RK Possums (5-2-1) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (3-4-1)

The ninth week of the season saw the Possums move into a tie for first place with a win against the Thunderwolves.  The Possums put together the most complete week of any team in the league.  They were rewarded with a dominant victory.  The Possums’ offense was anchored by Nomar Mazara.  He had two home runs and five RBI.  He had the highest SLG on the team for any player with over 20 at-bats.  Mazara is up to 14 home runs for the season on a bad Rangers team.  His emergence has been critical for the Possums since older sluggers like Joey Votto and Charlie Blackmon have been down (relatively speaking) this season.  Eugenio Suarez also had a good week, along with Evan Gattis.  Kyle suffered a tremendous power outage, with only three team home runs.  The Thunderwolves won steals, but this was the only offensive category in which they were competitive.

On pitching, both teams put up nice numbers.  Kyle had good starts up and down their rosters.  Zack Greinke, Aaron Nola, Felix Hernandez and others posted good ERA and WHIP numbers.  Cody Allen was a trouble spot in relief, but Kyle still posted the third best ERA in the league.  Unfortunately, the Possums led the league in ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts.  Justin Verlander remained dominant over two starts.  Max Scherzer and Corey Kluber struck out 22 in just 14.0 innings pitched.  Trevor Bauer struck out 11 in just 5.2 innings pitched.  The two way effort was enough to Rick to earn a strong victory.  The win puts the Possums in a tie for first place, though they currently fall in second place in the standings since they have more losses than the Lannisters.  Pitching has been key for the Possums.  They lead the league for the season in strikeouts, wins, and WHIP.

KG Capital City Goofballs (1-4-3) vs.  LK Armadillos (5-2-1)

The other big winner for the week was the Goofballs.  After a slow start, Kevin’s team is showing signs of life.  This week the offense took center stage.  They led the league in home runs, RBI, and SLG by significant margins.  There were second in OBP and steals.  The leader was Eddie Rosario who hit three home runs in just 10 at-bats.  Twelve Goofballs had home runs, including two each from Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber, and Matt Carpenter.  The Armadillos were also strong on offense.  They had nine players with home runs including four from Edwin Encarnacion.  Dee Gordon added three steals, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace with the Goofballs.

Neither team was as successful on pitching as they were at the plate.  However, the Goofballs did enough to earn a comfortable win for the week.  Chris Archer and Tyson Ross combined for four starts, 20 strikeouts, and a win.  The Armadillos got yet another poor outing from Carlos Carrasco and Patrick Corbin.  Mike Foltynewicz was excellent, but Clayton Kershaw was ineffective in his return to the rotation.  The Goofballs also suffered a setback when Alex Reyes went back on the DL with an injury.  Both pitchers were expected to be major contributors.  The Goofballs made the best of their injury woes and took the two categories they needed for  a victory.  The Armadillos won saves with ease, and somehow took WHIP despite having an ERA over 6.20.  It wasn’t enough, and they are left to ponder how to stabilize the staff.  The Goofballs are now gaining some momentum and hope to continue to come back strong next week.

CP Legion (2-2-4) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (2-5-1)

The league’s final decisive contest paired the Legion and PhoeGnomes.  Heather put together the second best all-around performance just behind the Possums.  Their pitching was outstanding behind two great starts from Trevor Cahill.  Other relative unknowns like Wade LeBlanc and Ross Stripling had great starts.  Jake Arietta and Gio Gonzalez didn’t strike out may batters but they also did not allow an earned run.  The Legion didn’t have terrible pitching numbers, but they did not match up with the PhoeGnomes.  Blake Snell was great over two starts but Nick Pivetta and Reynaldo Lopez struggled.  Heather’s strong bullpen ensured that she picked up a five category sweep.

On offense, both teams were solid.  Nine Legion and eight PhoeGnomes players had home runs.  Jose Ramirez stayed hot for the Legion with three home runs.  Heather countered with three home runs from Matt Kemp and Matt Olson.  Nolan Arenado had two home runs and seven RBI.  Chris led the league in steals, and also topped Heather in RBI, OBP, and SLG.  However, the PhoeGnomes were competitive in all categories and managed a tie in home runs.  Chris missed the sweep and a chance for a tie.  Although the Legion didn’t miss any home runs on Sunday, they did leave five on the bench on Saturday, including the beleaguered Paul Goldschmidt.  The PhoeGnomes strong week netted them a well-earned victory.  With both the pitching and offense showing signs of life, Heather has to hope better things are on the horizon.

SM Lasershow (2-5-1) vs.  JK Lannisters (5-1-2)

The week’s final match was a sloppy encounter between the Lannisters and Lasershow.  Neither team could get enough going to earn a victory.  The best performance belonged to the Lasershow’s pitching.  The staff tied for the league lead in wins and was third in ERA and WHIP with strong numbers.  After being held winless last week, the pitchers responded with six victories.  Michael Wacha was particularly strong.  He had two starts, two wins, and a 0.61 ERA and WHIP.  Jameson Taillon rebounded to throw eight shutout innings.  The Lannisters’ staff struggled.  Charlie Morton had two rough starts and Wade Davis was ineffective in the bullpen.  Fernando Romero was called upon for spot start duty and imploded, allowing eight earned runs in 1.2 innings pitched.  The Lannisters took saves and strikeouts, but the Lasershow easily won the other three categories.

The Lannisters were better on offense.  Manny Machado had three home runs, and nine Lannisters in total added homers.  The Lasershow didn’t have the same level of power and lost out in SLG, home runs, and RBI.  However, Christian Yelich had three steals and the Lasershow dominated the category.  The Lannisters were unable to get on base well enough to compete in OBP and the end result was a dreary 5-5 tie.  Neither team is happy with the result.  The Lannisters wanted a win to stay in first place, and the Lasershow were close to pulling off an upset.  Both will try to stabilize things next week.

Next Week

The Goofballs will try to stay hot against the Thunderwolves.  Things don’t get easier for the Lasershow, who must face the Armadillos.  The PhoeGnomes and Lannisters meet again, and Heather needs a victory to keep climbing in the standings.  The final match pairs the Possums and Legion.  This promises to be an interesting contest as the Possums try to remain on top of the league.