This Week

This week saw four teams rise to the moment and secure much-needed victories.  The Armadillos continued to roll with a strong showing versus the Goofballs.  The Kraken kept pace and delivered the best stats.  The Hares and Possums both secured wins to move up in the middle ranks of the standings.  With the season entering the home stretch, there is no margin for error.

CP Kraken (8-6-1) vs. HP PhoeGnomes (6-8-1)

The week’s best showing belonged to the Kraken.  Chris knows he must essentially win-out to have a shot at the title, and the team delivered.  Chris led the lgaue in OPS and home runs, and was second in runs and RBI.  Five players had a least 2 home runs, led by Juan Soto with 4.  He, along with Aaron Judge and Tyler O’Neill, all had OPS totals over 1.000.  Unfortunately for Heather, the PhoeGnomes couldn’t compete with the Kraken’s strong output.  Jurickson Profar had two home runs, but poor weeks from the likes of Brandon Nimmo dragged down the team’s OPS.  Adley Rutschman had a uncharacteristically tough week as well, and Chris was able to clear a 5-0 sweep.

The Kraken also delivered on the mound.  They had the third best showing in the league for a week with many solid pitching efforts.  Hunger Brown, Logan Gilbert, and Paul Skenes all had solid starts.  Skenes was the best of the bunch, allowing just 2 earned runs and stroking out 8.  However, one pitcher stood out from the rest of the pack.  Blake Snell had a 6.0 IP 0 earned run start with an almost unthinkable 15 strikeouts.  I’m not sure how this is even possible – Snell struck out 5 of every 6 batters he faced.  It’s simply an incredible effort, especially in just 6.0 IP.  This was more than enough for the Kraken to take 4 categories and cruise to a win for the week. 

KG Capital City Goofballs (5-5-5) vs. LK Armadillos (10-2-3)

The Armadillos have one goal – avoid a late-season swoon to reclaim the title.  Larry took care of business this week, posting dominant offensive numbers and one of the top two pitching performances in the league.  Tarik Skubal led the way with 14.0 IP and 14 strikeouts with just 3 earned runs.  Hayden Birdsong and Taj Bradley each had short but effective strts in which neither allowed an earned run.  Emmanuel Clase also recorded a solid 4 saves.  The team’s WHIP was a little high, and the Goofballs were able to secure IP as well.  This gave Larry a 3-2 lead in the match.

The Armadillos were hot on offense, led by Tyler Fitzgerald.  He had 3 home runs and an OPS of 1.126  He was joined in the 1.000 OPS club by Shea Langeliers and Lawrence Butler.  The team also piled up the steals.  Eight different players had at least one.  The squad also led the league in runs and were second in OPS and RBI.  Kevin deployed a more limited number of players, and managed to keep it close.  Kyle Schwarber had 3 home runs and Rafael Devers joined him with an OPS over 1.000.  However, the Armadillos complete performance was enough to overwhelm the Goofballs and earn the win.  Chris will need to look for help next week, as the Armadillos took care of business.

CM Skyline Sluggers (5-9-1) vs. JK Hares (5-8-2)

The Hares were in a solid battle this week, and the outcome could be a huge factor for the final standings and draft pick situation.  Jeff deployed a strategy befitting the team’s name, and relied on steals and pitching to win the day.  The team had the best overall pitching performance in the league and were at the top in ERA and WHIP.  Hunter Greene was on fire with 14.0 IP and 12 strikeouts without and earned run.  Bryce Miller allowed just 3 earned runs in 13.1 IP and 11 strikeouts.  The bullpen struggled a bit, but overall the team put up dominant numbers that could have gone even higher on the counting stats if the situation demanded it.

The Skyline Sluggers were more competitive on offense.  Charlie had 5 players with at least 2 home runs.  Marcus Semien and Ketel Marte were excellent in limited at bats.  Bryan De La Cruz did his best to imitate his more famous namesake with 2 home runs and a steal.  However, the Hares were running wild, and their own De La Cruz willed the team to victory.  Elly had 1 home run, 7 steals, an an OPS of 1.105.  Cruz put the week away with a monster 4 steal game on Sunday.  This was enough for the narrow 5-4-1 win.  The Hares are now in sixth place and inching back to near 0.500.  This is a high water mark for a team that has struggled for much of the year.  The Skyline Sluggers have fallen after their hot start, and are in the middle of the scrum for better draft pick odds.

KK Wolf Spiders (7-7-1) vs. RK Possums (7-8)

Last but not least, the Possums rallied back to 0.500 with a winning effort against the Wolf Spiders.  Neither team had the best stats on offense of pitching, but the Possums were able to do enough.  Rick led the entire league in steals.  Eight players had at least one.  Francisco Lindor was also on fire, with 5 home runs, 10 RBI, 6 runs, and 2 steals.  His OPS was a big 1.171.  The Wolf Spiders struggled mightiy with just one steal and a horrible 3/23 week for Jonah Heim.

Both teams had rather mediocre pitching for the week.  Kyle got a nice start from Jon Gray, while Rick enjoyed a solid effort from Jameson Taillon.  This led to a muddy finish with both teams working to keep their ERA and WHIP under control.  Rick won the battle, and is now back to 0.500. 

The loss drops the Wolf Spiders to 5 games back from the Armadillos and likely ends their contention for the year. Let’s take a minute to appreciate the Wolf Spiders for their two years of dominant play and championship will.

Player and Pitcher of the Week

This week’s best pitcher has to go to Blake Snell and his monster 15 strikeout start. The position player of the week is going to Elly De La Cruz for willing the Hares to victory and pulling the team from out of the cellar with his 4 steal day!

Next Week

The season rumbles on next week. The Armadillos face the struggling PhoeGnomes, who need to find some answers to stay out of the basement. The Kraken face a tougher match against the Hares, who are doing everything they can to build for next year. The struggling Wolf Spiders and Skyline Sluggers meet in a battle where both teams need to right the ship. Finally, the Possums will try to rise above 0.500 against the Goofballs.

This Week

The long week for the All-Star break produced a slew of stellar offensive performances.  Some teams rose to the occasion with renewed intensity, while others faded under the pressure.  The big winners were the Hares and Kraken.  Chris remains the team with the best chance to derail the Armadillos.  The Hares are moving in the right direction to better position for the draft.  Meanwhile, other teams must look for answers as the season enters the home stretch.

JK Hares (4-8-2) vs. KK Wolf Spiders (7-6-1)

The week’s best showing belonged to the Hares.  They easily led the league in runs, RBI, and OPS.  They were second in home runs.  Leading the way were Trea Turner and Brent Rooker.  They combined for 9 home runs, 21 runs, 25 RBI, and 2 steals.  Marcell Ozuna added 5 home runs of his own.  Elly De La Cruz contributed 2 home runs and 5 steals.  These five players had OPS values well north of 1.000.  The Wolf Spiders didn’t have a bad week offensively, but they couldn’t keep pace.  The team had decent home run output from the likes of Freddie Freeman, Corey Seager, and Austin Riley.  However, they failed to put up the gaudy totals that could match the hares.  The team did manage to tie in steals, and this gave Kyle a small window on the pitching side.

The Wolf Spiders staff was solid, with few major implosions save Zac Gallen.  Kirby Yates had a strong 4 saves.  The Hares faced a disaster when four of their Saturday starters were not saved in the lineup properly by the ESPN site.  Despite a refresh and verification, the site somehow put the Hares’ quartet back on the bench.  This put the team in scramble mode on Sunday.  Thankfully for the Hares, fortune smiled on them for the week.  Random starters like Ben Lively, Aaron Civale, Andrew Heaney, and Dean Kremer did enough to post a 3.54 ERA over 28.0 IP.  This tipped the balance of IP by just 0.2 IP, and edged out a 2 strikeout advantage to flip the category. 

The Hares were able to hold on, and move out of last place for the first time this season. The Wolf Spiders put up a solid fight, but the loss probably ends their contention for a third consecutive championship.  However, Kyle will not give up until the bitter end, as long as there is still a mathematical chance to win.

CP Kraken (7-6-1) vs. KG Capital City Goofballs (5-4-5)

The week’s second big winner was the Kraken.  Chris needed a win to keep pace with the Armadillos, and his team delivered.  The team’s pitching led the way, and shared the top numbers in the league with the PhoeGnomes.  Logan Gilbert led the way with two solid starts that totaled 14.2 IP with 16 strikeouts and a 1.84 ERA. Paul Skenes also had a great start with 11 strikeouts over just 7.0 IP.  The team had quality starts up and down the line.  As is so common for the Goofballs, their high-variance staff allowed too many earned runs to be competitive.  Jose Berrios struggled in a short start as did Freddy Peralta.  This created the vicious circle that ruins so many teams.  The earned runs limited innings.  The limited innings made it difficult to reduce ERA and WHIP.  These also limited strikeouts.  The overall outcome was a lack of competitive stats.

Kevin tried to counter on offense.  The team actually led the league in home runs, thanks to consistent performances from many players.  Randy Arozarena had 4, but then 7 other players had 2 home runs each.  However, like the Wolf Spiders, there wasn’t a lot of power on offer outside of the home runs.  The team lagged in OPS, and the Kraken took advantage.  Oneil Cruz had 2 home runs and 11 RBI, along with a 1.106 OPS.  Aaron Judge had 12 walks to go along with 3 home runs, and a 1.215 OPS.  Yordan Alvarez hit for the cycle.  This was good enough to swing the OPS category, and keep the Kraken’s hopes alive for another week.

Chris is now the only team within 3 games of the Armadillos.  The two teams will meet one more time this season, so that means Chris must rely on the rest of the league to deliver the other 2 opportunities to gain ground.  With teams at the bottom jockeying for position, there will certainly be possible upsets.  The Kraken are determined to not let Larry run away with the title.

LK Armadillos (9-2-3) vs. RK Possums (7-7)

While not as flashy as the Hares or Kraken, the Armadillos put up solid numbers and defeated the Possums to remain 3.0 games ahead of the league.  While their stats were not as strong as the other winners, they were good enough to ensure a comfortable victory without too much drama.  The effort was led by the offense.  The Armadillos were second in RBI and OPS, and near the top in runs and home runs.  The names of the players who led the way are shocking – Rece Hinds and Alec Burleson.  The pair combined for 8 home runs, 24 RBI, and 13 runs.  They had a 1.414 and 1.220 OPS respectively.  These lesser-known players are keys to the Armadillos’ strategy.  Hinds was added via free agency on July 9.  Burleson has bounced between the Wolf Spiders and Armadillos all season.  He was most recently added to the Armadillos for the third time this season on July 8.  Without either of these players, the Armadillos might have lost the week.  Their commitment to finding matchups and value continues to pay off.

The Armadillos were acceptable when it comes to pitching, likely due to the Possums’ struggles.  Rick put up solid IP and strikeout numbers, but their rate stats were underwhelming.  Joe Ryan and Sonny Gray both struggled with ERAs over 5.00.  The Armadillos had rough weeks from Jake Irvin and Grayson Rodriguez.  However, the Armadillos limited the damage enough to win both rate categories and secure the win for the week.

HP PhoeGnomes (5-6-1) vs. CM Skyline Sluggers (5-8-1)

The week’s final match saw the PhoeGnomes win with a solid pitching performance that was one of the best in the league.  Yiseu Kikuchi had a massive 13 strikeouts in just 7.1 IP.  Chris Sale and Framber Valdez totaled 29 strikeouts in just 23.0 IP.  They allowed only 7 earned runs.  Valdez has endured an up-and-down year, but he came through this week.  The Skyline Sluggers had a massive week from Shota Imanaga.  He threw 13.0 IP and had 16 strikeouts while allowing just 1 earned run.  This gave him a miniscule 0.69 ERA that was lower than his WHIP of 0.77.  The rest of the team was pretty solid as well.  Unfortunately for Charlie, he was up against too great a force from the PhoeGnomes.

Heather finished the job on offense.  Both teams were competitive here as well.  As usual, Bobby Witt Jr. was the team’s leader with 3 home runs, 1 steal, and 10 RBI.  The Sluggers had their own great week from Anthony Santander with 4 home runs and 9 RBI.  This led to a split-decision on offense and this was enough for Heather to take the week.  This loss drops the Sluggers into last place for the first time this season.  The Hares, PhoeGnomes, and Skyline Sluggers are all set to have quite a battle to reach the rank 6 slot (or higher) to have a higher slot in the draft lottery.  As noted before, this is good new for Chris, who needs help to potentially catch the Armadillos.

Players of the Week

The week’s best offensive player was Brent Rooker, who willed the Hares to victory over the Wolf Spiders.  The best pitcher has to be Logan Gilbert.  He delivered a pair of great starts when the Kraken needed him to step up.

Next Week

This week offers a few interesting matches.  The Armadillos play the Goofballs.  Kevin will fight to the bitter end, and this might be an upset if Kevin can get some better pitching.  The Kraken will face the PhoeGnomes, who are coming off a strong performance.  Heather fared well this week and her pitching could frustrate the Kraken.  The Wolf Spiders and Possums are paired off in a quality match.  The loser could be in danger of falling in to the bottom tier of teams.  Finally, the Hares and Skyline Sluggers meet in a battle that will have ramifications for the draft order.

League Update

With the season rapidly approaching the final stretch, Kyle faced a daunting task against the Armadillos.  With a number of teams in the middle of the pack desperate to contend, Kyle’s match was critical to their collective chances.  The Wolf Spiders rose up and showed why they are the defending two-time champions, if only for this week.  Meanwhile the Hares put up dominant numbers in a desperate bid to leave last place.  The Kraken scored a critical win, and the Goofballs and Sluggers fought to yet another tie.

KK Wolf Spiders (6-6-1) vs. LK Armadillos (9-1-3)

The week’s biggest winner was of course the Wolf Spiders.  Kyle needed to claim a win to have any hope of contention.  The squad responded with a solid week on both offense and pitching.  Kyle won four of five offensive categories, ceding only steals  He had the highest OPS in the league.  Five Wolf Spiders had OPS over 1.000 including Corey Seager, Jonah Heim, Freddie Freeman, Austin Rile, and Byron Buxton.  Buxton was especially impressive with a 1.302 SLG and a home run.  The Armadillos had five different players record a steal, and easily took the category.  However, they had a general slump, highlighted by Pete Alonso’s 5 for 25 effort.  Kyle easily won on the offensive side.

Pitching was much closer.  The Armadillos had good numbers especially from Ronaldo Lopez and Grayson Rodriguez.  They had 4 starts and allowed only 5 earned runs between them.  Tarik Skubal was strong as well.  This gave Larry the edge in ERA, strikeouts, and innings pitched.  However, Kyle stuck back with a win in WHIP thanks to Luis Castillo and Tyler Glasnow.  These starts didn’t have a lot of innings so the counting stats suffered a bit.  Neither team had a good bullpen showing, and this triggered a tie for the saves category.  The normally reliable Edwin Diaz blew a save late, and then cost the Armadillos a chance at a tie for the week.  The Wolf Spiders’ good fortune proved decisive this week, and paid back the Armadillos for several earlier unfortunate events.

The win gives a bit of life to the middle tier of teams in the league.  After close calls against the Hares and Kraken, the Armadillos finally got their second loss.  Could this be the first signs of vulnerability for the team this year?  The rest of the league will need to keep up the pressure to take advantage.

JK Hares (3-8-2) vs. HP PhoeGnomes (5-7-1)

On the other side of the standings, the Hares were determined to prove they don’t belong in the basement.  Jeff’s team has struggled this year, sometimes due to injuries, and other times due to bad luck.  This week, though, the team made a statement that they intend to move up in the league table. 

Trea Turner and Will Smith led the way with 4 home runs each.  Brent Rooker added 3 of his own and 2 steals.  Riley Greene had 2 more home runs and is proving to be a respectable threat in the outfield.  The four had OPS values well north of 1.200, with Rooker in particular standing out with a massive 1.510 number.  The PhoeGnomes were able to tie in RBI thanks to yet another massive week from Bobby Witt Jr.  Heather won RBI, but was not able to crack the other categories.

The Hares’ onslaught continued on the pitching side.  Craig Kimbrel recorded and impressive 4 saves.  Brady Singer had a nice spot start.  The rest of the staff was strong with high innings pitched and strikeout totals.  Although the PhoeGnomes won ERA, they were not able to compete in the other categories due to low innings pitched totals.  The Hares were able to cruise to a relatively smooth win. 

The victory does not lift the team out of last place, but it does give the Hares a little momentum going into the long All-Star Break week.  For Heather, the loss is yet another frustration in a season-long fight for dominance in the middle of the pack.

RK Possums (7-6) vs. CP Kraken (6-6-1)

The Possums and Kraken were the two biggest beneficiaries of the Wolf Spiders’ win over the Armadillos.  Both teams are contenders, despite the Kraken’s heart-breaking loss last week.  This time around, both were determined to gain ground via Kyle’s stunning win.

Both teams posted strong offensive stats behind a few key players.  The Possums’ standout was Christian Walker who had a massive 5 home run week, with 11 RBI an a 1.467 OPS.  The Kraken countered with 3 home runs for Yordan Alvarez and an eye-popping 1.486 OPS.  The Kraken had just a bit more depth and won OPS and runs, but the Possums were able to capture 3 other categories largely on the back of Walker.

The situation was reversed on the pitching side. Neither team had a great week, but the Kraken were a shade better when it mattered.  Bailey Ober had a nice start, and others who were less effective still compiled innings and strikeouts.  For example, Hunter Brown had two starts and allowed 7 earned runs, but he also managed 12.0 IP and 11 strikeouts.  The Possums suffered from some gopher-itis as no starter truly imploded but none were very effective either.  Not starter allowed more than 5 earned runs, but only 1 had an ERA below 3.00 for the week.  This gave Chris enough room to win 4 categories thanks to a good WHIP.  This gave him the narrow win.

The win leaves the Kraken 3 games behind the Armadillos, and the Possums 3.5 back.  Both teams will continue to need help, but the Kraken must breathe a sigh of relief to regain some ground after last week’s result.

CM Skyline Sluggers (5-8) vs. KG Capital City Goofballs (5-4-4)

The week’s final match saw the Goofballs and Skyline Sluggers battle to a draw in the most bizarre way possible.  The Goofballs won all offensive categories barring steals.  They led the league in home runs, RBI, and runs by a wide margin.  Brenton Doyle was an absolute monster, putting up a Judge-like 4 home runs, 1 steal, and a 1.886 OPS.  Nine total Goofballs had a home run.  Spencer Steer and Willson Contreras had 3 home runs each.

With that level of offensive production, how did the Goofballs not win?  The pitching side of the equation was as atrocious as the offense was spectacular. Luis Severino allowed 7 earned runs in just 6.0 IP.  Jose Berrios allowed 9 in 11.0 IP.  However, this was all undone by Cade “Son of Maury” Povich.  The DNA results are in, and Cade…. you are NOT a quality pitcher.  Cade humiliated himself by allowed an unfathomable 8 earned runs in just 1.0 IP.  To make matters worse, this was against the Oakland A’s, one of the worst offenses in the league.  The outing doomed the Goofballs to one of the worst ERAs in league history and the two teams had to settle for a tie.

Players of the Week

The players of the week will be Brent Rooker for the Hares.  His performance wasn’t quite as good as a few others, but this contribution to the win cannot be denied.

The pitcher of the week will be a first – Cade Povich earns the “honor” but on behalf of the Skyline Sluggers, to whom he single-handedly gifted the tie!

Next Week

Next week is the long All-Star Break week which will span almost two weeks.  You are allowed to start up to 10 pitchers for the week!  The Kraken and Goofballs matchup is intriguing.  Both teams need a win, and with highly variable pitching staffs, both may set the wrong kind of records.  The Armadillos and Possums are another good match.  Rick must win to remain in contention.  The Wolf Spiders and Hares both have good momentum, and will be an intriguing match.  Finaly, the PhoeGnomes and Skyline Sluggers will try to return to form against each other.

League Update

The league took its first steps in the second half of the season, and there is concern that the result may already be wrapped up.  The Armadillos won yet another close match-up, this time against the Kraken.  Chris’s team was on the rise and considered the most likely threat to the Armadillos’ dominance.  However, Larry escaped with yet another close win, just as he did over the Hares.  The squad is now in first place by a whopping 3.5 games with only 10 weeks left to play.  To put this into context, the Hares are in last place, but only 3.0 games out of second place.  They worst team is closer to second than the second place team is to first.  The Goofballs and upstart Possums are the only teams within 3.5 games, and the Kraken and Wolf Spiders are 4.0 games back.  No other team has a realistic chance of contention, but the draft lottery is still in play.  There is plenty of competition, as teams like the Skyline Sluggers look to improve their draft standing.

CP Kraken (6-5-1) vs. LK Armadillos (8-1-3)

As mentioned at the beginning, the week’s most important match featured the Kraken and Armadillos.  The Kraken had been red-hot, but so were the Armadillos.  They met in Chris’s best chance to move closer to contention.  Unfortunately for the Kraken, they lost in heart-breaking fashion.  The battle was hotly contested on the pitching side. Both teams had strong performances, behind only the Hares and Possums.  Christopher Sanchez led the way for the Armadillos with a complete game shutout with 9 strikeouts, 3 hits, and 0 walks.  This dominant start offset duds from Rangers Suarez and Luis Gil.  Without this volume of innings and masterful WHIP and ERA quality, the team would have likely fallen.  In turn, Chris dominated saves with 4 from Ryan Helsley.  Hunter Brown, Paul Skenes, Logan Gilbert, and Bailey Ober all had good starts for the Kraken as well.  However, all four only threw just 6.0 inning each.  They piled up strikeouts, but the relative lack of innings pitched cost the team this category directly.  It also carried over a bit to ERA, as a few more innings here and there (assuming now more runs allowed) might have been enough to drop the rate stat low enough to turn the tide.  As it stood, The Kraken took 2 categories to the Armadillos 3.

On the surface, the Kraken might see this as a good outcome, given their massive offensive output.  Sadly, the team’s hitters picked the wrong week to go somewhat cold, and they lost or tied three categories by the tiniest margins.  As usual, Aaron Judge did his best to carry the team on his back.  He had 3 home runs, 6 runs, and an astonishing 12 RBI.  Juan Soto added 2 more home runs, and this was enough to secure the category (along with OPS).  However, the team fell just 1 run short of tying the category and the week.  Matt Olson struggled with just 1 RBI for the week in 26 at-bats.  The teams also tied in steals, and the Armadillos won RBI by a small gap.  Larry’s team was led by veteran Jose Ramirez.  He had 4 home runs, 9 RBI, 7 runs, and a steal.  Josh Lowe added 2 surprising steals.  Pete Alonso also had 1 home run, 4 RBI, and 1 steal in part-time duty.  Overall neither team had stats that would lead the league in any category, but all the numbers were respectable.  The Kraken’s last hope for a tie or win died when Jordan Westburg went 0-4 late on Sunday.

The loss is a bitter one for the Kraken, who saw their chance to enter the title pitcher swiped away.  The Armadillos snuck by yet another team.  After suffering a serious of misfortunes last year, it seems that luck is on the Armadillos’ side this year.  It remains to be seen if either the Goofballs or Possums can challenge the Armadillos, but both will need help from the rest of the league.

CM Skyline Sluggers (5-7) vs. RK Possums (6-6)

The week’s second biggest performer was the Possums squad.  Rick’s team emerged from the week a gave over 0.500, and suddenly in a tie for second place.  Rick’s rise has been slow but steady.  After a tough start, his team is now at the top of the tables, with no signs of slowing down.  The team’s best showing was on the mound.  Seth Lugo was masterful with 18 strikeouts over 12.0 IP and 0 earned runs.  He had a 0.75 WHIP.  The team was solid overall with no starter allowing more than 4 earned runs.  Their consistent performances resulted in a nice strikeout total and high innings pitched.  The Skyline Sluggers weren’t competitive despite not having any truly hideous performances.  They also got some welcome relief pitching with 2 saves from James McArthur and 3 from Tanner Scott to secure the category.  However, this still left Charlie with a 1-4 deficit.

On offense, the Possums and Sluggers were both solid if unspectacular.  They tied with 10 home runs, but Rick’s team took the initiative in other categories.  Adolis Garcia and Manny Machado had 3 home runs each and totaled 10 RBI and a more-impressive 13 runs.  The Sluggers countered with another 3 home runs from a hot Shohei Ohtani, and 2 each from Ketel Marte and Luis Rengifo. Christian Yelich added 3 steals to secure the category for Charlie.  However, the Possums’ depth won the day, and the team marched to a clean 7-2-1 win.  The Possums remain the hottest team in the league.  Can they challenge the Armadillos? That’s asking a lot, but the potential is there.

HP PhoeGnomes (4-7-1) vs. KK Wolf Spiders (6-5-1)

The week’s most controversial match featured the PhoeGnomes and the Wolf Spiders.  Both teams posted the best offensive totals in the league, but the outcome on pitching has left everyone confused and unsure who actually won this battle.

Let’s start with the offense.  Both teams were productive, and near the top of the tables in every category.  Kyle eventually won RBI, steals, and OPS.  No Wolf Spider had more than 2 home runs, but 9 players had at least 1.  Isiah Kiner-Falefa made a shocking splash with 7 runs and 1 home run.  Byron Buxton had a great 1.462 OPS in partial duty.  Cedric Mullins added two home runs and a 1.257 OPS as well.  The PhoeGnomes won runs and home runs thanks in large part to Vladimir Guerrero Jr.  He had a week to rival Aaron Judge two weeks ago with 4 home runs, 6 runs, 17 (yes, 17) RBI, and a 1.690 OPS.  He wasn’t a one-man show, and Brandon Nimmo added 2 home runs and a 1.202 OPS.  Jose Altuve’s 3 steals gave Heather the nod in this important category.  This gave her a 3-2 lead.

On pitching, everything went wild.  Let’s start with what’s known.  The Wolf Spiders had 8 starters, and they totaled 44.2 IP, 40 strikeouts, 0 saves, a 4.836 ERA, and 1.388 WHIP.  These are not spectacular numbers.  The PhoeGnomes easily posted better numbers, but they come with a caveat – the team started 10 pitchers!  This is problematic because it can shift all categories except saves.  Looking at Heather’s Sunday starters, they contributed 18 strikeouts and 11.1 IP.  This would not be enough to swing either category to the Wolf Spiders.  Kyle won ERA already.  Heather’s Sunday WHIP was higher than her week’s WHIP, so this category weas unaffected.  However, for the benefit of the double, we will award it to Kyle.  That would leave a 6-4 score.  Even if we look at Heather’s two best starts for the week, they would not shift either IP or strikeouts.

This leaves a situation were Heather’s extra starters did not affect the outcome.  Therefore, she will retain the win for the week, since this was an accident and first offense.  If the categories were closer, this might be a more difficult situation.  However, Kyle would lose the week even if we assign him WHIP without either K or IP also in his favor.  Since Heather is so far in the lead,  there is no clear evidence that this violation would have changed the result.  However, we would ask that the PhoeGnomes be careful in the future, as this kind of thing can cause absolute chaos if we have to reschedule match-ups to try to make it work.

KG Capital City Goofballs (5-4-3) vs. JK Hares (3-8-1)

The week’s final match saw the Goofballs and Hares limp to a tie.  Neither team could seem to must much offense.  Both teams were near the bottom in all categories with the exception of steals.  The Goofballs had 8, thanks in large part to 3 from CJ Abrams.  The Hares somehow won RBI, thanks to 5 from a nice week from Elly De La Cruz.  Bryce Harper stayed red-hot, and helped the Goofballs secure the other four categories.

The Hares were much better on pitching, and posted some of the top stats in the league.  They easily led the league in ERA and strikeouts (account for the PhoeGnomes violation) and were second in WHIP.  The Bassitt Hound had a nice week with 8 strikeouts and no earned runs.  However, no starter made it beyond 7.0 IP and the team struggled to win innings.  Kevin’s squad had a decent week, but were more durable and won the category.  This led to an unsatisfying tie for both sides.  The Hares want to break out of last place, while the Goofballs believe they can still contend.

Players of the Week

The players of the week are pretty clear – Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was by far the best hitter in the league.  The pitcher of the week is going to be Seth Lugo – he led the Possums to victory and into second place.

Next Week

The third cycle rolls on with a few critical matches.  The Armadillos face the Wolf Spiders, and look to cement the doom of the defending champions.  Kyle will do everything he can to not drop out of the race.  The Possums and Kraken face off.  Rick wants to continue to show he can challenge the Armadillos, while the Kraken are desperate to stay alive.

The Goofballs face the Skyline Sluggers, and yet again, must win to keep pace.  Finally, the Hares and PhoeGnomes meet in a battle that is critically important for the draft lottery.