JK Lannisters (5 – 4) vs.  CP Legion (6 – 2 – 1)

The week’s most important match-up featured the Legion and Lannisters.  The Legion have been hot and lead the league while the Lannisters have been up-and-down this season.  Jeff found himself in the rare position of having the support of the rest of the league in his battle against the league leaders.  The Lannisters responded with a strong week on both offense and pitching.  The Legion failed to gain traction and suffered a down week all around.  The final result was a strong win for the Lannisters.  The victory was largely a result of excellent pitching.  The Lannisters led the league in ERA and WHIP, and tied for the lead in strikeouts and quality starts.  Two pitchers were outstanding.  Walker Buehler allowed a single earned run over two quality starts in which he struck out 20 batters.  Gerrit Cole was exceptional in his single start – he struck out 14 in just 7.0 innings pitched.  The Legion struggled with implosions from Chris Paddack, Andrew Heaney, and Caleb Smith.  The Legion managed to take saves, but it was the only category they could win for pitching.

Chris’s team fared little better on offense.  The team suffered a power outage that resulted in league-low RBI, OBP, and SLG.  Michael Conforto had a good week in the losing effort, but Nolan Arenado struggled with a 4/22 week and 0.182 SLG.  The Lannisters’ offense wasn’t great, but it did enough to get the job done.  Mike Trout had three home runs and Corey Seager added a home run and nine RBI.  Trout and Seager did enough to push the Lannisters over the top with a comfortable 8-2 victory.  The Legion suffered their third loss, two of which came from the Lannisters.  This tightens the race at the top of the standings.  The PhoeGnomes are in seventh place but only two games behind the Legion.  Five teams are within a single game.  The loss also means the Legion can’t win a tie-breaker with the Lannisters at the end of the season.  Chris will look to rebound from the lost week, while the Lannisters continue to rebound.

HP PhoeGnomes (3 – 5 – 1) vs.  RK Possums (6 – 3)

The week’s most surprising result saw the PhoeGnomes defeat the Possums in a close battle.  Each team displayed good power.  Heather enjoyed a monster four home run week from Tom Murphy in just 13 at-bats.  Jay Bruce added two home runs to taunt his former team.  Seven other PhoeGnomes players had a home run and the team posted a good SLG total.  Rick countered with a pair of three home run weeks from Franmil Reyes and Ronald Acuna Jr..  Acuna also added a steal and Rick took the category.  Although Rick had a good home run total, Heather had superior power up and down the lineup.  She took RBI, but the Possums had the edge in steals.  This gave each team two categories.

Heather was able to distance herself thanks to great pitching.  Both teams had nice stats and solid totals that fell just behind the Lannisters’ dominant performance.  Frankie Montas had 10 strikeouts in just six innings for the Possums.  Three relievers contributed to saves.  Rick had five quality starts mixed with some lesser performances.  Masahiro Tanaka and Zach Davies were less effective, though both avoided a total meltdown.  This gave Heather breathing room and a monster start from Cole Hamels set the tone for the week.  He had 10 strikeouts in 8.0 IP.  Madison Bumgarner had two quality starts.  The team’s MVP was Josh Hader.  He struck out nine in just 3.1 IP and recorded three saves.  Heather took strikeouts and sealed the week.  The Possums put in a good effort and would have beaten many other teams.  Unfortunately for Rick, Heather was just too strong and is now just two games out of first place despite being in seventh.  The Possums missed a chance to move into first, but the blow is softened by the Legion’s loss.

SM Lasershow (1 – 8) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (4 – 4 – 1)

The League’s best offensive performance belonged to the Goofballs.  Kevin led the league in home runs, RBI, SLG, and was tied for first in OBP.  Mike Moustakas had four home runs and Freddie Freeman and Javier Baez added three each.  Three other Goofballs had two home runs.  Only one Goofball regular had a SLG below 0.540.  The onslaught was too much for the Lasershow, who also put up strong numbers.  In fact, the Lasershow were second in SLG and tied for the lead in steals.  Francisco Lindor and Shohei Ohtani had three home runs each.  Christian Yelich had a pair of home runs and steals.  The Lasershow were competitive, but they couldn’t withstand Kevin’s home run blitz.

The scores were close on pitching as well.  Each team had good strikeout and quality start numbers, but mediocre ERA and WHIP metrics.  For the Lasershow, Eduardo Rodriguez had good strikeout numbers but too many earned runs and no quality starts.  David Price was dominant in one start, striking out 10 and earning a quality start.  Kevin countered by relying on the hot Lucas Giolito who struck out 11 in 7.2 IP.  Kyle Hendricks had a nice start in which he struck out 10.  Overall, the Goofballs had slightly better numbers despite the Lasershow narrowly winning ERA and tying in strikeouts.  Kevin cruised to a 7-2-1 win, but Sean’s team put up a good fight.  The team’s numbers would have beaten many others in the league, and the Lasershow have to be patient and hope things eventually add up to success.

LK Armadillos (2 – 3 – 4) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (5 – 3 – 1)

The week’s final match saw the Armadillos frustrate the Thunderwolves.  Larry’s win was predicated on good pitching.  Brandon Woodruff had a nice 10 strikeout start.  Hyun-Jin Ryu added a quality start along with good results from Jake Odorizzi and Clayton Kershaw.  Brad Hand added three saves.  Kyle countered with a good start from Lance Lynn but also suffered poor returns from Aaron Nola and Chase Anderson.  Hector Neris had a nice three save week, but the Armadillos were better in the other four categories.

On offense neither team excelled but the Armadillos did enough to post respectable numbers and earn the win.  Edwin Encarnacion had a huge four home run week.  Pete Alonso added two of his own.  Only two Thunderwolves players had a home run for the week – J.T. Realmuto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr..  The team struggled to get men on base and didn’t record a steal.  Four categories went to the Armadillos, though OBP still eludes them.  The win brings the Armadillos back up to 0.500 and within range of the top of the league.  Kyle will need to find some offensive help and get better pitching to stay in the top half of the league.

Next Week

The week’s most critical match pairs the Legion and Possums.  Rick can move into first place with a win, and the Legion need to bounce back after a tough week.  The Lannisters meet the Thunderwolves, and Kyle is desperate to stay near the top.  The Armadillos face the Lasershow.  Finally, there is an intriguing match between the Goofballs and PhoeGnomes.  Both teams are coming off good performances and want to keep building momentum.