RK Possums (10-6-6) vs.  JK Lannisters (15-6-1)

The Possums met the Lannisters in the most important match of the week.  With a win, Jeff could have eliminated Rick, Kevin, and Chris.  However, the Possums were able to pull off the victory and assure themselves of at least one more week in contention.

Rick’s best production came from Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber.  The pair threw 31 innings, struck out 36 and allowed just a single earned run between them.  In fact, the pair allowed just 16 total baserunners for the week.  The Possums won strikeouts and wins without much of challenge.  However, their overall ERA was just the third best in the league despite the pair’s effort.  This gave the Lannisters a small opening.  They deployed several different starters and got good numbers from everyone except Gerrit Cole.  He was the only Lannisters’ starter with an ERA over 3.20.  The bullpen was especially good, and recorded the most saves in the league without allowing a run.  Rick took WHIP, though, leaving ERA as the only other category in play.  Stephen Strasburg was on pace to win the category for the Lannisters, but he was lifted from the game one inning too soon to put Jeff ahead.  After pulling his bullpen for fear of allowing unnecessary runs, the Lannisters were left just a fraction of a decimal away from the win, and eliminating the other teams.  The corollary applies to the Possums, who would have lost the week without every single valuable inning from the Verlander/Kluber duo.

Though the week was decided by pitching, the Lannisters and Possums put up massive offensive numbers.  The Lannisters were second in the league in home runs, tied for second in RBI, and third in SLG.  Rick was close in SLG and homers, and took OBP.  Josh Donaldson was excellent, with five home runs.  The Lannisters countered with three home runs each from Justin Upton and Mookie Betts.  The forgotten Byron Buxton added two home runs and a steal.  The 2016 second round pick went unfrozen and undrafted after a miserable year last year.  His resurgence after the All-Star game have provided the Lannisters with a needed spark.  The Lannisters took three categories but didn’t get a steal Sunday.  This kept the category a tie and saved the win for Rick.

The result leaves the door open for the Possums and Goofballs.  Both still need to win out and the Lannisters to lose both of their final games.  Chris is in a similar position but could withstand a Lannister tie with two victories, winning in a tiebreaker.  The Armadillos are just a half game back but lack a tiebreaker.  They can only sustain a loss if the Lannisters do as well.  The race is still tight with just two weeks left and an incredible five teams in the mix.

KK Thunderwolves (4-15-3) vs.  LK Armadillos (12-6-4)

The next most important match of the week saw the Armadillos sneak by the Thunderwolves.  Larry needed a win to maintain a realistic shot at the title, but Kyle refused to give up.  The Armadillos dominated on offense.  They posted the highest home run and SLG numbers in the league.  They were second in RBI and tied for first in steals.  J.D. Martinez stayed red hot with three more home runs, and Kyle Seager added three as well.  Tim Anderson stole three bases.  Kyle lacked power but had three steals from Whit Merrifield.  This was enough to at least tie the category.

Kyle’s best chance came from pitching.  This starters had a great week.  Led by 15.0 inning from Zack Greinke, the Thunderwolves had the second best ERA in the league.  They also led the league in wins.  The Armadillos had a good pitching week as well, but couldn’t compete for WHIP or ERA.  However, Kyle’s bullpen let him down and recorded just two saves.  The Armadillos weren’t much better but managed to post three.  Cody Allen did his best, but Kyle left Blake Treinen on the bench on Sunday.  His save and strikeout would have secured the tie for the week.  This, when paired with a disaster start from James Paxton, gave the Armadillos just enough room for the victory. The Armadillos remain the team with the best chance to catch the Lannisters.

HP PhoeGnomes (10-11-1) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (12-8-2)

Kevin needed a win to stay in the race, and he responded with a workmanlike win against the PhoeGnomes.  Kevin rebounded from some rough pitching outings to post the league’s best ERA in a week with lots of good pitching.  No one pitcher stood out, but Kevin got solid execution in limited innings from Luke Weaver, Blake Snell, and Jose Berrios.  Heather struggled to amass good pitching numbers after two bullpen meltdowns.  Kevin swept all five categories with ease.

On offense, Kevin had good numbers.  Brian Dozier, Freddie Freeman, Kevin Keirmaier, and Rhys Hoskins had at least two home runs each.  This washed out good weeks from the PhoeGnomes’ Andrew McCutchen and Nolan Arenado.  The PhoeGnomes managed to win steals, but it was their only category.  Kevin won the battle and remained in the hunt.

CP Legion (11-7-4) vs.  SM Lasershow (2-17-3)

Like the Goofballs, the Legion needed a win (or at least a tie) to stay in the hunt.   The team responded with a great, complete week on both sides of the ball.  Jose Ramirez and Aaron Judge provided good power.  Several different players added steals.  No Lasershow player had more than one home run.  The Legion had nine players with at least one homer.  This was enough to score the most RBI in the league.  The team swept the rest of the offensive categories, too.

On pitching, Chris provided more good numbers.  Luis Severino continued to provide results in an excellent start.  Parker Bridwell didn’t allow a run.  The Lasershow had a rare win in strikeouts (in roughly the same number of innings pitched), but this was the only category where they had a shot.  Chris won the week comfortably and stayed in contention for the title.

Next Week

The key matchup again features the Lannisters attempting to eliminate their stubborn competition.  The PhoeGnomes must now try to pull off the upset to keep other teams in the race.  The Goofballs and Possums must win against the Thunderwolves and Lasershow, respectively.  Finally, the Armadillos and Legion meet in yet another crucial battle.  Both teams could possibly survive a tie with a Lannister loss, but both know a win is almost essential.

The Lannisters lost a few points after a brutal week against the Possums.  Conversely, Rick gained ground.  The Legion and Armadillos got a few points for wins over weaker teams.

The Possums and Goofballs are heavy favorites at 80% and 73% respectively.  The Lannisters are also favored with a 68% change to win against the PhoeGnomes. The Armadillos and Legion are a coin flip.

The Lannisters rebounded to climb further into the league lead.  The Legion also took advantage of an Armadillos’ tie to move into second place.  Rick leapfrogged the losing Goofballs for fourth place.  Kyle added further separation between himself and Sean.

The big favorites for the week are the Legion and Armadillos.  Kevin and Jeff are favored by about 60% each.  The Possums face a tough test in their must-win game.

KG Capital City Goofballs (12-7-2) vs.  JK Lannisters (14-6-1)

With four weeks to play, the Goofballs were just 1.5 game behind the Lannisters in the race for the title.  Week 22 offered Kevin a chance to pull within half a game of the lead and own a tiebreaker.  The Lannisters faced a difficult run of three straight games against teams still in contention.  Both teams had strong offensive performances.  Trevor Story and Elvis Andrus had two home runs each for the Goofballs.  Kevin’s team had nine players with homers.  The Lannisters had only six players with home runs but scored four from Jose Abreu.  Mike Trout contributed three steals.  This mix of stats led to a split in most categories.  Kevin took home runs and RBI.  The Lannisters won steals.  OBP and SLG were close going into Sunday.  The Lannisters weren’t able to boost their OBP by enough to take the category, but a clutch home run from Jean Segura and two from Jose Abreu shifted SLG into the leader’s favor.  This left Kevin with a 3-2 advantage.

Implosions from several Goofballs’ starters cost the team.  Only one starter, Kyle Hendricks, pitched more than six innings.  Chris Archer, Blake Snell, Jose Berrios, Blake Parker, and Shane Greene allowed more earned runs than innings pitched.  The Goofballs had the worst ERA in the league, and the second worst WHIP.  However, the squad did manage a handful of saves and wins.  The Lannisters enjoyed much better rate stats throughout the week.  Stephen Strasburg was outstanding in two starts.  He threw 14.0 innings, struck out 18, and didn’t allow an earned run.  Jacob deGrom had a poor ERA but struck out 15 in 9.2 innings pitched.  deGrom lost a win after a Mets’ bullpen meltdown, but it wasn’t enough to save the Goofballs.  The Lannisters took three categories and tied the other two.  This was enough to earn a narrow 5-3-2 win.

The loss is heartbreaking for the Goofballs, who fell to 2.5 games back with just three to play.  The missed opportunity also hurts the Possums, Armadillos, and Legion.  Those three teams needed an upset to gain ground.  The Lannisters now hold a tiebreaker over the Goofballs, meaning Kevin’s only chance is to win out while the Lannisters to lose three straight.  This still would not guarantee a title, as the Legion, Armadillos, and Possums would be in play.  There are still too many possible scenarios to go over each possible result, but the Goofballs face an uphill battle from here on.

LK Armadillos (12-6-3) vs.  RK Possums (10-6-5)

The week’s second most important match featured the Armadillos and Possums.  Each team needed a victory to stay close to the Lannisters, especially after Jeff defeated Kevin.  The Armadillos began the week with a monster performance from J.D. Martinez.  The new Diamondbacks’ outfielder hit an incredible seven home runs (including four in one game) and had 11 RBI.  He finished the week with a 1.214 SLG.  Gary Sanchez was strong in limited duty as well – he had two home runs in just 12 at bats.  The Armadillos had the best home run and RBI totals in the league, as well as the highest SLG.  Unfortunately for Larry, his top base stealers were either hurt or failed to get on.  This gave Rick a window to win the category with just two steals.  He had the second highest OBP total too, behind only a surprising Thunderwolves’ effort.  Rick took two categories despite having the lowest home run and RBI totals in the league.

The Possums’ good fortune continued on the pitching side.  The team had the most wins in the league and also took saves and strikeouts.  However, they had the second worst ERA to the Goofballs.  The Armadillos easily took WHIP.  This bizarre stat split led to a confusing 5-5 for the two teams.  How did the Possums manage so many wins?  Arodys Vizcaino, a Braves’ reliever, managed two wins from the bullpen.  Zach Britton recorded a win as well.  This gave Rick the category edge he needed.  The Armadillos experienced even more bad luck when they selected Dallas Keuchel over J.A. Happ.  Happ’s strong start would have given the Armadillos the edge in strikeouts, and thus the week.  Keuchel was the better choice in theory, and a bigger culprit was Clayton Kershaw, who lasted just 3.2 innings in his single start.  The tie pushes the Armadillos back to 1.5 behind the Lannisters.  The Possums also sit at 2.5 back with three to play.

Both teams would have preferred a win, of course.  The tie benefits the Lannisters, who gained 0.5 games on both teams.  The Possums are in the same situation as the Goofballs – they must win out and the Lannisters must lose out.  Even with a victory, the Possums will not have a tiebreaker edge over the Lannisters (the teams would be 2-2).  The Possums and Goofballs do not play each other again, but Rick owns the 2-1 tiebreaker.  The situation is more complicated for the Armadillos, who will need to gain two full games on the Lannisters since Jeff holds the tiebreaker.  This is not impossible given the Lannisters’ battles against the Possums and PhoeGnomes.  However, Jeff’s final game against the Lasershow gives the Lannisters one week as a heavy favorite.  The Armadillos have the best chance left, and the tie doesn’t change their situation.  They would still need to pick up two full games, even if they were just one game back.

CP Legion (10-7-4) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (10-10-1)

The Legion entered the week needing a win to stay in the race.  Chris faced the PhoeGnomes, who are eliminated but still have solid stats and are more talented than their record would indicate.  Heather started well on offense.  She had the second best week behind the Armadillos thanks to four home runs from Matt Olson.  Jose Reyes had a pair of home runs and steals.  Chris countered with a great week from Francisco Lindor.  He had three home runs and a steal.  Jose Ramirez added three home runs before getting hurt.  However, the Legion managed to take steals after the PhoeGnomes struggled on the bases.

This left Chris needing all five pitching categories to stay alive.  He responded with a great series of starts.  Robbie Ray led the way with 13.2 innings pitched and an incredible 26 strikeouts.  Carlos Martinez had 18 strikeouts in 15.0 innings, along with no earned runs.  This added up to a whopping 92 total strikeouts for the team, easily enough to lead the league.  The team also carried the best ERA and WHIP numbers in the league.  Heather struggled on pitching, and Chris earned enough to stay alive and in the hunt.  The close 6-4 win leaves the Legion 2.5 out of first and they hold the tiebreaker over the Lannisters.  This would introduce the possibility of a Legion/Armadillos tie, as well.  These scenarios are unlikely, but possible.  The situation will be clearer after next week.

SM Lasershow (2-16-3) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (3-15-3)

The final match of the week saw the Thunderwolves dominate the Lasershow.  Kyle posted a nice all-around week with both good hitting and pitching.  The Thunderwolves led the league in OBP and were second in steals.  They were third in RBI and SLG.  Eric Hosmer contributed three home runs to these numbers, and Whit Merrifield and seven RBI.  The Lasershow struggled despite a nice week from Kendrys Morales.  Kyle won all five categories with ease.

Pitching was much the same.  Michael Wacha had two nice starts for the Thunderwolves, and Zack Greinke was solid.  The Lasershow struggled to get quality innings, and Rick Porcello and Kevin Gausman were disasters.  Kyle swept these five categories as well, and earned an impressive 10-0 sweep.  The win leaves Kyle two games ahead of the Lasershow, and likely out of a last place finish.

Next Week

The week’s biggest match is the Possums versus Lannisters.  For Rick, the objective is simple:  He must win to stay alive.  A win from the Lannsiters would eliminate the Possums, Goofballs, and Legion.  A Lannister tie would eliminate the Goofballs and Possums.  The Goofballs are in a true must-win against the PhoeGnomes.  The Legion must at least tie against the Lasershow, and likely need a win even if the Lannisters lose.  The Armadillos play the Thunderwolves.  For Larry, a loss paired with a Lannister win would eliminate him from contention.  With five teams still in the race, every game matters.  Even if the odds are long, anything can still happen.  The title can also be decided this week.  If the Lannisters win and the Armadillos lose, the race is over.  The focus of the league will be on the Possums, who must shoulder the weight of the other contenders’ hopes as well as their own.

JK Lannisters (14-5-1) vs.  CP Legion (9-7-4)

In a week with three important matches, the Legion were successful in fighting off elimination.  Chris posted the league’s best offensive numbers.  The Legion led the league in home runs, steals, OBP, and SLG.  Jose Ramirez led the way with four home runs.  Six other Legion players added homers and Ender Inciarte and three steals.  The Lannisters had an excellent week from Welington Castillo, who had four home runs and eight RBI.  Six other Lannisters had home runs, and the team posted strong totals.  They had the second best steals, OBP, and SLG.  They tied for second in home runs.  Despite the strong showing, Chris won all five categories.

On pitching, the Lannisters suffered a disastrous week from Mike Fiers.  He threw 8.1 innings in two starts and gave up 14 earned runs.  This ruined the Lannister’s hopes for the rate stats for the week.  Chris had great starts from players like Luis Severino and Jimmy Nelson.  The Legion led the league in strikeouts and had excellent ERA and WHIP numbers.  This led to a convincing 9-0-1 victory.  The Legion stayed in contention with the win, and provided help to the Armadillos, Goofballs, and Possums.  After a massive eight game winning streak, the Lannisters were due for a down week.  They remain in first place but still have four other teams chasing them.

RK Possums (9-6-5) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (12-6-2)

With a lopsided Lannisters’ loss, the Goofballs had an opportunity to move within half of a game of the league lead.  The Possums needed a victory to stay close.  Both teams combined for the best two pitching performances of the week.  The combined numbers may be the best the league has seen in several seasons.  Both teams had ERAs below 1.40 and WHIP’s below 0.96.  The Possums had better counting performance.  They took both strikeouts and wins.  The Goofballs had better saves and the slightly lower ERA.  The Possums earned a narrow 3-2 edge thanks to WHIP.  Rick relied on monster weeks from his best to pitchers:  Max Scherzer and Corey Kluber.  The pair combined for 28.0 innings pitched, 26 strikeouts, five earned runs, and 23 hits plus walks.  Edwin Jackson was the only Possums’ starter with a WHIP over 1.00.  The Goofballs countered with a great week from Jose Berrios.  However, the team’s bullpen was shaky.  Dellin Betances and Felipe Rivero had poor rate stats.  This was just enough for the Possums to edge out a lead in WHIP.  The Possums would have won at least four categories against every other team, and the Goofballs were not far behind.

The battle was also close on offense.  Rick had better power, but Kevin took RBI and OBP.  Rick had more steals, but a slightly better SLG.  Rick pulled out the win with a narrow 3-2 category edge.  Josh Donaldson and Joey Gallo were the Possums’ two best hitters.  The pair each had two home runs.  Xander Bogaerts and Andrew Benintendi had two steals each.  The Goofballs had similar numbers from Freddie Freeman and Domingo Santana.  The split categories meant that SLG was the only category that could earn Kevin a tie.  Domingo Santana had two home runs on Sunday for Kevin’s team, but the Possums answered with a team SLG of 0.929.  This was enough to give Rick a victory and keep himself firmly in the title race.  The loss is devastating for the Goofballs, who are now a game and a half back and facing a tough series with the Lannisters.  Rick is just two games behind, but can’t win a tiebreaker over the Lannisters.  He will need more help, but for now this key victory is something to celebrate.  The Possums’ upset is a nice break for the Lannisters, who could have lost more ground to their closest competitor.

LK Armadillos (11-6-3) vs.  SM Lasershow (2-15-3)

A major beneficiary of the Possums’ and Legion’s wins was the Armadillos.  Larry’s team had a match against the league’s lowest-ranked team and took advantage.  The win helped them gain ground on the two teams ahead of them in the standings.  The win was keyed by great offensive numbers.  Jorge Polanco had a great week with three home runs, eight RBI, and a steal.  Gary Sanchez scored a home run but will also be suspended for three games this week.  Overall, the Armadillos tied for the second most home runs for the week and were behind only the Lannisters and Legion in overall offensive production.  The Lasershow had a good week from Tommy Pham but didn’t have enough extra to challenge in any of the five remaining categories.

On pitching, neither team posted great numbers, but the Armadillos were able to post enough counting stats to secure four categories and a dominant win.  Drew Pomeranz, Alex Cobb, and Julio Teheran had good strikeout numbers, but poor ERAs.  Kevin Gausman stayed hot for the Lasershow, but his good work was undone by Ervin Santana and Jim Johnson.  The Armadillos had a smooth win and are now just a game back from the league lead.  Like the Possums, the Armadillos cannot win a tiebreaker over the Lannisters.  They will need additional help and an outright lead to take the crown.

KK Thunderwolves (3-15-2) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (10-10-0)

The week’s final match saw the PhoeGnomes score their first tie of the year against the Thunderwolves.  Kyle posted good offensive numbers thanks to big weeks from Adam Jones and Brandon Crawford.  The PhoeGnomes had two home runs from George Springer, but little else in terms of power.  Heather had the second lowest SLG in the league, but she did take steals and OBP.

On pitching, both sides were evenly matched.  Kyle had the edge in saves and wins, but Heather saw better rate stats and a few more strikeouts.  The PhoeGnomes didn’t earn a save for the week, but had an incredible 21 strikeouts in just 12.0 innings pitched from Chris Sale and Taijuan Walker.  The pair didn’t allow a run, either.  The remarkable starts were more than enough to earn three categories and secure the tie.  Neither team is in the playoff race, but Kyle can take some pride in managing the semi-upset.

Next Week

The playoff race continues with another huge series of games.  The Goofballs and Lannisters meet for the last time.  Jeff will still be in first place not matter the outcome, but need the win to keep pace and relieve some pressure over the last three weeks.  A win for Kevin puts him right in the middle of the title hunt.  The Armadillos face the Possums in another crucial match.  The Armadillos will not play the Lannisters again and will have to win to keep pace.  The Possums are playing for their lives again.  The Legion face the PhoeGnomes, and Chris needs a win to stay alive.  Heather’s team is more talented than its record indicates.  They will do their best to eliminate the Legion, and then try again against the Lannisters in two weeks.  The final match pairs the Lasershow and Thunderwolves.  Neither team wants to end the year in last place, and this match gives the Thunderwolves a chance to stay out of the cellar.

The Lannisters lost Elo ground but remain the only team above 1,600.  The Armadillos and Legion made up some ground.  The Possums took a nice step forward, and are not well above the PhoeGnomes.

Next week features some close matches.  The Armadillos and Possums are essentially a coin-flip.  The Lannisters are slight favorites over the Goofballs.  The Legion and Thunderwolves are both the heaviest favorites, with around 60% chances to win.