CP Legion (1 – 0) vs.  LK Armadillos (1 – 0)

The week’s only match of two winning teams paired the Armadillos and Legion.  The rivalry between these two teams is probably the most intense in the league.  In this early contest, the Legion won a decisive victory.  Chris led the league in four hitting categories:  home runs, steals, OBP, and SLG.  Yasmani Grandal led the Legion with three home runs, but nine total Legion players contributed at least one.  Cody Bellinger paid early dividends with two home runs and two steals.  Jesse Winker added a pair of home runs in part time duty.  The Armadillos had a nice three home run week from Pete Alonso, but it wasn’t enough to stay competitive.  Domingo Santana contributed eight RBI to help tie the category, but Chris captured a strong 4-0-1 advantage on offense.

Neither team had great pitching stats except for the Legion’s league-leading save total.  Roberto Osuna had five saves, more than any other team’s combined total.  The real story on pitching was the Armadillo’s struggles.  The team put up a terrible 7.20 ERA and 1.43 WHIP, easily the worst numbers in the league.  Larry suffered debacles from Carlos Carrasco (0.2 IP, 6 ER), Freddy Peralta (3.1 IP, 7 ER), and Masahiro Tanaka (4.0 IP, 5 ER).  The loss of these two categories paired with Chris’s dominant bullpen spelled triggered a rout of the defending champions.  The Legion are the league’s only unbeaten team and sit in first place.  The shocking loss leaves the Armadillos searching for answers on both sides of the ball.

KK Thunderwolves (0 – 1) vs.  SM Lasershow (0 – 1)

Although the Legion had the best statistical week of any team, the Thunderwolves had the most dominant victory.  Kyle secured a rare 10-0 victory of Sean’s squad.  Despite the lopsided score, the match was somewhat competitive when looking at individual categories.  On offense, each team put up respectable if unspectacular numbers.  Freddy Galvis and Tommy Pham each had two home runs for the Lasershow.  Andrelton Simmons added a home run and a solid SLG total.  However, Kyle was able to edge out all of the key categories thanks to a great week from Elvis Andrus and Rhys Hoskins.  Each had two home runs and Andrus slugged 1.260.  His two steals secured the final category for the Thunderwolves and they recorded a 5-0 sweep.

Like many other teams this week, neither squad had a good pitching rate stats.  However, the Thunderwolves recorded good strikeout, quality starts, and saves figures.  They tied for the league lead in the first two categories and were second in the third.  Zack Greinke had a vintage 15 strikeout week over two starts, and German Marquez added two solid outings as well.  Kirby Yates recorded all four of the team’s saves and secured the category.  Sean didn’t have an answer for the week.  David Price had a nice start but several of the team’s other starters imploded.  Overall, the Thunderwolves picked up a nice win despite not having their best on pitching.  They are now at 0.500 and possibly on the rise.  The Lasershow continue to slide, and things won’t get any easier against the Armadillos next week.

RK Possums (0 – 1) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (1 – 0)

Last year’s second place team faced off against the tough Goofballs squad and had the closest match of the week.  Rick was able to secure a narrow win and improve to 0.500, while the Goofballs tried their best to remain unbeaten.  The two teams easily had the best pitching numbers in the league.  Kevin had the better rate stats but Rick was able to earn more strikeouts and saves.  The teams tied in quality starts.  Rick had a productive week from Justin Verlander, who struck out 17 in two starts.  However, he gave up more runs than usual.  Max Scherzer and Trevor Bauer continued this pattern.  They pitched a lot of innings and piled up strikeouts.  However, they weren’t totally dominant and did allow some earned runs and walks.  Kevin took advantage and deployed twelve different pitchers who got innings.  Julio Teheran and Jon Gray were the best of the bunch.  Neither allowed an earned run.  The bullpen was strong, despite only earning two saves.  Ultimately, the two teams reached a stalemate and had a 2-2-1 tie before accounting for offense.

Both teams put up respectable offensive numbers.  Kevin had more home runs and RBI, but Rick easily won steals and OBP.  Rick’s top hitter was Khris Davis, who stayed red-hot with five more home runs and 10 RBI.  Ronald Acuna Jr. added three home runs of his own.  Tim Anderson contributed three stolen bases and Rick dominated the category.  The Goofballs countered with good weeks from multiple players.  Anthony Rendon had two home runs and eight RBI.  Ten different Goofballs had at least one home run.  Unfortunately for the Goofballs, Anthony Rizzo and Freddie Freeman struggled for the week.  This gave Rick a slight edge in SLG that carried through the final game on Sunday.  Kevin had a chance to flip the category, but he couldn’t quite get enough power to turn the result.  Rick won a narrow 5-4-1 match.  The Goofballs would have beaten many other teams in the league, and Kevin has to hope for better luck in future weeks.

HP PhoeGnomes (0 – 1) vs.  JK Lannisters (1 – 0)

The week’s final match saw the PhoeGnomes win against the Lannisters.  Both teams seemed to struggle to get into a rhythm but Heather’s crew did just enough to secure her first win of the year.  The week’s star was undoubtedly Jose Altuve.  He had six home runs and 10 RBI.  Dansby Swanson was strong as well with a home run, nine RBI, and a steal.  The Lannisters had a good week from Austin Meadows with three home runs.  However, the rest of the squad struggled to pick up RBI or steals.  Heather won a close SLG race and earned a 3-1-1 lead before pitching.

Neither team had strong pitching stats.  The Lannisters suffered multiple meltdowns from Jacob deGrom, Stephen Strasburg, and Walker Buehler.  Luis Castillo had a nice outing, as did Jake Arrieta.  The Lannisters won strikeouts with ease but only tied in quality starts.  Heather had slightly better rate stats thanks to Shane Bieber and Ross Strickling.  However, her stats weren’t great overall.  The PhoeGnomes had their share of meltdowns, they just weren’t as extreme as the Lannisters’ embarrassing performances.  In a final mark of shame for both teams, neither roster recorded a save.  Despite these poor metrics, the PhoeGnomes are thrilled to pick up their first win.  The Lannisters will need to reevaluate their pitching after one good week and one poor one.

Next Week

The week’s best match pairs the Legion and Lannisters.  This rivalry has less animosity than the Legion / Armadillos, but the matches are always competitive.  The Thunderwolves hope that the Armadillos continue to struggle in their first meeting.  The PhoeGnomes and Possums both hope to hold on to their winning momentum.  Finally, the expansion teams meet for the first time this year as the Goofballs face the Lasershow.