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.