CP Legion (7-8-5) vs.  LK Armadillos (15-4-1)

With only two teams left in contention, two battles took center stage for the week.   The first contest paired the Armadillos and Legion.  The two bitter rivals have run on different paths this season.  The Armadillos entered tied for first place while the Legion have run in the middle of the pack. This week saw the Armadillos move into first place with a decisive victory.  The team had the best two-way week of any team.  On offense, Larry led the league in RBI, tied for first in home runs, and was second in SLG.  Tyler White had a monster week with three home runs and 10 RBI.  Alex Bregman was close behind with three home runs and nine RBI.  The Astros’ performance has to sting for the Legion.  Chris tried to counter with a nice week from Michael Conforto, but the Legion’s highest RBI total was just four.  Jose Ramirez had a steal, and it was enough for Chris to take the category.  However, the team was not competitive in any other offensive stat.  Larry took a 4-1 lead into pitching.

The Legion had good saves and strikeout totals.  The team finished in second place for the league in each.  Luis Severino had 10 strikeouts in just 6.0 innings pitched.  Lucas Giolito and Robbie Ray were also strong in their single starts.  Unfortunately, Jared Hughes has a disastrous relief appearance and Sean Newcomb struggled in his start.  This left the Legion with a poor ERA and WHIP.  The Armadillos threw about the same number of innings but had more success picking up wins.  The team also had the better ERA and WHIP thanks to a dominant week from Carlos Carrasco.  Carrasco struck out 11, allowed just six baserunners, and didn’t allow a run in his start.  This was more than enough for the Armadillos to win the two rate categories and pick up an easy win for the week.  Although the score was close up through the weekend, the outcome was never truly in doubt thanks to the pitching performance.  The win kept the Armadillos in first place, pending the results of the Lannisters /  Possums battle.

RK Possums (14-3-3) vs.  JK Lannisters (10-4-6)

After a frustrating season, the Lannisters finally saw success against the Possums.  The Lannisters relied on a strong offensive attack paired with decent pitching to earn a win and cost the Possums a share of the lead.  Five different Lannisters had two home runs for the week.  Manny Machado led the team in RBI with six.  Michael Brantley added two steals in part time work.  The Possums enjoyed a three home run week from Aaron Hicks and Eugenio Suarez had six RBI.  Jonathan Villar had three steals and Rick easily won the category.  However, the team struggled to find much power.  Suarez and Hicks were the only Possums’ regulars with a SLG over 0.425.  In contrast, the Lannisters had five regulars with higher SLGs.  The Lannisters took four categories with relative ease.

On pitching, the Possums suffered through a rare down week.  Outside of Corey Kluber, no pitcher threw more than 5.1 innings.  Mike Fiers, Rick Porcello, and even Max Scherzer had terrible starts and the aggregate team ERA was 4.50.  The Lannisters threw fewer innings but had a good start from Jacob deGrom.  The bullpen was outstanding and did not allow an earned run.  The Lannisters took wins and the rate stats and coasted to a surprisingly easy victory against the league’s top team.  The down week came at a bad time for the Possums, but the team can rebound.  The Possums and Armadillos meet in the biggest week of the season next.  There is more analysis of this match below.

KG Capital City Goofballs (4-12-4) vs.  SM Lasershow (5-11-4)

Kevin’s sad season continued with yet another tie against the Lasershow.  Kevin had great offensive numbers, probably the best in the league.  However, Sean put up the best pitching for the week.  This led to a deadlocked 4-4-2 tie.  Sean’s pitching led the league in strikeouts and ERA.  It was third in WHIP and tied for first in wins.  Eduardo Rodriguez had a great start with 12 strikeouts over 5.2 innings.  Cole Hamels and Zach Wheeler were also solid.  Kevin struggled in rate stats but found two relief victories and managed a tie in wins.  The two teams’ bullpens both struggled and tied in saves.  Overall, Sean took three categories and tied the other two.

On offense, the roles were reversed.  Kevin had a great week Anthony Rizzo and a host of other players.  Only two goofballs had SLGs under 0.450 and three were over 0.690.  Ian Desmond had two steals.  The Lasershow weren’t competitive in the rate stats thanks to the Goofballs’ power.  However, the Lasershow ran wild and led the league in steals.  Francisco Lindor had three for himself and five other players had at least one steal.  This was enough for Sean to win the category and secure the tie for the week.  Both teams were close to the win, and the Lasershow have shown some improved play in recent weeks.  The Goofballs’ bullpen bailed out the team.  Both teams could be dangerous for the league leaders down the stretch.

KK Thunderwolves (7-12-1) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (5-13-2)

The week’s final match saw the Thunderwolves come alive against the PhoeGnomes.  Kyle posted great numbers on both sides of the ball.  His offense tied for the league lead in home runs and RBI.  He was also near the top in SLG.  Gleyber Torres was the best of the Thunderwolves.  He had three home runs, 10 RBI, and a 0.947 SLG.  Eight other Thunderwolves’ players also had home runs.  Heather enjoyed a nice week from Ronald Acuna, but he had little backup.  Kyle swept all five categories.

On pitching, Kyle also displayed strong stats.  He was near the top in strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP.  Clay Bucholz was dominant in two starts and Aaron Nola struck out 19 over 12.2 innings pitched.  German Marquez had a great start and the bullpen was solid.  Heather didn’t have a chance after a Bud Norris injury and a disastrous Jake Arrieta outing.  Heather tied wins and saves, but Kyle’s overall body of work was too much.  The Thunderwolves improved on their respectable record and have shown real progress lately.  The PhoeGnomes are still searching for answers.

Next Week

Next week features only one match that matters for the standings.  The Armadillos and Possums meet in a massive battle for first place.  Right now, the Armadillos are in the lead by one game.  If the Armadillos win, they will be two games up with three to play.  If the Possums win, they will be tied in the standings but own a 3-1 head-to-head advantage and thus claim the tie-breaker for the title.  A tied leaves the Possums with the tie-breaker edge 2-1-1, but still one game back.

Both teams have equal final schedules.  The Armadillos face the Goofballs and Lasershow, against whom they are heavy favorites.  Meanwhile, the Possums face the Thunderwolves and Legion.  The Possums are still favored, but Chris and Kyle have played closer to the middle of the pack and are more of a threat.  The Armadillos have the advantage here.

However, the final week sees the Possums face the PhoeGnomes and the Armadillos face the Lannisters.  This match is heavily skewed toward Rick, since the Lannisters are still dangerous despite their injuries.  If the Armadillos and Possums are tied after this week, with Rick holding the tie-breaker, they probably have an advantage the rest of the way.  However, if the Armadillos win, they can almost guarantee themselves at least a share of the title.  Everything is one line!