The long Week #14 came to a close with several close contests.  Many favourites earned victories while other teams managed to surprise.  The question looms, though – can anyone challenge the Armadillos in the second half?

CP Kraken (3-9-1) vs. HP PhoeGnomes (5-7-1)

The week’s most spirited matchup saw the PhoeGnomes best the Kraken.  In a week of miserable pitching across the league, Heather was able to put up great numbers.  The PhoeGnomes easily led the league in ERA and WHIP.  Her ERA was a full run better than the next closest team.  Her standout performer was Kyle Bradish who threw 13.1 IP and had 13 strikeouts and no earned runs.  Jordan Romano was also superb with 6 strikeouts and 3 saves.  Jesus Lazardo also had two great starts, and the PhoeGnomes edged the Kraken in strikeouts and IP.  However, Chris was able to tie saves thanks to a nice week from Alexis Diaz.

This pitching advantage was enough for Heather to hold out on offense as well.  The PhoeGnomes managed to tie for 3^rd in hoe runs and were second in RBI.  Nolan Arenado and Bobby Witt Jr. each had 4 home runs, totalled 19 RBI, and Witt had 4 steals.  The Kraken tried their best and tied for the lead with 10 steals.  They also posted the 3^rd best OPS in the league.  Unfortunately for Chris, Cody Bellinger was the only player with 3+ home runs.  Quite a few others had good OPS, but the top-end home run power was absent.  Chris was competitive on offense and won 3 categories, but it wasn’t enough to dig the team out of the pitching hole.  Heather earned a hard-fought win and is now just one game below 0.500 on the season.

RK Possums (6-7) vs. JK Hares (6-7)

The Hares and Possums met with both teams suffering through difficult seasons.  However, each team brought their best to All-Star Week and posted strong numbers.  The two teams ended with a rare 5-5 tie with each team sweeping a set of categories.

The Possums easily had the best offense in the league for the week.  They led every category except steals.  Two players were key:  Manny Machado and Adolis Garcia.  After starting the year hot, Garcia had cooled until this week, when he unleashed 4 home runs, 13 RBI, 12 runs, and a 1.100 OPS in 40 at-bats.  Incredibly, this wasn’t even the best showing on the team, as Machado tallied 6 home runs, 15 RBI, 11 runs, and had a 1.343 OPS in 37 at-bats.  This is a truly remarkable showing for both players.  For their part, the Hares had 9 players with a home run, and big weeks from J.D. Martinez and Max Muncy.  However, none of it was enough to keep pace with the Possums’ enormous production.

The battle continued in pitching.  The Hares led the league in both IP and strikeouts.  Spencer Strider and Corbin Burnes combined for 40 strikeouts in 4 starts.  Dylan Cease and Zach Wheeler added 14 each as well.  The pitchers allowed a lot of runs, so the Hares’ ERA wasn’t great, but the team did enough to easily win the counting stats.  The Possums were betrayed by their starters, and lost ERA and WHIP after a strong Sunday from the Hares.  The teams finished with a 5-5 tie that is frustrating for both.  Still, a tie is probably the most fair outcome given that both teams performed well enough to win against most of the other teams in the league.

KG Capital City Goofballs (6-7) vs. KK Wolf Spiders (9-4)

The Goofballs made a statement that the Armadillos were not going to run away from them without a fight in a sharp victory over the Wolf Spiders.  Kevin’s team posted good offensive numbers, but finally found some answers on the pitching side and had positive contributions there as well.

Freddie Freeman had a nice week for the Goofballs, managing 3 home runs and a 1.231 OPS, albeit over only 26 at-bats.  He paired with Francisco Alvarez, who added another 3 home runs and a 1.204 OPS.  This was enough to sweep four categories (the Goofballs ceded steals), and take a strong lead into the pitching battle.

Normally this is where the Goofballs can run into trouble, but this week the starters produced at a high level.  They were second to only the Hares in IP and K, and were in the top 2 or 3 for ERA and WHIP.  Logan Webb dominated with 21 strikeouts versus only 2 ER in 15.2 IP.  Devin Williams and Freddy Peralta each had 10 strikeouts.  Note that Williams is a reliever who had an incredible 5 saves!  Kyle had a good week from Gerrit Cole, but Dane Dunning and others were shaky.  The team posted pretty good overall stats, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Goofball’s numbers.  This gave Kevin a quality win, and puts Kyle 3 games behind the Armadillos.  This is a tough loss for Kyle, who will have to try to bounce back next week.  The Goofballs are determined to make a run, and might be active on the trade market.

LK Armadillos (11-2) vs. CM Skyline Sluggers (5-8)

The week’s final match saw the Skyline Sluggers fall to the Armadillos.  However, the match was closer than the score might indicate.  Things look promising for Charlie on offense.  They were second in home runs to the Possums, and had great RBI and runs totals.  Their OPS was also second only to the Possums!  Anthony Santander, Christian Yelich, Joey Meneses, Sean Murphy, and Rafael Devers each had at least 3 home runs.  Five players had OPS’s above 1.000 with at least 20 at-bats.  Up and down the line-up the team posted great runs and RBI numbers.  However, the Armadillos were able to capture steals without too much trouble and snuck in a tie in runs thanks to a whopping 10 from Mookie Betts!  However, this still left Charlie with a 3-2 lead.

The Armadillos struck back in pitching.  They easily won saves 6-0.  They then relied on a series of solid if not spectacular starts to product the league’s second best ERA and WHIP.  They were also efficient and took IP and strikeouts.  Joe Musgrove was the best starter with 18 strikeouts in 12.0 IP and just 1 earned run.  Braxton Garrett had a bizarre week in which he struck out 14 over 15.1 IP but allowed 10 earned runs.  This kept the teams pitching from being elite.  However, it was more than enough to earn a 5-0 category sweep and take another victory for the year.

The question becomes – can anyone mount a charge against the Armadillos?  Can any team keep pace at this point.  The Sluggers had been red-hot going into the battle, and it wasn’t enough.  What will it take?

Players of the Week

The best pitchers for the week were the four Hares who combined for 68 strikeouts among them.  The best hitter was definitely Manny Machado!

Next Week

The season rolls on with the third and final full rotation beginning today.  This is back to a regular week with 8 starts only.  The most important match of the week sees the Armadillos and Wolf Spiders face off.  For Kyle to have a realistic chance at a repeat, he must win this match.  The Hares and Sluggers meet in a battle of teams looking to stay in the middle of the pack.  The Goofballs will try to stay hot against the Kraken.  Finally, the Possums and PhoeGnomes will each try to move back to 0.500 in their clash.