The Battle for the Title

With everything on the line, the Armadillos and Wolf Spiders met in a battle that could determine the league’s champion for this season.  Both teams put up a solid fight, but it was the Wolf Spiders who sustained a devastating offensive attack throughout the week.  Kyle paired this with the best pitching in the league, and the result was a decisive win.

Offense

How did Kyle achieve this feat?  First, his offense put up the highest totals in the league.  He easily led the league in runs, home runs, and RBI.  In fact, Kyle’s 21 home runs were more than double any other team besides the Armadillos.  Their 62 RBI were double most of the rest of the league.

Leading the way was Corey Seager.  The Rangers star had 4 home runs, 6 RBI, and 5 runs.  Triston Casas had 9 RBI to lead the team, and Ronald Acuna Jr. added 8 RBI and 3 home runs.  Seven Wolf Spiders had OPS totals over 1.000 with at least 15 at-bats.  In total 12 Wolf Spiders had a home run; if each player had hit only one homer, this would have been enough to lead the league.  

The Armadillos had a good offensive week, but it couldn’t match Kyle’s.  Julio Rodriguez was outstanding with 5 home runs for the week.  Royce Lewis added 8 RBI.  In aggregate, the Armadillos would have beaten many other teams on offense.  However, Kyle’s attack was too strong and persistent for the Armadillos to hold up.

Pitching

This mean Larry had to rely on his pitching to try to keep things close.  The week started well for the Armadillos, with Merrill Kelly striking out 12 and allowing just 1 earned run on Monday.  Things changed on Thursday, though, when Carlos Rodon imploded and allowed 7 earned runs in 3.2 IP. 

The Wolf Spiders endured a nightmare start from Lance Lynn.  He allowed 8 earned runs in 4.2 IP.  Both teams experimented with spot starters, and each paid the price.  The Wolf Spiders were able to deploy Gerrit Cole for two starts, and he performed well.  He allowed just 1 earned run and struck out 16 in two starts.  Zac Gallen then sealed the week with a beautiful complete game, 3-hit shutout with 9 strikeouts.

By Saturday, the Wolf Spiders’ performance had all but assured the team a victory.  Kyle was able to cruise to a win, and he now sits 0.5 games ahead of the Armadillos in first place.  This marks the first time since Week #05 that the Armadillos are not in first place.

The Aftermath

With the outcome of this titanic clash now decided, the title picture is clear.  The Wolf Spiders control their destiny.  They need a win and at least a tie in their last two matches to claim the title either outright or via tiebreaker.  The Wolf Spiders must lose one or more games, or tie both games for the Armadillos to have a chance.

For Larry to reclaim first place, he must win his last two match-ups and hope the Wolf Spiders lose.  The Kraken have a chance to decide the title, as they play both leaders in their final two games.  Chris will do everything he can to defeat both squads, and his team post big numbers on the right week. 

This week the Wolf Spiders face the Skyline Sluggers.  Charlie’s squad is injured and needs some help on both offense and pitching.  The team failed to qualify for the ERA and WHIP categories in a humiliating loss to the Hares.  Charlie needs to adjust his line and put up a fight against the Wolf Spiders for the championship run to maintain its integrity.  Everyone must hope that Charlie embraces the challenge to upset the league leaders, and not simply give up categories by default or have injured players littering his line-up.

A Final Note

With little to play for, other teams deployed their own experimental strategies for the week.  The most hilarious must be the Goofballs.  Kevin’s squad put up solid offensive numbers, but absolutely obliterated the rest of the league in steals.  Corbin Carroll ran wild to score 6 of his own, and four other players had at least two, including… William Contreras?!  The team totalled 17, which has to be a league record.