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.