KK Thunderwolves (9-12-1) vs.  RK Possums (15-4-3)

The Possums needed a win to retain a share of first place.  The Thunderwolves declared their intention to challenge the leaders, and followed through with a good effort.  Rick’s totals were too much, but the match was closer than the score indicated.  Neither team posted good offensive numbers.  Going into Sunday Rick had a lead in steals, but Kyle was close in the other four categories.  Rick had a mini-surge that was good enough to sweep all five categories.  Khris Davis and Joey Gallo each had two home runs.  Xander Bogaerts and Mallex Smith added two steals.  Kyle didn’t have any players with multiple home runs and only three players with more than 10 at-bats with a SLG over 0.500.

Rick had an okay week for pitching, but the totals weren’t great.  Max Scherzer and Corey Kluber struggled in their two starts.  J.A. Happ was solid, though, and Anibal Sanchez had a nice start.  Kyle had room to pick up some categories, but he was doomed by a terrible relief appearance.  Trevor Hildenberger had a 135.00 ERA and 15.00 WHIP for the week after a dreadful third of an inning.  Rick picked up strikeouts, saves, and wins, along with the rate categories.  Although the final score was 10-0, things could have turned out differently for the Thunderwolves if they had a little better luck.  For his part, Rick was able to survive a down week and get a win when he needed one.

KG Capital City Goofballs (4-13-5) vs.  LK Armadillos (16-5-1)

The Armadillos matched the Possums with a workmanlike win against the Goofballs.  Much like the Possums, the Armadillos didn’t have their best numbers but did enough to win.  The Armadillos had a good week from Trevor Story and Robinson Cano, but Kevin countered with a great outing from Juan Soto.  He had four home runs, three steals, and eight RBI.  This was enough to give Kevin wins in SLG and OBP.  Larry took home runs and RBI.

Unfortunately for Kevin, his pitching let him down, just as it has much of the season.  The team didn’t have any spectacular meltdowns but also just one good start from Masahiro Tanaka.  The Armadillos countered with a great start from Mike Foltynewicz.  Craig Kimbrel added three saves to Jose Leclerc’s two, giving the Armadillos another category.  This was enough for a smooth win.  Neither team posted huge totals, but like the Possums, the Armadillos did just enough to win and advance.

The win leaves the Possums and Armadillos tied at the top of the league.  Nothing has changed since last week:  The Armadillos have the most wins and the Possums have fewest losses.  This presents and un-breakable tie and the possibility of a split title.  The two wins all but eliminate the Lannisters, who also won.  For the Lannisters to stay in the race, the Possums must lose or tie next week against the Legion.  The Armadillos must lose or tie against the Lasershow.

For the title situation to resolve, either the Possums or Armadillos will need a loss or tie in the final week.  The following scenarios are in play:

1. Both teams win out – the title is split since the Armadillos have an extra win but the Possums have fewer losses (head-to-head does not come into play since the records are different)
2. One team wins out and the other suffers a loss or tie – the winning team wins the title
3. Both teams win one game and lose or tie one game – the title is split, just like in scenario #1
4. The Armadillos tie two games while the Possums win one and lose one – The Possums win the title because the teams will have the same record, and Rick wins the head-to-head tie-breaker.

The Lannisters are technically still in the race, but need at least a draw from both teams to be in play in the final week.  Until this happens, there is no need to analyze the multiple bizarre possibilities.  The update from last week still applies.  However, it is still possible for both the Possums and Armadillos to lose the title outright if they do not win at least one of their final two games.

Next week, the schedule probably favors the Armadillo.  They face the Lasershow.  Rick meets the Legion.  However, Sean’s play late this season has improved and he is more of a threat.  Despite the improved play, the Legion are still the more dangerous team.  Things change in the final week, where the Possums face the PhoeGnomes and the Armadillos meet the Lannisters.

SM Lasershow (6-11-5) vs.  JK Lannisters (12-4-6)

Jeff managed to stay alive with a narrow win against the Lasershow.  The Lannisters had great pitching and put up the best aggregate stat line in the league.  Stephen Strasburg and Jacob deGrom were dominant and Wade Davis and Pedro Stop picked up relief wins along with a save each.  Sean had a nice week from Trevor Williams and Cole Hamels but the Lannisters tied his strikeout totals despite throwing 14.2 fewer innings pitched.

On offense, Sean had the better OBP for the week and piled up steals.  Christian Yelich continued his good season, and Jackie Bradley Jr.  added two steals.  Yelich had two home runs to go alone with his steals.  The Lannisters countered with big weeks from Mike Trout and Manny Machado.  Justin Upton and Cole Calhoun rallied for home runs on Sunday, and the Lannisters led the league in the category.  The unexpected boost also gave the Lannisters the edge in SLG.  Flipping this category kept the team’s hopes alive for one more week.  Sean posted good numbers, and his improved play should not be overlooked.

CP Legion (7-10-5) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (5-15-2)

The week’s final match saw the Legion take care of business against the PhoeGnomes.  Chris posted the best offensive numbers across the board.  He led the league in steals and SLG and was second in home runs and OBP.  Michael Conforto, Jurickson Profar, and Adalberto Mondesi each had two home runs.  Mondesi added five steals and posted a 0.645 SLG for the week.  Mondesi’s speed and power have caused many owners to take notice of the young player’s abilities.  Heather got nice weeks from Nolan Arenado and Matt Olson, but it wasn’t enough to match the Legion.

Heather put up nice pitching numbers in an effort to come back.  Jhoulys Chacin had two good starts, but Chris Sale was limited to just 4.0 innings pitched.  Mike Clevinger had a good start, but Heather suffered from throwing too few innings.  The Legion were a little more efficient and had more saves.  Chris was able to win the categories he needed to get the win.

Next Week

The league is essentially set up in three tiers.  The title will be decided between the Possums and Armadillos, with the Lannisters on the fringe.  In the middle of the pack, the Legion, Thunderwolves, and Lasershow are all within two games of each other.  At the bottom, the PhoeGnomes and Goofballs are separated by just half a game.

The Armadillos meet the Lasershow while the Possums face the Legion.  Both teams will look to spoil the title chances of the leaders.  The Lannisters face the PhoeGnomes in a game they must win or tie to stay in contention.  Finally, the Goofballs and Thunderwolves meet.  Kyle can maintain his hold on the middle ground while the Goofballs are desperate to finish out of last place.