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.