HP PhoeGnomes (0-2-1) vs.  RK Possums (2-1)

Entering Week 04, only the PhoeGnomes and Goofballs stood winless.  Despite a solid challenge from the Possums, Heather earned her first win of the season with  the strongest all-around performance in the league.  The PhoeGnomes led the league in ERA, saves, WHIP, and SLG.  This balanced performance was too much for the Possums to overcome.

Heather’s lesser known starters set the tone.  Junior Geurra, Joey Lucchesi, and Hyun-Jin Ryu were all strong.  Bigger name like Gio Gonzalez and Chris Sale were effective but unspectacular.  The bullpen collected six saves (three each from Aroldis Chapman and Brandon Morrow).  They did not allow a run in 9.1 innings pitched.  This effort stabilized WHIP and ERA, as well.  Rick had a good week from Corey Kluber and Justin Verlander but Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello were not at their best.  Rick led the league in strikeouts by a wide margin, but he was not competitive in the rate categories.  This gave Heather a 3-1-1 advantage.

On offense, both teams showed good home run power.  Twelve players had home runs between the two teams, including a monster week from Didi Gregorious and Joey Votto.  The two Possums’ stars had four homers each and totaled 18 RBI.  Heather was more balanced, and Mitch Haniger led the team with three home runs.  The teams tied in total home runs at 11-11.  Rick carried an edge in RBI thanks to Votto and Gregorious, but Heather got three steals from Trea Turner and took the category.  The PhoeGnomes also took SLG and OBP thanks to their more balanced approach.  The win puts the PhoeGnomes on the board for the first time this season.  After a series of listless weeks, Heather’s team finally put together a complete attack.  The Possums fall to 0.500 after a tough loss.  Rick’s numbers would have beaten several other teams, so there is likely no cause for concern.

JK Lannisters (3-0) vs.  LK Armadillos (2-1-1)

The contentious Armadillos and Lannisters rivalry began for 2018, but the matchup was decided early in the week.  The Armadillos enjoyed a power surge while the Lannisters’ pitchers struggled and the offense couldn’t keep up.  Eleven different Armaidllos players had home runs including four from Gary Sanchez.  Ozzie Albies added three, and even part-timers like Edwin Encarnacion and Christain Villanueva had home runs.  The Lannisters had a nice week from Mookie Betts and Jose Abreu, but their efforts couldn’t keep pace with the Armadillos.  Larry had nine home runs after just three days, and the offensive battle was over at mid-week.  The team easily led the league in home runs and RBI.  The Lannisters took steals and OBP, but it wasn’t enough to be competitive.

Neither team had outstanding pitching, but the Lannisters’ meltdown handed the Armadillos all five categories in a rout.  Gerrit Cole and Charlie Morton came back to earth after hot starts.  Stephen Strasburg struggled, and Fernando Rodney had an infinite ERA.  The Armadillos weren’t great either, but had good bullpen activity.  Craig Kimbrel was the only reliever to allow a run.  Noah Syndergaard had a solid start and it was more than enough to secure all five categories.  A strong win for the Armadillos was overdue, and the Lannisters’ pitching remains a concern.  After having the best performance in the league last week, Jeff needs to find consistency.   The Armadillos are always a troublesome matchup for the defending champs, though, and this week was no different.  Every team now has at least one loss, and even teams at the bottom of the standings are just two games back.

KK Thunderwolves (1-1-1) vs.  SM Lasershow (1-2)

The Thunderwolves continued to surprise the league with a solid win versus the Lasershow.  Kyle is now above 0.500 for the first time since his Week 01 win in 2017.  The Thunderwolves relied on good pitching and just enough offense to secure the victory.  Ivan Lova was dominant in his one start, and James Paxton accumulated 10 strikeouts in just six innings pitched.  Cody Allen recorded two saves and Kyle took four of five pitching categories.  The Lasershow endured a nightmare outing from Jameson Taillon, and other starters like Zack Godley fared little better.  Tyler Chatwood was a bright spot – he allowed just one earned run in 13.0 innings pitched.  However, his good work was undone by Steven Matz and other starters.

On offense, neither team performed well.  The Thunderwolves were at the bottom of the league in home runs and RBI.  The Lasershow lagged in OBP and SLG.  Kyle was surprisingly dominant in steals – he led the league with eight.  Whit Merrifield had three and then five other Thunderwolves had one steal each.  The team’s speed isn’t a fluke – they are second in steals for the season overall.

The Thunderwolves’ offensive struggles are becoming a problem, but the team has endured several injuries.  Eight players are either on the DL or day-to-day on offense alone.  Two pitchers are day-to-day.  Kyle’s main sources of power are on the disabled list, so the lack of home runs makes some sense.  The team will have to rely on good pitching and speed to win going forward.  The Lasershow have faded after their Week 01 win, and need to look for answers on both sides of the ball.

CP Legion (1-1-1) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (0-1-2)

The week’s final match was a bizarre encounter between the Goofballs and Legion.  Neither team has found a rhythm this season, and Week 04 was no different.  The Goofballs posted good power numbers and won three categories with ease – home runs, RBI, and SLG.  Kyle Schwarber had three home runs and three other Goofballs had two each.  Freddie Freeman was the star for the week with a 0.412 OBP and 0.710 SLG.  However, the team struggled to get on base.  Brian Dozier lead the team in plate appearances but had a miserable 0.242 OBP.  The Legion lacked power outside of Yoan Moncada, but did post a slightly better OBP for the week.  Ender Inciarte had four steals to salvage a tie in the category.  This gave Kevin a 3-1-1 edge before pitching.

The Goofballs have the worst ERA in the league for the season by almost three-quarters of a run.  (4.51 vs 3.81 for the Lasershow).  This week was emblematic of the team’s struggles.  Jose Berrios, Dylan Bundy, and David Price all had ERAs over 7.50.  Somehow Chris Archer and Zack Wheeler managed wins, though, and this secured a tie in the category for Kevin.  Chris had much better rate stats and strikeouts.  However, the week could have gone much differently if Robbie Ray had not gone down with an injury on Sunday.  Ray left the game after just 1.1 innings pitched.  This left Chris with no chance to break the tie in wins.   The week ended in an ugly 4-4-2 tie.  Neither team can be happy with their performance.  Each missed opportunities – Chris Taylor had a home run and steal on the bench for the Legion on Saturday.  Ian Desmond ha d a Saturday steal for the Goofballs.

The plus side for Kevin is that his team is tied for second in home runs and is in second for RBI and SLG for the league.  The base is there, but he needs to get his pitching under control. The Legion are second in OBP and near the top in most pitching categories.  They need better power and more consistency.

Next Week

The key match for next week pairs the Possums with the Goofballs.  Kevin is desperate for a win, but Rick has been off to a good start.  The PhoeGnomes hope to keep their momentum against the equally hot Armadillos.  The Lannisters face the Thunderwolves after a tough loss.  Kyle will have his work cut out for him to stay above 0.500.  Finally, the Legion meet the Lasershow.