JK Lannisters (13 – 7 – 1) vs.  RK Possums (12 – 7 – 2)

The week’s biggest match featured the Possums and Lannisters.  Rick could move into first place with a win whereas the Lannisters could consolidate their lead.  Neither team was able to put together a standout performance but the Lannisters did just enough to earn a victory.  Each team struggled to get into an offensive rhythm relative to the rest of the league.  The Lannisters suffered a series of injuries to four of their starting nine position players.  Mookie Betts and Mike Trout each had two home runs but the star for the week was Austin Meadows.  He had three home runs and two steals.  This was enough for the Lannisters to win home runs and tie steals.  The Possums were able to three categories.  They won RBI thanks to a great week from Josh Donaldson.  He had three home runs and eight RBI.  The Possums had good power up and down the lineup and won the rate categories with ease.  This gave the Possums a slime 3-1-1 lead.

The teams were evenly matched in pitching.  Justin Verlander had a great start for the Possums and Charlie Morton had 10 strikeouts in 6.0 IP.  Walker Buehler had a poor outing for the Lannisters, but Jake Odorizzi picked up the slack with 17 strikeouts in 10.1 IP.  The Lannisters easily led the league in strikeouts and also had a rebound to win saves.  However, the quality starts totals were tied going into Sunday and both ERA and WHIP were too close to call.  The Possums called on Max Scherzer and he responded with a great start in which he allowed one earned run, two walks, and two hits over 6.0 IP.  The Lannisters countered with Gerrit Cole later in the day.  He responded with 8.0 IP, one hit, no walks, and 15 strikeouts.  It was Cole’s sixth straight start with at least 10 strikeouts.  The effort was enough to earn a quality start and swing both rate categories to the Lannisters.  This was enough for a win for the week.  The Possums fell to 1.5 games behind the leaders and now have no way to win a tie-breaker.  The Lannisters’ win, paired with the Possums’ and Legion’s losses, give them a 1.5 game lead with three weeks left.  The Lannisters can secure the title with two wins or a win and a tie if the tie comes against the Legion.

CP Legion (12 – 7 – 2) vs.  SM Lasershow (3 – 18 – 0)

The Lasershow put up the best numbers in the league and stunned the Legion. Sean posted the best all-around numbers in the league and would have beaten any team for the week.  They led the league in steals, SLG, quality starts, ERA, and WHIP.  On offense, Francisco Lindor led the way.  He had three home runs and two steals.  Willie Calhoun had two home runs, and Jeff McNeil added two more plus eight RBI.  The team’s lowest SLG for any player with more than 10 Abs was Yasiel Puig at 0.440.  This kind of up-and-down the line-up production was enough to easily dominate the rate stats.  The Legion had a great four home run week from Yasmani Grandal and won the category, but carried a 1-4 deficit into pitching.

The Lasershow were even more impressive on the mound.  Mike Minor allowed just two earned runs in 15.1 IP.  No other pitched allowed more than a single earned run for the week.  Eduardo Rodriguez and Max Fried didn’t allow a run and struck out 17 in 14.0 IP.  The Legion had more strikeouts and saves thanks to Noah Syndergaard and Mike Soroka, but both pitchers allowed a lot of runs.  This gave Chris one category plus saves, but Sean was well ahead in the other three.  This was enough to earn the shocking upset.  The Legion fall to 1.5 games behind the Lannisters and cannot win a tie-breaker.

LK Armadillos (9 – 7 – 5) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (9 – 11 – 1)

The Armadillos kept their championship hopes alive with a strong win over the PhoeGnomes.  The Armadillos posted the best all-around week outside of the Lasershow.  They led the league in home runs and were second in many categories including strikeouts, ERA, WHIP, quality starts, and RBI.  The pitching staff was especially strong.  Patrick Corbin had strong start but the biggest star was Jack Flaherty.  He had two quality starts, didn’t allow an earned run, and struck out 18 over 16.0 IP.  Zac Gallen and Sandy Alcantara struck out 16 in two starts and also did not allow a run between them.  These performances created an almost insurmountable lead for the PhoeGnomes to try to overcome.  The Armadillos swept all five categories.

On offense, the star for the week was the red-hot Jorge Soler.  He had three home runs and a steal.  Five other Armadillos players had two home runs each, including Gary Sanchez and Bo Bichette in part-time duty.  Alex Bregman had a 0.519 OBP with two home runs, six RBI, and a steal.  The PhoeGnomes managed to win OBP thanks go a good week from Paul Goldschmidt.  However, the rest of the team was fairly cold and only Paul DeJong had more than one home run.  This led to a massive 9-1 win for the Armadillos, who are now two games behind the league leaders.

KG Capital City Goofballs (10 – 9 – 2) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (9 – 10 – 3)

The week’s final match saw the Thunderwolves upset the Goofballs.  Both teams had decent numbers across the board, but the Thunderwolves earned the edge in pitching volume.  James Paxton was the star for the week with 12 strikeouts in 7.0 IP.  Dakota Hudson also had a quality start, along with a nice effort from Lance Lynn.  The Goofballs won saves thanks to a big three save week from Emilio Pagan.  However, the starters failed to record a high volume of strikeouts and couldn’t get the rate stats low enough to pay off the low-innings volume strategy.  Kyle won four categories and put massive pressure on the Goofballs’ offense.

Kevin tried his best and had an absolutely monster week from Ketel Marte.  He had four home runs and 14 RBI.  Mitch Garver added there home runs, and Juan Soto totaled two more.  This was enough to win RBI and take OBP and SLG as well.  However, the team was only able to tie in steals despite three from Adalberto Mondesi.  Kyle countered with a big week from J.T. Realmuto who had three home runs and a steal.  Three other players had two home runs, and Kyle took the category.  This was enough to end the week and spoil the Goofballs’ title hopes.

Next Week

With just three weeks left to play, there are four teams still in contention.  The Lannisters have a 1.5 game lead over two teams, and can control their destiny.  If they win two weeks, they win the title outright.  There are many other possible scenarios involving the next three teams.  The Armadillos must at least tie to stay in the race.  They face the Legion, who need a win to keep pace.  The Possums play the Goofballs and also need a win to keep pace.  Kevin will now have to play spoiler.  The Thunderwolves and Lasershow are the week’s final match and both teams have played well recently, so it should be a fun battle.