhoeGnomes led the league in wins, but did not have good rate stats.  Dylan Bundy struggled in two starts.  He was offset somewhat by Chris Sale and Jake Arrieta.  The bullpen was good, too.  Strong counting stats gave Heather a huge advantage.  The Hollidays didn’t pitch enough innings to amass counting stats.  They fell apart in the rate categories.  Francisco Rodriguez had a 32.40 ERA and Lance Lynn allowed seven earned runs in 5.2 innings pitched.  Heather won these categories essentially by default.  This gave her a solid win for the week and an outcome that was never in doubt.  The win boosts the PhoeGnomes a full game on the Legion and a half game on the Armadillos.

KK Thunderwolves (1-8-2) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (5-4-2)

The final match of the week saw the Goofballs defeat the last place Thunderwolves.  Kevin relied on a balanced attack.  On offense, Anthony Rendon was the Goofballs’ top performer with two home runs and a 0.923 SLG.  Kevin used 22 players for the week and only three of them did not have at least one hit.  The Thunderwolves had a good week from Adrian Beltre, but struggled elsewhere.  He had the fewest home runs in the league as well as the lowest OBP and SLG.  The two teams tied in steals and RBI.  Both teams tied for the lowest RBI total in the league.  Overall, Kevin built a solid 3-0-2 lead based on good OBP and SLG numbers.

Kevin pulled away with good pitching.  The Goofballs and Lannisters had the best weeks for pitching, and Kevin led the league in ERA and was second in wins and WHIP.  Johnny Cueto had a strong start, as did Mike Montgomery.  The bullpen was even better.  No Goofballs’ relief pitcher allowed a run.  Kyle suffered a disastrous start from Julio Teheran who allowed seven earned runs in 3.0 innings pitched.  Yu Darvish rebounded with a good start, but it wasn’t enough.  Kyle had many more strikeouts than Kevin, but it wasn’t enough.  The Goofballs took four categories and notched an easy victory for the week.  Like the PhoeGnomes, the Goofballs gained ground on the league leaders.

Next Week

After a series of brutal matches, the Lannisters hope to take advantage of the Thunderwolves.  The Possums hope to keep rolling against the Hollidays.  The most interesting match of the week pairs the Goofballs and Legion.  Both teams need a win, and have a chance to gain ground since the Armadillos face the PhoeGnomes.  Heather needs a victory, especially with the Possums and Lannisters having heavy advantages.  The Armadillos and Legion have challenging opponents, and will watch each other’s scoreboards.