The first cycle of the season ended with several interesting match-ups this week! Three teams earned dominant victories and two had to settle for a frustrating tie.

JK Hares (4-2) vs. RK Possums (4-2)

The Hares and Possums met in an interesting match of 4-2 teams. In the end, the Possums won with ease, and the Hares are left to consider their teams’ ongoing offensive struggles.

Rick led the league in home runs and RBIs by a wide margin. The team posted a good steals total and a solid OPS. Christopher Morel had an incredible week with 5 home runs, 10 runs, 8 RBI, and a 1.447 OPS over 25 at-bats. Adolis Garcia added 4 more home runs, 9 runs, and 7 RBI. The Hares enjoyed good production from Max Muncy and Mike Trout, but no other players were able to contribute. The Possums won all five categories with ease.

The pitching match-up wasn’t much better for the Hares. Most of the starters struggled, especially when it came to WHIP. The Possums were not that much better, with few starters going more than 5.0 innings. However, they were able to generate more strikeouts and a better pair of rate stats. This was enough to win the week, and the outcome was never really in doubt. The Possums are now in second place just one game back, and the Hares fall to two behind.

CM Skyline Sluggers (2-4) vs. LK Armadillos (5-1)

The Armadillos delivered a complete performance against the Sluggers, dominating on both offense and defense. Cedric Mullins led the way with 2 home runs, 7 RBI, 4 runs, and a steal. Pete Alonso had 3 home runs. Many other players contributed as well, and the team boasted solid, if not dominant, stats.

On pitching, there was controversy. The Armadillos won three categories, mostly thanks to a good start from the Bassitt Hound. Howvever, this was all moot since the Skyline Sluggers started an incredible 10 pitchers! Even if the team had not lost several categories, this would have earned the team a forfeit for the week. It’s important that no team start more than 8 pitchers in a given week unless it’s one of the pre-designated long weeks (typically the first week and the All-Star break).

With the win, the Armadillos retain a hold on first place. The Sluggers drop back, but still have some potential to put together a run.

KK Wolf Spiders (3-3) vs. KG Capital City Goofballs (2-4)

The Wolf Spiders needed a win to return to form after some tough losses. The Goofballs were in the same position. Ultimately it was the Wolf Spiders who came out on top, but the match-up was closer than the score indicated.

Kyle benefited from the return of Corey Seager, who was 7/13 with 2 home runs. This is a huge boost to Kyle’s offense. Josh Lowe added 2 home runs and 3 stolen bases, and this was enough to take four categories. Kevin was able to win steals, thansk to Taylor Walls and Corbin Carroll. Kyle Schwarber had 2 home runs and 5 RBI, but went 2 for 15 for the week. To make things even more strange, he walked 9 times. Despite all these walks and 2 home runs, he only scored 5 runs. This was truly a bizarre week for the Goofballs’ offense.

Pitching is where the week was decided. The two teams were quite close throughout the week. Kyle held a miniscule lead going into Sunday. Justin Verlander had a great start on Sunday, which helped to mitigate a poor start earlier in the week. He pitched 8.0 innings with 1 earned run and just 3 hits. This was enough to swing both rate stats, along with IP and strikeouts.

Kevin had scoreless starts from Andrew Heany, Logan Webb, and Justin Steele. All through 6.0 IP and gave up no runs. However, Alex Manoah suffered yet another blow-up, and this ultimately doomed the team thanks to Verlander’s clutch performance.

Kyle now moves back in the right direction toward the top of the standings. The Goofballs have to endure another week of questions, and hope they can avoid falling into irrelevancy.

HP PhoeGnomes (3-3) vs. CP Legion (1-5)

The final match of the week was close, and ended in a tie! Each team was able to win four categories on on either the hitting or pitching side of the scoreboard. Heather was better offensively. Nolan Arenado continued to stay hot with 3 home runs and 8 RBI. Nolan Gorman and Aaron Judge had monster weeks as well. Gorman had 4 home runs and 11 RBI. Judge posted 5 home runs, another 11 RBI, 7 runs, and a steal. This was more than enough to dominate for the week, though the Legion took steals by one.

Pitching favored the Legion. Seth Lugo’s short start inflated the PhoeGnomes ERA and also limited her potential to win IP and strikeouts. The Legion boasted several good starts for the week. Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Bailey Ober each had 6.0 starts with 1 earned run. They totaled 20 strikeouts. This group effort was enough to win four categories. The Phoegnomes were one steal and one save short of a dramatic win.

Players of the Week

This week’s players of the week are Aaron Judge for the PhoeGnomes and Justin Verlander for the Wolf Spiders. Without these players, each team would have suffered a loss this week.

Next Week

This week begins the second cycle for the season! This is the time when teams can start to make headway to the title. Please remember the pitcher limits, and good luck to everyone!

After a chaotic week, the Armadillos now sit at the top of the league! However, other teams are keeping pace while early favorites look for answers. The Hares and Possums took care of business. The PhoeGnomes also picked up a much needed win.

LK Armadillos (4-1) vs. KG Capital City Goofballs (2-3)

Two of the league’s most bitter rivals met in an important match-up. The Armadillos have persisted through injuries and pitching woes to move into first place. The Goofballs needed a win to get above 0.500 and begin to make a push. This resulted in a close match that could have gone either way.

The Armadillos were led by their pitching. After some rough weeks, the staff finally put together a complete week and posted respectable numbers across the board. Drew Rasmussen and Eduardo Rodrigez led the way with 15 strikeouts and no earned runs in their two starts over 14.0 innings. Unfortunately Rasmussen was lost for at least 60 days with an injury after the start. Emmanual Clase contributed two saves, as well. The goofballs were able to match the saves total, but were not competitive in the other categories. Hayden Wesneski and Jordan Montgomery had nightmare outings, allowing 13 earned runs over just 10.0 IP.

On offense, the teams deployed an incredible 37 different players. Both squads cycled hitters in and out in search of a winning advantage. The Goofballs had an edge in RBI thanks to Taylor Walls and Freddie Freeman. Unfrotunately for Kevin, Larry was able to gain just a bit more value from his squad as Pete Alonso had a nice 2 home run week, and a herd of players contributed a steal.

Overall, the Goofballs could have had a chance with better pitching. Given the way the match unfolded, Larry had a solid victory after a good showing on Sunday. His team is now at the top of the league, and Kevin is a game below 0.500 and still looking for a winning formula.

CP Legion (1-4) vs. JK Hares (3-2)

Two of the league’s most surprising teams to start the year are the Legion and Hares, but for different reasons. The Hares were not expected to compete this season after bad luck in the draft lottery and a horde of injuries to key players. The Legion were expected to improve after a rebuilding year. Sadly for Legion fans, the team has struggled at the start of the year. Meanwhile the Hares have shown surprising resillience.

The trend continued this week, with the Hares putting together a fine showing on both offense and pitching. The Legion weren’t able to counter, and Jeff cruised to smooth win on Sunday. The Hares easily had the league’s best pitching, and could have piled up more counting stats if they needed to use more starters on the weekend. Leading the way yet again was Spencer Strider, who continues to put up almost unthinkable strikeout numbers. This week he struck out 12 in just 6.2 IP and allowed 1 earned run. Ryan Pressly rebounded from a bad start to contribute to saves. Corbin Burnes, George Kirby, and Shane Bieber combined to not allow a single earned run in their starts. This spelled disaster for the Legion’s troubled pitching unit, and the Hares won every category but IP while using just six starts.

On offense the Hares continued to post adequate numbers. Wander Franco continued his MVP push with 4 steals. Steady Will Smith added 2 home runs. Yordan Alvarez and Juan Soto had solid weeks for the Legion and contributed over 1.000 OPS, but it wasn’t enough to come close to overcoming the pitching shortcomings. Jeff enjoyed a stress-free weekend in route to a win. This puts the Hares in a tie for second place. The Legion are now sitting on just one win, in sole possession of last place.

HP PhoeGnomes (2-3) vs. KK Wolf Spiders (3-2)

The PhoeGnomes and Wolf Spiders were both favorites to win it all this year. However, both teams have been up-and-down to start the year. After hot starts both have cooled to the 0.500 level and the middle of the league. However, both teams have dealt with a heavy dose of bad luck. The Wolf Spiders, in particular, were on the receiving end of bad karma in their shocking Sunday loss to the Hares.

This week fortune favored the little people, and the PhoeGnomes held on for a close victory. Heather’s base was built on the foundation of solid pitching. Kevin Gausman, Clayton Kershaw, Framber Valdez, and Jesus Luzardo all had nice starts for Heather. Lucas Giolito struggled with runs, but also contributed 15 strikeouts. Kyle got a nice start from Justin Verlander, and two from Zac Gallen. However, Sandy Alcantara struggled mightily and the team could only muster one save. Heather swept all five categories, but there was still work to be done on offense.

Kyle countered with a mosnter week from Josh Lowe. He contributed 3 home runs, 9 RBI, and 4 runs. Ronald Acuna Jr had 2 more home runs and 2 steals. He continues to be the best player in fantasy with a season OPS over 1.000, 17 steals, and 8 home runs. This helped the Wolf Spiders to lead runs, home runs, and OPS. However, Heather only needed to win one category to secure the win. She was able to take both RBI and steals. Bobby Witt Jr. contributed 4 steals and ahd a home run. Aaron Judge had a pair of home runs, 7 RBI, and 6 runs. Nolan Arenado showed life for the first time this season with a big 2 home run weekend in just 9 at-bats.

This was enough for the PhoeGnomes to take the week and improve to 0.500. Kyle also fell back to 0.500 and is left searching for answers. Both teams have plenty of time to move back up the league ladder.

RK Possums (3-2) vs. CM Skyline Sluggers (2-3)

Last but not least, the Possums and Skyline Sluggers had a battle that was closer than the final score indicated. The Possums had the best pitching in the league thanks to a near no-hitter from Jon Gray. Mitch Keller showed up to work with a monstrous 21 strikeouts in two 8 IP starts with 0 earned runs. Will Smith and Felix Bautista each had 3 saves. This incredible work overshadowed a great week from the Skyline Sluggers. Charlie’s team would have dominated any other pithing staff except the Hares. They relied on Nathan Eovaldi and Chris Sale, and servicable outings from their other starters. The Sluggers won IP, but couldn’t top Rick elsewhere despite putting up a great fight.

Both teams put up okay offensive numbers. The Possums led the league in home runs thanks to a fantasitc 4 home run, 7 RBI, 8 run week from Luis Robert Jr. Jazz Chisholm Jr. added 3 steals and 2 home runs of his own. However, the rest of the team struggled, and failed to produce and OPS over 0.700. Charlie took advantage and won steals and OPS. Marcus Semien was the leader with 3 setals, 2 home runs, 6 RBI, and 7 runs. This wasn’t enough to turn the week, but the Sluggers were competitive to the end. Rick now moves into a tie for second place while the Sluggers fall to two games below 0.500.

Player of the Week

This week’s best player has to be Luis Robert Jr. His effort gave Rick the offensive stats he needed to win the three counting categories on offense. The pitcher for the week is also a Possum – Mitch Keller. It’s hard to have a better week on the mound that Keller did, much to the Skyline Sluggers chagrin.

Next Week

Next weeks concludes the first cycle of games for the league! There is an intriguing match between the Skyline Sluggers and the Armadillos. Charlie’s team has proven to be dangerous, and they want to end the Armadillos’ winning streak. The Possums and Hares battle for sole possession of second place, and maybe a tie for first. The PhoeGnomes will try to keep their rebound going against the Legion. Finally, the Wolf Spiders and Goofballs meet in a match where both teams want to end losing streaks.

Week #05 offered a slew of surprises for the Dirt Mountain League. The Skyline Sluggers and Hares put together solid weeks to capture upset wins over superior opponents. The Armadillos and Possums managed to scratch out ugly wins despite meager overall statistics.

CM Skyline Sluggers (1-3) vs. KG Capital City Goofballs (2-2)

The Skyline Sluggers versus the Goofballs was one of the most exciting match-ups of the week. Both Charlie and Kevin have suffered through some bad luck to start the year, and each team needed a win. Both teams produced great stats, but the Skyline Sluggers earned a narrow victory thanks to phenomenal pitching. Not only did Charlie sweep all five categories versus Kevin, but he had the best stats in each category across the entire league! This is almost unheard of, and several of the categories weren’t even close.

Charlie doubled-up Kevin’s strikeout totals with a total of 70 in just 58.2 IP. The Skyline Sluggers had the most saves, and their rate stats were also the best in class. Blake Snell and Shohei Ohtani combined for 26 strikeouts in three starts. Nathan Eovaldi, Yu Darvish, and Alex Cobb didn’t allow an earned run in their three starts. Jason Adam contributed three saves. Kevin’s staff had a good week, too, but couldn’t produce at the level of the Sluggers.

On offense, the Goofballs were better. Their middle infield was excellent with Ozzie Albies and Bo Bichette combining for an OPS over 1.000 across 64 at bats with 3 home runs.Randy Arozarena and Daulton Varsho were also strong, with 4 home runs, 8 RBI, 2 steals, and OPS over 1.110. It looked like Kevin might be able to earn a tie thanks to the strong offensive numbers. However, the Sluggers were able to swing the RBI category thanks to a great week from Sean Murphy. He had 12 RBI by himself, and paired with a huge weekend from Rafael Devers against the Phillies. This was enough for the Skyline Sluggers to secure a hard-fought win.

The Sluggers are now in the middle of the league standings alongside the Goofballs. These two teams were clearly the league’s top two performers, and Kevin will have to hope for better luck in the future.

JK Hares (2-2) vs. KK Wolf Spiders (3-1)

After the Sluggers and Goofballs, the Hares and Wolf Spiders were the next best teams in the league by a wide margin. The defending champs entered the match as a heavy favorite, but the Hares have been competitive after an offensive revamp. Both teams had solid offensive numbers. The Hares led the league in runs and was second in OPS. Will Smith put up solid numbers, and nine different players had a home run. Most surprising was the Hares’ steals total. Smith added as teal, and Wander Franco maanged 2. Franco and Michael Harris each had a critical stal on Sunday to tie the category. However, Kyle was strong on offense as well. The team led the league in home runs and also took RBI. Ronald Acuna Jr. continued to stay red hot. This led to a 2-2-1 tie before pitching.

Both the Hares and Wolf Spiders had good pitching stats. Neither team’s relief pitchers gained an edge, but the Wolf Spiders had excellent strikeout totals. Gerrit Cole and Joe Ryan managed 25 in four starts. The Hares countered with two Spencer Strider starts, and he managed 18 strikeouts on his own. It looked as though the Hares and Wolf Spiders would tie, but then there was drama on Sunday. Gerrit Cole had a mediocre start, and the Hares were able to flip ERA thanks to a shocking Yusei Kikuchi start. The PhoeGnomes had dropped Kikuchi the night before, and there will be more on this later. The Hares won 3-2, and earned a narrow 5-3-2 win for the week.

The shocking result on Sunday put the Hares over 0.500 and drop the Wolf Spiders to the middle of the pack. Kyle’s team would have defeated most other squads, so like the Goofballs, he will have to hope his luck turns around next week. The Hares can rejoice in the win, and know that their luck is level after a rough non-tie last week.

LK Armadillos (3-1) vs. HP PhoeGnomes (2-2)

None of the remaining four teams had weeks they can be proud of. One of the most bizarre results was the Armadillos “win” over the PhoeGnomes. Despite being close for most of the week, the pitching side got away from the PhoeGnomes on Sunday. After deploying a shocking phalanx of five pitchers on Sunday, Heather’s starters doomed the team for the week. Graham Ashcraft had one of the worst starts of the season and allowed 8 earned runs in just 1.2 IP. Trevor Williams and Ryan Feltner were also dreadful, and the Armadillos were able to win ERA and WHIP with ease. The PhoeGnomes let Yusiel Kikuchi go, and his curse sealed their fate. Larry easily won strikeouts and IP thanks to the short starts.

Neither team had good offensive numbers. The teams’ OPS numbers were the second and third worst in the league. Mookie Betts made the difference for the Armadillos with a 2 home run, 8 RBI week. Overall, neither team has a lot to be proud of this week. Having said that – the Armadillos managed another close win to move to the top of the standings. In the end, that is what counts.

RK Possums (2-2) vs. CP Legion (1-3)

The week’s final match saw the Possums defeat the Legion. Like the prior two teams, neither squand had impressive numbers. The lone bright spot for each team was steals – they both tied for the league lead with 7. Cody Bellinger had 5 for the Legion, while Byron Buxton and Francisco Lindor contributed the majority for the Possums. Luis Robert had a very nice week in limited duty for Rick, too. He had a 1.944 OPS with 6 runs and 4 RBI in just three games. Ryan Mountcastle stayed hot as well. This gave Rick four of the five categories and a commanding lead.

Neither team had good pitching. The Legion threw more innings, but, as usual, struggled with saves. Rick won the category with just two, and somehow held on to WHIP. The less said about the pitching side for this match-up the better… Rick picked up a win, and the Legion are back to losing once again.

Player of the Week

The most important player this week goes to Nathan Eovaldi. His strong start gave Charlie the edge he needed in both ERA and WHIP. These two categories made the difference between a win and a loss for the Skyline Sluggers.

Next Week

After numerous shocking results, the sixth match-up of the season promises more of the same. The Wolf Spiders and PhoeGnomes are both coming off losses and desperately need a win. The Goofballs also need a win to keep close to the struggling (but winning) Armadillos.

The most interesting match may be the Possums versus the hot Skyline Sluggers. Charlie can move back to 0.500 with a win, but the Possums are looking to rebound. Finally, the Legion meet the Hares. With Chris’s team struggling, the Hares hope to continue winning. However, Chris is desperate for a win, yet again, and will do anything he can to triumph.

After another exciting week of action, there are no more undefeated teams left in the Dirt Mountain League! There are also no more winless teams, and it seems like every team is in contention.

RK Possums (1-2) vs. KK Wolf Spiders (3-0)

All good things must eventually come to an end. This was the case for defending champ’s undefeated streak to start the season. After three weeks of dominance, the Wolf Spiders were bested by the Possums. In a week with good pitching, Rick’s squad was a step above the rest of the league. He had the lowest ERA in the league by a wide margin. This was paired with second most innings pitched in the league, making the feat that much more impressive. Sonny Gray led the way with 13.0 IP and 15 strikeouts and only one earned run. Kyle also had great pitching, and would have beaten most other teams. Zac Gallen even had 12 strikeouts in just 6.1 IP. This kept Kyle competitive, but Rick led 3-2.

The Possums sealed their victory with a good offensive showing. They led the league in runs, HR, and OPS. They were near the top in steals and were second in RBI to the Wolf Spiders. Byron Buxton led the with with four home runs and 10 RBI. Kyle enjoyed a nice week from Brent Rooker, but the Possums proved too strong. The victory raises their record to 2-2 and drops the Wolf Spiders to 3-1.

CP Legion (0-3) vs. CM Skyline Sluggers (1-2)

After a difficult start to the year, the Legion finally managed their first victory over the Skyline Sluggers. Both teams have struggled on the pitching side to start the year, and are the only two teams with aggregate year ERAs over 4.00. Their WHIP numbers are also near the bottom of the pack. However, when paired against each other, the teams are on equal footing. Neither team put up great pitching stats, but the Legion were able to get just a bit more from their starters and releivers. They finished with good WHIP and ERA numbers. Chris also managed a pair of saves. Charlie got a lot of IP and strikeouts, which is a positive sign, but the team’s abysmal rate stats doomed them to a 2-3 disadvantage.

Both teams had reasons for optimison on offense. Chris had good home runa and RBI totals led by a Cody Belliner and Jeremy Pean’s two home runs each in limited playing time. Charlie was able to win steals behind an amazing week from Shohei Ohtani. He posted two home runs, three runs, four RBI, and an incredible four steals. Unfortunately for the Skyline Sluggers, teh rest of the team didn’t rise to the ocassion. Chris was comfortably for the week and finally has his first win.

JK Hares (2-1) vs. LK Armadillos (2-1)

The Hares and Armadillos continued the league’s pattern of good pitching and merely adequate offense. Neither tam could gain traction hitting. The Hares won home runs and RBIs comfortably, but were not competitive in steals. The Armadillos somehow managed 29 RBI on just 4 home runs, and an OPS that was near the bottom of the league for the week.

On the pitching side things were more interesting. Dylan Cease spoiled a fantastic week for the Hares pitching with a disastrous outing, essentially cancelling-out a near no-hitter from Spencer Strider. The Armadillos suffered a miserable week from Johan Oviedo and Chris Bassit. The Armadillos sent a message by immediately cutting the player affectionaly known as the “Bassit Hound” from their roster. We can only hope that he was sent to a no-kill shelter, or that some other team will adopt him before he takes that cold, lonely walk to the back, from which no dogs ever return.

Despite two saves on Sunday, the Hares were denied a tie by a comback win/save from the Padres’ Josh Hader. After a frustrating week of rainouts, Jeff feels like he deserved a better fate than 5-4-1 loss. The Armadillos will take the win, but must improve their pitching to compete with the 3-1 Wolf Spiders.

KG Capital City Goofballs (1-2) vs. HP PhoeGnomes (2-1)

The week’s final match saw Kevin’s Goofballs right the ship against the PhoeGnomes. Kevin had the second most well-rounded week behind the Possums with good hitting and pitching! The Goofballs had a series of solid starts from seven different players, showing great depth. No one had an individual monster performance, but the group had excellent consistency up and down the rotation. Carlos Estevez and Devin Willaims combined to add five saves. For her part, Heather relied on a series of good strikeout performances. Nestor Cortes and Kevin Gausman totalled 26 in three starts! Cortes had a strange week, giving up 10 earned runs, 7 of which came in his second start. This doomed Heather’s chances to win ERA, but he managed enough strikeouts and IP to give the PhoeGnomes the edge in two categories.

Despite the weird pitching results, Heather was not able to mount a charge on offense. The squad suffered though a down week from Bobby Witt Jur, who was just 4/26. Vladimir Guerrero Jr was only 5/25 with no home runs. When your two superstars have weeks like this, it will be hard to compete. Kevin deployed a whopping 19 players en route to a solid showing across all categories. Kevin wasn’t at the top of the league in any one category, but showed excelleng consistency. Ozzie Albies was probably the best Goofball hitter for the week with a nice 5/17, two home run week.

After a hot start, the PhoeGnomes are now back at .500 with most of the rest of the league. The Goofballs are also even for the year, and can take pride in a solid week.

Players of the Week

Despite the loss, the Skyline Sluggers’ Shohei Ohtani is the player of the week thanks to his incredible four steal performance! On the pitching side, Spencer Strider gets the nod for throwing one of the most dominant starts of the year so far. Sadly for both the Sluggers and Hares, neither effot was enough for the teams. Both will have to hope for better support in the future.

Next Week

The week offers everal intriguing match-ups! Both the PhoeGnomes and Armadillos need to find consistency if they are to compete for the title. They face off in a tough match. The Legion also have a tough draw, as they look for their second win against the hot Possums squad. The Goofballs and Slyline Sluggers face off, and both teams want to build some momentum. Finally, the Hares will face the Wolf Spiders. The Hares’ pitching may be a problem for the Wolf Spiders, and both teams want to rebound from a loss.