KG Capital City Goofballs (8 – 8 – 2) vs.  LK Armadillos (8 – 6 – 4)

The week’s most important and competitive match featured the Goofballs and Armadillos. Both teams are on the fringe of contention and neither could afford a loss with the season coming to a close.  Both teams posted solid all-around numbers but the Goofballs were slightly better on pitching and won the week.

The teams were evenly matched in hitting, but the Armadillos had a small edge in rate stats.  No player had more than two home runs, but the team was consistent.  Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman had two home runs each and totaled 19 RBI.  Starling Marte had two steals and a home run.  Only two players with more than 10 at-bats had a SLG below 0.500.  This consistency helped Larry lead the league in OBP and finish second in RBI and SLG.  Kevin won hone runs thanks to a big week from Juan Soto.  He had four home runs and two steals.  Ryan McMahon added five home runs and eight RBI.  Ten Goofballs’ players had at least one home run, and the team tied for second in the league.  This gave the Armadillos a 3-1-1 advantage before adding pitching.

Both teams had respectable numbers but the Goofballs were able to earn the win thanks to higher productivity and more innings pitched.  Griffin Canning was strong in a single start but the biggest surprise was Jose Quintana who struck out 14 in just 6.0 IP.  Lucas Giolito added 11 strikeouts in his 6.0 IP as well.  A few starters struggled but the team had a solid ERA and WHIP.  The Armadillos got a great start from Clayton Kershaw and respectable numbers elsewhere.  However, the bullpen imploded and allowed eight of the team’s 13 earned runs for the week in just 2.1 IP.  This inflated the team’s ERA and sealed a win for Kevin.  The Goofballs remain three games out of first place while the Armadillos drop back to three behind as well.  Both teams have one more game left against the Lannisters, and each can be considered a must-win to keep their title hopes alive.

CP Legion (9 – 7 – 2) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (8 – 9- 1)

The week’s best performing team was the Legion.  Chris led the league in home runs, RBI, ERA, WHIP, and tied for the lead in quality starts.  The PhoeGnomes posted good offensive numbers but the pitching staff let the team down in the end.  Cody Bellinger, Nolan Arenado, and Jose Ramirez led the way for the Legion.  Each had four home runs and totaled 25 RBI.  Danny Santana had three home runs and eight RBI.  Ten total players had a home run which is especially impressive since Chris started just 12 total position players for the week.  Heather tried to fight back and managed to win OBP thanks go good week from Rafael Devers and Carlos Santana.  The latter was particularly strong with four home runs of his own.  Unfortunately for Heather, the Legion had too much power and won four other categories.

The Legion pitching staff was also sharp.  New addition Yu Darvish had a good 10 strikeout start.  Caleb Smith was solid, and several other starters had good numbers in limited innings.  The loss of Robbie Ray is troubling but a problem for next week.  Liam Hendricks recorded two saves and allowed just one hit for the week.  The limited innings gave Chris good rate stats but also limited his strikeout potential.  Heather took advantage and easily won the category.  Madison Bumgarner had 18 strikeouts in 13.0 IP, but also allowed five earned runs.  Cole Hamels had a nightmarish 8 earned runs in just 2.0 IP.  Chris Sale went on the DL after an okay starts.  Overall, the team’s pitching just wasn’t up to par and Chris cruised to a relatively secure win for the week.  The loss doesn’t mathematically eliminate the PhoeGnomes, but the road ahead is difficult.  The Legion remain two games behind with six to play.

JK Lannisters (12 – 6 – 0) vs.  SM Lasershow (3 – 15 – 0)

The week’s strangest match paired the Lannisters with the Lasershow.  Sean hoped to pull off the upset but was foiled by some bad luck on Sunday.  His strong pitching wasn’t enough to overcome the Lannisters’ offensive performance and the league leaders found just enough pitching to escape with a win.  On offense Bryce Harper led the way with four home runs and 10 RBI.  Harper was so tired from carrying the team he was removed from Sunday’s game due to dehydration (seriously).  Gio Urshela was strong with a home run, 12 hits, five RBI, and a 0.545 OBP.  Trey Mancini had two homers.  Matt Chapman had two home runs on the bench on Wednesday.  He was in the lineup Thursday and added two more.  James McCann and Marwin Gonzalez were strong in part-time duty.  The Lasershow were also strong on offense.  Three players had two home runs each including Willie Calhoun and Christian Yelich.  Shohei Ohtani had a home run, steal, and 0.643 SLG.  Sean had great rate stats but in a week with many huge offensive performances, it wasn’t enough.  The Lannisters led 4-0-1 before pitching.

The Lasershow fared much better on pitching.  They posted good numbers across the board.  Sonny Gray was strong with 10 strikeouts in just 5.0 IP.  Max Fried had 12 strikeouts in 11.0 IP.  However, the team struggled to pitch up to the 6.0 IP quality start threshold.  This limited their quality starts total and allowed the Lannisters to sneak in a tie the category despite several meltdowns.  Luis Castillo was deplorable, allowing eight earned runs in his lone start.  Stephen Strasburg, Walker Buehler, and Jake Odorizzi all struggled.  This limited their innings pitched and strikeouts suffered.  However, the short starts also gave the team some flexibility in WHIP, and a strong start from late addition Joey Lucchesi (0.83 WHIP) turned the tide for the week.  Lucchesi’s quality start tied one category and secured another – this turned a loss or tie into an improbable win.

This shocking result means that the Legion, Goofballs, and Possums lost a chance to gain ground on the league lead.  The lucky win mitigates the bad luck from two weeks ago when the Lannisters missed a win after a late pitching scratch.  The Lasershow took another loss in a competitive week.  It seems like Sean is always close to a win but can’t quite get the last category he needs.  Nevertheless, the Lasershow remain a team to watch as the season concludes, since they could still spoil any of the leaders.

KK Thunderwolves (7 – 9 – 2) vs.  RK Possums (11 – 6 – 1)

The week’s final match featured the Possums and Thunderwolves.  Both teams are in the title hunt, with the Possums in particular looking strong.  However, this week ended in a rare 4-4-2 tie with neither team able to force a decisive result.  The Thunderwolves had a strong offensive week and led the league in SLG.  The Possums countered with a rare league lead in the steals category.  Jonathan Villar had two and three other players added one.  The Thunderwolves had a monster week from Gleyber Torres.  He had the best week in the league with six home runs and 11 RBI.  J.T. Realmuto had a better SLG than Torres (1.083 vs. 0.935) along with four home runs and nine RBI.  Rick had three homers each from Max Muncy and Josh Donaldson.  Xander Bogaerts had seven RBI.  Muncy had nine.  This led to a mixed result where Kyle won home runs and SLG while Rick earned RBI, OBP, and steals.

Neither team’s pitching could live up to the standard set but the offenses.  The Possums managed the worst WHIP and ERA by a wide margin in a week when the Lannisters and PhoeGnomes also posted disgraceful numbers.  Five of the Possums’ ten pitchers had ERAs above 10.00 for the week.  This included a horrific outing from Julio Teheran who threw just 1.1 IP and allowed six earned runs.  Trevor Bauer allowed nine in his start.  The bullpen struggled as well with Sean Doolittle recording two saves but landing on the DL.  Kyle had better rate stats despite a tough week for Chase Anderson.  Aaron Nola was strong, but the team failed to record many strikeouts outside of Nola and Lance Lynn.  Rick had better production from Justin Verlander and Charlie Morton.  This led to another split in many categories, and the final result was a tie that will satisfy neither team.  The Possums fall to a full game behind the Lannisters and the Thunderwolves are fighting for their lives.

Next Week

With six weeks left, every match is important.  The biggest match is between the Armadillos and Lannisters.  For the Armadillos to have a realistic chance at the title, they must win.  The same applies to the PhoeGnomes and Thunderwolves.  The loser could be mathematically eliminated from contention.  The Possums face the Lasershow.  Rick needs to keep pace, and the Lasershow want to prove they can take down a contender.  Finally, the Goofballs and Legion meet in a critical battle.  Neither team can afford a loss, but the Goofballs are in an especially precarious position.  If the Armadillos can pull off the upset, this could be a chance to make up some ground in the standings.

CP Legion (9 – 6 – 2) vs.  RK Possums (10 – 6 – 1)

The week’s most important match featured the Legion and Possums.  With the Lannisters winning, neither team could afford a loss and losing ground.  This time, the advantage went to the Possums.  Both teams displayed excellent offensive numbers.  Both teams were only behind the Armadillos in terms of production.  The Legion were slightly better and took three of five categories.  Yordan Alvarez led the way with four home runs and 10 RBI.  Six other Legion players had two home runs, including Jose Ramirez.  He had seven RBI and two steals.  The Possums enjoyed a great week from Ronald Acuna Jr. – he had six home runs, 10 RBI, and three steals.  Fernando Tatis Jr. added two more steals to help the Possums win the category.  Tatis and Eugenio Suarez had three home runs each.  Overall, the Possums took home runs and steals but the Legion took both rate stats and RBI.

Unfortunately for Chris, the Legion’s pitching staff again let them down.  The team had the worst ERA and WHIP in the league and were next to last in strikeouts.  Caleb Smith and Kyle Hendricks combined to throw 13.2 IP.  They allowed 23 hits, 15 earned runs, and struck out just 11.  This negated a good effort from Mike Soroka and a strong Noah Syndergaard start.  The Possums didn’t have the league’s best numbers but they were solid and more than enough to get the job done.  Trevor Bauer was the standout with 11 strikeouts in just 7.0 IP.  Jeff Samardzija added a strong start and Julio Teheran rebounded.  The Possums took four categories and won the week.  The win keeps pace with the Lannisters at the top of the league.  The Legion fall to 1.5 games back.  Both teams are in the heart of the fight for the title.

HP PhoeGnomes (8 – 8 – 1) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (7 – 8 – 2)

Both the PhoeGnomes and Goofballs needed a win to keep each team’s title hopes alive.  The Goofballs were able to rally and secure the win behind good offense and adequate pitching.  Juan Soto was the Goofballs’ best position player for the week.  He had three home runs and two steals.  Freddie Freeman had three home runs as well, along with nine RBI.  Carson Kelly and Javier Baez each had two home runs.  This was enough to easily win steals, home runs, OBP, and SLG.  However, Heather posted good RBI numbers and challenged for the category.  Michael Conforto had three home runs and nine RBI.  Nick Castellanos also had three home runs.  Unfortunately for the PhoeGnomes, they fell just short in this critical category.

Heather tried to fight back on the pitching side.  She posted the best numbers in the league, and had the best ERA, WHIP, and quality starts totals.  She tied for the lead in saves.  These numbers are even more impressive because each quality start came from a different pitcher.  The best of the group was Chris Sale who rebounded from a nightmare week to post 13 strikeouts over 8.0 IP and no earned runs.  Shane Bieber also had a great week with 11 strikeouts over 7.0 IP.  Ryan Yarbrough was solid.  Unfortunately, the team lacked strikeouts and only made seven starts for the week.  Given the team’s solid rate stats, it’s surprising that the PhoeGnomes didn’t try their luck with a floating starter on Sunday.  The Goofballs didn’t have the best totals for the week, but they did pile up the strikeouts.  The week’s hero was Lucas Giolito.  He struck out 21 in 12.0 IP.  He allowed some earned runs, but his Sunday start put the Goofballs over the top in strikeouts and earned Kevin the win for the week.  The Goofballs don’t gain any ground on the league leader but they did close the gap with the Legion and maintain pace with the Lannisters.  The PhoeGnomes’ loss probably ends the team’s title hopes, but there is still a chance and plenty to play for.

LK Armadillos (7 – 6 – 4) vs.  SM Lasershow (3 – 14 – 0)

Like the Goofballs, the Armadillos relied on monstrous offensive numbers along with adequate pitching to earn a strong victory.  The Armadillos led the league in every offensive category except for steals, where they tied for the lead.  Pete Alonso and George Soler led the way with four home runs each.  The pair combined for 15 RBI.  Ozzie Albies and J.D. Martinez had three home runs each.  Three other players had two home runs each.  Alex Bregman had just one home run but notched seven RBI.  Trevor Story was the worst regular player but even he added two steals.  The performance overwhelmed the Lasershow, but Sean did post excellent OBP and SLG numbers.

The Armadillos’ pitching staff did enough to win two categories and secure a victory for the week.  Brad Hand had two saves and John Flaherty and Clayton Kershaw each had a good start.  Dallas Keuchel and Matthew Boyd posted disgraceful numbers and Keuchel was cut as a result.  However, Zac Gallen, Mike Fiers, and Chris Bassitt each had a nice start (albeit with lower innings pitched).  The Lasershow posted great rate stats behind excellent weeks rom Sonny Gray and Mike Minor.  Minor was especially strong with 11 strikeouts and no earned runs in 8.0 IP.  The Lasershow had four quality starts but couldn’t quite get the volume of innings needed to compete in strikeouts or quality starts.  The Armadillos won two categories and secured a win for the week.  Much like the Goofballs, the Armadillos didn’t gain any ground on the leaders but they did improve their position in the standings and are now just two games behind the Lannisters.

JK Lannisters (11 – 6 – 0) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (7 – 8 – 2)

After two tough losses, the Lannisters rebounded to win a comfortable match against the Thunderwolves.  They didn’t lead the league in any categories but their overall performance was probably the best in the league.  The team relied on great pitching to start.  Luis Castillo continued his stellar season with 13 strikeouts in just 7.0 IP.  Gerrit Cole struck out 10 in 6.0 IP and Stephen Strasburg rebounded from a terrible start to have a nice outing.  James Paxton had a good start for the Thunderwolves, but it wasn’t enough.  Kyle wasn’t able to compete in any categories after meltdowns from Andrew Cashner and Alex Wood.  The Lannisters earned a sweep.

On offense, the Lannisters also dominated for the week.  Bryce Harper and Mike Trout each had three home runs and totaled 10 RBI.  Eric Sogard had a home run and a steal.  Ten different players had a home run, and the Lannisters relied on this depth to keep their OBP and SLG numbers high.  Kyle had a god effort from Whit Merrifield and Josh Bell, but it was too little, too late.  The Lannisters earned a relatively easy win for the week.  The loss probably removes the Thunderwolves from contention, but like the PhoeGnomes, there are still opportunities to move up and possibly still challenge for the title.  The loss is a disappointing one for Kyle, but this was the first truly down week in what’s been a strong season.

Next Week

There are seven weeks left in the season, so this means that each team has one more match against each other team.  Every match is now critical.  The seventh place team, the Thunderwolves, are only 4.0 games back and have a possible shot at the title.  However, their match is a strong test against the Possums.  The Lannisters face the Lasershow, and want to avoid any upsets at this point.  The most interesting match pairs the Armadillos and Goofballs.  Each team is desperate for a win.  Finally, the Legion need a win over the PhoeGnomes to keep pace and stay in the title hunt.

CP Legion (8 – 6 – 2) vs.   JK Lannisters (11 – 5)

The Legion were able to earn a victory in a critical match to keep their title hopes alive.  Things didn’t look good for Chris on the offensive side.  The Legion had decent offensive numbers, but the Lannisters were superior in all categories except steals.  Nelson Cruz had four home runs and 20 RBI and three players had two home runs. The Legion had a good week from Cody Bellinger and won steals with just two.  This left the Legion with a 4-1 deficit before pitching.

Fortunately for Chris, the Lannisters suffered a series of technical issues and player implosions that led to the worst pitching performance for the week.  Walker Buehler and Gerrit Cole had outstanding starts and allowed just two earned runs in 16.0 IP.  Incredibly, though, the Lannisters had a team ERA of 8.08 for the week even including these strong performances.  Five starters allowed at least five earned runs, including nine for Stephen Strasburg.  Wade Davis got into the act, allowing five earned runs and losing his closer job.  The Legion easily won ERA and WHIP thanks to nice weeks from several pitchers.  However, there was still hope for the Lannisters when several Legion pitchers failed to go six innings and get quality starts.  However, the Rays’ decisions to move Jake Odorizzi’s start left the Lannisters without an eighth pitcher on Sunday and Chris won strikeouts by one.  Although the Lannisters would have won the week with another starter, it is hard to feel any sympathy for the loss after such a miserable week from so many pitchers.  The win keeps the Legion close and adds even more pressure for the coming weeks’ matches.

RK Possums (10 – 5 – 1) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (7 – 8 – 1)

The closest team to the Lannisters is the Possums.  However, the PhoeGnomes are still within striking distance and they managed to pull out a close win and improve their position.  The team won three categories on offense, but many of them were close.  Three PhoeGnomes’ players had two home runs:  Andrew Benintendi, Jose Altuve, and George Springer.  Benintendi had six RBI and Josh VanMeter had three steals. These steals were enough to tie the category.  The Possums managed to win home runs thanks to a great week from Ronald Acuna Jr..  However, no other Possums player had more than three RBI.  This caused another strange situation where the Possums won home runs but lost RBI and SLG.

The PhoeGnomes suffered the same issues as the Lannisters on pitching.  The team had an abysmal ERA and failed to get many quality starts.  However, the Possums also failed to throw enough innings in most of their games. This led to fewer quality starts despite earning a better strikeout total.  A few bullpen meltdowns let the team with a poor WHIP.  The lack of pitching quality cost Rick, and the team was unable to overcome the offensives deficit.  The win pulls the PhoeGnomes to within 2.5 games of the league lead.  The Possums benefitted from the Lannisters’ loss and remain just 0.5 games back.

SM Lasershow (3 – 13) vs. KG Capital City Goofballs (6 – 8 – 2)

The Goofballs needed a win to remain in contention and they responded to the challenge with a great all-around week, probably the best in the league.  Kevin was near the top of the ague in every category except saves.  He had the best ERA and WHIP in the league thanks in large part to a masterful Jose Berrios starts in which he allowed just two hits and struck out 11.  No starter allowed more than two earned runs.  The team’s numbers would have been even better if not for a single bad inning from Luke Jackson.  Sean had an okay week including a good start from Zack Wheeler.  Unfortunately for Sean he didn’t have the volume of quality starts, saves, or strikeouts to compete in those categories and Kevin swept all five.

Like pitching, Kevin’s hitting was also near the top of the league.  Jean Soto had three home runs.  Ketel Marte, Carson Kelly, Anthony Rendon, and Max Kepler had three homers each.  Javier Baez had a home run and a steal.  Rendon also added nine RBI.  The volume of Kevin’s quality hitters was too much for the Lasershow to compete with.  They were able to tie in steals, but it wasn’t enough and the Goofballs remained in contention for at least another week.  They are now three games back from the league lead.

LK Armadillos (6 – 6 – 4) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (7 – 7 – 2)

The week’s final match also presented an opportunity for two mid-tier teams to move closer to the league lead.  The Armadillos and Thunderwolves had a close match that eventually tipped in the Armadillos favor.  Both teams had excellent pitching.  Kyle had great starts from German Marquez, Aaron Nola, and Lance Lynn.  Each recorded ten strikeouts and Kyle won the category.  Other players threw fewer innings and weren’t bad, but were definitely less effective.  For example, Zack Greinke allowed two earned runs in just 5.0 IP.  This was okay, but not enough for a quality start or a big boost to ERA and WHIP.  The Armadillos suffered similar problems with Patrick Corbin but had slightly better efforts from Jack Flaherty and Noah Syndergaard.  Six pitchers had quality starts, and the team had the better WHIP and ERA.  This left Larry with a 3-1-1 advantage before hitting.

Both teams were good enough to win against many other teams on offense.  The Thunderwolves led the league in RBI and the Armadillos led in home runs, OBP, and SLG.  Leading the way for Kyle was Vladimir Guerrero Jr..  He had three home runs and 11 RBI.  The Armadillos countered with a three hoe run week from Trevor Story and Starling Marte.  Eight other Armadillos players had at least one home run, and the power up-and-down the lineup was too much for Kyle to overcome.  The Armadillos moved to just two games back of first place.  The Thunderwolves lost on a good week because they did not lose any ground to the Lannisters and remain just three games back.

Next Week

Week 18 has several massive battles.  The most important features the Legion and Possums.  Both teams are desperate for a win to keep close to first.  The Goofballs and PhoeGnomes have a match in which the loser is likely to be out of contention.  The Armadillos are heavily favored against the Lasershow, but Sean’s team has been better lately.  Finally, the Thunderwolves need to rally against the Lannisters, who themselves are looking to avoid a three game losing streak.