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.