RK Possums (8-7) vs. LK Armadillos (13-2)

With the season entering its final seven matchups, every outcome is critical to the chase for the title.  After a dominating season, the Armadillos are now facing the same challenge faced by other legendary teams like the Lannisters of old: Every other team will do anything possible to spoil a march to the title.  This week, it was the Possums who sought to upset the Armadillos, secure third place, and maybe, just maybe, keep their title hopes alive.

The result was competitive hitting that on most weeks would put each team at the top of the league.  The teams tied with 14 home runs, but the Possums proved dominant in runs and especially RBI.  Adolis Garcia led the way with 4 home runs, 5 RBI, and 9 runs.  His OPS of 1.647 was off the charts.  Ryan Mountcastle was also strong, with a 1.301 OPS despite no home runs.  The Armadillos had a great week from Mookie Betts, who added his own 3 home runs and a 1.361 OPS.  Ha-Seong Kim and Jose Ramirez each added 3 steals.  The Armadillos easily won the category.  However, the Possums won the overall battle 3-1-1 thanks to better consistency throughout the line-up.

The pitching battle was competitive as well, albeit at lower quality than offense.  Neither team distinguished themselves in the rate stats, and each side took one category.  The Possums enjoyed 2 saves each from Felix Bautista and Will Smith.  This gave Rick the edge in a category that is normally an Armadillos strength.  Max Scherzer, Sonny Gray, and Brandon Woodruff all notched at least 8 strikeouts in their starts for the Possums.  This, combined with more innings, gave Rick a smooth win for the week.

The loss offers a slim ray of hope for Rick’s title chances. He is still 3.5 games back, but with the win, he’s at least still in the running.  The Armadillos are looking vulnerable at the wrong time – offense and pitching don’t seem to be in synch.  No one will give them an easy matchup.  It also reduces the odds that the Armadillos can beat the Lannisters’ 2013 record of 18 wins on the season, a mark that many hold as the gold standard.

CP Kraken (4-11) vs. KK Wolf Spiders (11-5)

With the Armadillos losing, the Wolf Spiders had a chance to rally and move within one game of the lead.  However, he faced the Kraken, who have shown epic highs and the most dreadful of lows.  This week was no different – Chris produced the best offensive stats in the league, but paired them with abominable pitching. 

The Wolf Spiders tried their best to match the Kraken on offense.  Each team had an amazing 17 home runs, a truly strong total for a normal week.  Matt Olson and Juan Soto each had 4 home runs for the Kraken, while Yordan Alvarez added 3 more and a 1.226 OPS.  Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger had inexplicable steals totals (4 and 5 respectively) to win another category.  The Wolf Spiders had 12 players with a homer, and somehow managed to die the category.  They couldn’t keep pace in the counting stats, though, and settled for an 0-4-1 record before pitching.

Fortunately for Kyle, the Kraken were a complete disaster on the pitching side.  Reid Detmers and Andrew Abbott managed to allow 17 earned runs in just 13 IP.  Strikeouts were in short supply.  Aaron Nola had a nightmare start.  The Wolf Spiders romped their way to wins in all categories with a strong week from Zac Gallen and Gerrit Cole.  However, the Kraken got a clutch save from Adbert Alzolay on Sunday to tie the category and thus the match.  Each squad was one save or home run away from victory.  However, the Wolf Spiders must consider themselves fortunate to have tied, given that their pitching wasn’t great for the week either. 

They move to within 1.5 games for the Armadillos, and still have one head-to-head matchup with the leaders for the year.  They will need help, but the title is still very much up for grabs.

KG Capital City Goofballs (7-9) vs. JK Hares (8-7-1)

After a difficult season, the Goofballs haven’t lost their will to win, and want to finish on the medal podium.  They turned in a solid showing against the Hares.  The Goofballs pitching did not let them down, and easily beat the Hares in everything but saves.  Steven Matz and Eduardo Rodriguez contributed nice starts.  However, the Goofballs lacked saves, and the Hares too advantage to win the category.  A horrific start from Dylan Cease doomed the Hares on rate stats, and Kevin took a 4-1 lead.

The Hares tried to muster a showing on offense and won home runs thanks to 3 home runs from Wander Franco, who had a 1.271 OPS.  The Goofballs leaned on Corbin Carroll and Freddie Freeman to win steals – they had 4 and 3 respectively.  Freeman also added a 1.459 OPS.  Several other Goofballs had strong OPS figures in platoon duty, including George Springer (1.215) and Ryan McMahon (1.591).  This was enough to win the category, and carry runs and RBI.  The Goofballs moved on with a strong win and are once again near 0.500.  The Hares continue to be inconsistent, and will look for answers next week.

CM Skyline Sluggers (5-11) vs. HP PhoeGnomes (6-9-1)

The week’s final match saw the Sluggers face off against the PhoeGnomes.  Both teams have endured highs and lows this year.  This time, it was the PhoeGnomes who enjoyed a win and maintained momentum.

Heather’s offense was strong, with a monster week from Lane Thomas.  He had 3 home runs, 10 RBI, 7 runs, and 2 steals.  He also had a 1.133 OPS.  Jose Altuve added 5 steals, and Bobby Witt Jr contributed 3 more, with 2 home runs.  This was enough for a monster 13 steal week that easily led the league.  Heather swept the offensive categories with the one exception of runs. 

Neither team had great pitching, but Heather did enough to win here as well.  Pete Fairbanks and Kenley Jansen paired to win saves, and Kyle Bradish had a nice two-start week with 12 strikeouts.  Charlie Morton and Alex Cobb managed to allow 8 earned runs each for the Sluggers, and this doomed the team’s chances for any momentum.  Heather cruised to a win.

Players of the Week

This week’s top hitter was Lane Thomas, thanks to his combination of power and speed.  No pitcher really stood out this week, so the nod goes to Adbert Alzolay.  His clutch save on Sunday secured the tie for the Kraken.

Next Week

Next week starts the final seven matches of the season.  Each team has one more match against each other team.  The Armadillos will try to rally against the Hares.  After a disappointing year, Jeff is going to throw everything possible at the Armadillos to try to keep the race close.  The Wolf Spiders face a tough match against the Possums.  The Kraken and Skyline Sluggers want to stay out of the cellar, and their match has implications for this battle.  Finally, the PhoeGnomes and Goofballs pair up.  Each team has some recent success, so the match may be close.