KK Thunderwolves (2 – 1 – 1) vs.  RK Possums (2 – 2)

The most unexpected start to the season belongs to the Thunderwolves.  For the first time in several seasons, Kyle is multiple games above 0.500.  His team is in second place behind good pitching and hitting.  Kyle added to his resume with a win over the Possums in Week 05.  The Thunderwolves offense led the way.  Although the team did not have stats on par with the Lannisters or Armadillos, they were near the top of the league in most categories.  Four players had two home runs including Rhys Hoskins, who had eight RBI.  Six Thunderwolves had SLG values over 0.700.  This gave Kyle easy wins in home runs, RBI, and SLG.  They also won OBP handily and tied steals.  Rick had a nice three home run / nine RBI week from Jose Abreu, but the rest of his offense was quiet.  This put Kyle in a commanding position for the week.

Neither team had great pitching stats, but most categories were evenly matched.  Kyle had a good week from Zack Greinke while Rick relied on Justin Verlander.  The two teams threw almost the same number of innings.  Rick had a slight edge in strikeouts and quality starts.  However, Kyle won ERA by a tiny amount.  Both teams had two saves.  This was just enough to give Kyle the needed win.  Rick could have tied if not for a disastrous start from Joe Musgrove, who allowed five earned runs in just 2.2 IP.  The win keeps the Thunderwolves near the top of the standings.  Rick’s slow start is becoming more of a concern.  However, the Possums were one of the most feared teams in the league last year and have time to turn around their season.

SM Lasershow (1 – 3) vs.  JK Lannisters (2 – 2)

The week’s top performer overall was the Lannisters.  Jeff’s team led the league in multiple categories and dominated the Lasershow.  The Lannisters were tops in strikeouts, OBP, and SLG.  They were second in quality starts and RBI.  Manny Machado tallied four home runs, and eight other Lannisters contributed one.  Stats appeared up and down the lineup – role players like Jonathan Schoop had a home run and four RBI to add to the team’s strong total.  The Lannisters didn’t steal a base, but they easily won the other four offensive categories and built an almost insurmountable lead.

On pitching, the Lannisters kept up the pressure with five quality starts and a league-leading 69 strikeouts.  Jon Lester, Gerrit Cole, and Jacob deGrom each had a seven inning start with no earned runs.  The trio gave up only five total hits.  Lester in particular was strong, recording 11 strikeouts and posting a 0.29 WHIP.  The Lasershow struggled to keep up and the Lannisters won another four categories.  Overall, it was a dominant return to form for the Lannisters, who are dealing with numerous injuries.  Sean will need to make some changes going forward to get back to winning.

KG Capital City Goofballs (2 – 2) vs.  LK Armadillos (2 – 1 – 1)

The week’s closest match was a strange 5-5 tie between the Goofballs and Armadillos.  These teams are evenly matched and seem to gravitate toward ties.  On offense, the Armadillos led the league in home runs with 15.  Alex Bregman had five along with 10 RBI.  Like the Lannisters, the Armadillos had production up and down the lineup.  Eight players had at least one home run.  Ozzie Albies added eight RBI.  The Goofballs countered with a great week from Anthony Rizzo and Keel Marte.  The pair totaled six home runs and nine RBI.  The Goofballs had more overall power and took SLG despite Larry winning home runs.  The Goofballs also took OBP when the Armadillos posted the league’s worst total.  Larry did take RBI, and Kevin captured steals.  Alex Bregman was thrown out stealing, and this would haunt the Armadillos after factoring in pithing.

The Goofballs went with a quality-over-quantity strategy that seemed to work.  They won ERA and WHIP behind a masterful start from Kyle Hendricks.  However, they didn’t throw enough innings to be competitive in quality starts or strikeouts.  Larry took these categories with ease and dominated saves.  This left the stats deadlocked.  Kevin came one RBI from winning and the Armadillos were one steal behind.  The close match means both teams lose ground against the Legion, Lannisters, and Thunderwolves.  However, the result is obviously better than a loss that could have gone either way.

HP PhoeGnomes (1 – 3) vs.  CP Legion (3 – 1)

The week’s final match saw the Legion win with confidence against the PhoeGnomes.  Chris posted the week’s best pitching stats and finished just behind the Lannisters in total performance.  Mike Soroka had a masterful week over two quality starts, striking out 13.  Caleb Smith and Matt Strahm were solid as well.  Heather had good pitching stats behind Luke Weaver and a three-save Josh Hader week.  She won strikeouts by virtue of more innings pitched.  Chris held a slim 3-2 lead before accounting for hitting.

Although pitching was close, offense was a no-contest win for the Legion.  Chris had good numbers across the board, and Heather failed to be competitive in anything but steals.  Nolan Arenado haunted his former team with three home runs for Chris.  Jesse Winker and Willson Contreras added two apiece.  The PhoeGnomes finished at the bottom of the league in SLG and OBP, and barely beat the Lasershow for home runs and RBI.  Chris earned a solid win that keeps him in first place with his only loss coming against the Lannisters.  Heather remains in last place, and must find more offense to compete.

Next Week

Week 06 features a few strong matches.  The surprising Thunderwolves will try to keep things rolling against the PhoeGnomes.  The Possums hope to rally against the Lasershow.  The Goofballs and Legion meet in an intriguing contest.  Kevin can challenge the Legion offensively, but what about pitching?  Finally, the Lannisters meet their long-time nemeses, the Armadillos.  The Possums and Armadillos frustrate the Lannisters more than any other team, but their strong pitching might give them the advantage this week.