Weekly Summary
This week saw a pair of upsets that left only one team undefeated an in sole possession of first place, the Wolf Spiders! After struggling to start the year, the Possums were able to defeat the Hares and earn their first victory. Meanwhile, the Armadillos were upset by the Skyline Sluggers, who join only three other teams with winning records.

RK Possums (0-4) vs JK Hares (2-2)

The Possums have struggled to open the season, but this week they found a way to win behind excellent pitching and strong offensive numbers. The results have been a bit surprising, as the Possums are in the middle of almost all season stats across the league. The only area where they are at the bottom is OPS, but they are near the very top in strikeouts. These numbers don’t indicate a team that should be 0-4, and it was finally the week for the team to break through.

Rick led the league in RBI and was second in steal, runs, and home runs. Christian Walker led the way with 2 home runs, 6 RBI, and an OPS of 1.157. Jose Caballero added 4 steals, including 3 on Sunday. The Hares managed 8 home runs as well to tie the category, but Rick’s overall production was much better, and he took 4 categories.

On pitching, both teams were exceptional. The Hares had great outings from Dylan Cease and Zack Wheeler. However, the Possums were just as strong, with excellent performances from Max Fried, Jared Jones, and Tyler Glasnow. The trio combined for 34 strikeouts in 4 starts. While the Hares won in rate stats and saves, they were unable to keep pace with the volume of strikeouts and innings the Possums totaled. This gave Rick the edge, and he was able to pick up a well-earned first win of the season.

CM Skyline Sluggers (2-2) vs. LK Armadillos (3-0-1)

Entering the week, the Armadillos were one of two undefeated teams along with the Wolf Spiders. This week they fell victim to the Skyline Sluggers, who put up solid numbers across the board. The Armadillos were off all week and posted some of the worst offensive stats in the history of the league. At one point during the week, the Armadillos were 3-55 with no home runs and 1 RBI. The worst offender was Pete Alonso who managed a shocking, atrocious 1 for 26 week with a 0.210 OPS. He did have 1 steal. The squad was last in every offensive category except for steals. Charlie enjoyed a great week from Shohei Ohtani who had 3 home runs, 7 RBI, and 2 steals with a 1.536 OPS. There was no competition, and the Skyline Sluggers took a 5-0 lead.

On pitching, Charlie was also in strong form. He posted solid results on great starts from Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Nathan Eovaldi. The Armadillos struggled here, with disaster form Casey Mize and Carlos Rodon. Ryan Pepiot had the best start for either team with 8.0 IP and 10 strikeouts, but it wasn’t enough. Charlie easily won two categories and secured a win for the week. The victory brings the Skyline Sluggers to above 0.500 and in the top half of the standings! The loss is the first for the Armadillos, who now trail the Wolf Spiders. The early-season favorites are likely to bounce back from this horror show. Having said that, the continued volatility from every team has made the start of the season a chaotic one.

CP Kraken (2-2) vs. KK Wolf Spiders (3-0-1)

After a tie last week, the Wolf Spiders emerged looking strong against the Kraken. Kyle posted solid numbers on both the offensive and pitching sides of the ledger. Kyle deployed a whopping 19 players on offense in pursuit of platoon advantages. They generated only 4 home runs, but they managed to pile up runs and RBIs. Ronald Acuna Jr. was the leader with 3 steals, a single home run, and an 0.826 OPS. Steven Kwan had a more powerful showing going 7 for 15 with a 1.419 OPS. Chris managed to win home runs, thanks to 2 from Kyle Tucker, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the Wolf Spiders, who won 4 categories.

On pitching, Kyle had the best ERA and second best WHIP in the league. Jon Gray was strong over two starts, and Seth Lugo had a good outing. The bullpen came through with 5.1 scoreless innings. The Kraken were able to take IP and strikeouts by a small margin. Shota Imanaga was the best of the week with a 7.0, 7 strikeout, and 0 earned run performance. This wasn’t enough to overcome Kyle’s quality rate stats, and the defending champs managed to remain unbeaten for one more week. The loss prompted the Legion to attempt to shake things up by trading Tyler O’Neill to the Hares for pitching help. However, the deal was scuttled just before completion as the targeted pitcher was injured.

KG Capital City Goofballs (1-1-2) vs. HP PhoeGnomes (1-3)

The Goofballs entered the week with what may be a league first – more ties than either wins or losses. This changed as Kevin took care of business against the struggling PhoeGnomes. Both teams had great offense, and the top two OPS in the league by a wide margin. The Goofballs led the league in runs and RBI, and the PhoeGnomes led the league in steals. This led to a 3-2 advantage for the Goofballs, and it must be frustrating for Heather to put up such strong numbers and not win more than 2 categories. Jurickson Profar was the PhoeGnomes’ best performer with 2 home runs, 5 runs and RBI, 1 steal, and an OPS of 1.368! The Goofballs got great work from Christopher Morel, who had 3 home runs, 7 RBI, and a steal. Bryce Harper added 10 RBI.

Heather had a good chance to even the score or possibly win with her strong pitching. Chris Sale, Yusei Kikuchi, Garrett Crochet, and Keving Gausman all had great starts. Heather easily won ERA. However, the PhoeGnomes lost both IP and strikeouts by small margins (2.0 IP and 5 K’s). Aaron Nola and MacKenzie Gore both had shortened starts that would have likely made the difference in these two categories. With even mediocre numbers for the two, Heather would have flipped two categories and the week overall. Instead, Kevin earned the win and joined the handful of teams with 2 wins on the year. Heather has to look back on another unlucky week, and hope things improve. She is now tied with the Possums at the bottom of the standings.

Next Week

The week’s most interesting match pairs the Possums with the Skyline Sluggers. Rick’s team had a great showing this week, but Charlie’s squad was equally hot against the Armadillos. Larry will try to turn it around against his arch-rivals, the Kraken. The Wolf Spiders will challenge the PhoeGnomes, who hope their luck turns around. Finally, the inconsistent Hares meet the equally up-and-down Goofballs.