Week #11 finally delivered something many around the league had begun to wonder if they would ever see: a PhoeGnomes victory. After 10 weeks of frustration, near misses, and increasingly creative ways to lose fantasy baseball matchups, Heather’s club finally broke through with a 5-4-1 win over the Armadillos. It wasn’t just their first win of the season. It came against one of the league’s strongest teams and produced one of the most memorable storylines of the year.
HP PhoeGnomes (1-9-1) def. LK Armadillos (5-3-3), 5-4-1
The PhoeGnomes did not suddenly turn into an offensive juggernaut. They scored 30 runs, hit 6 home runs, and posted a respectable .726 OPS. What won them this matchup was pitching, and lots of it.
Paul Skenes led the way with another dominant performance, piling up 17 strikeouts across 12 innings while continuing to look every bit like one of the premier fantasy pitchers in baseball. Drew Rasmussen may have been even better, striking out 13 over 7 brilliant innings while allowing just 2 hits and posting a microscopic 0.43 WHIP. By the end of the week, the PhoeGnomes had racked up 65 strikeouts while posting a 2.39 ERA. For a team that has spent much of the season searching for consistency on the mound, this was exactly the kind of performance they needed.
What makes the result even more painful for the Armadillos is that they actually played well enough to win. Pete Alonso launched 3 home runs and drove in 6. Tyler Soderstrom was even better, crushing 4 home runs and knocking in 8. The Armadillos finished with 42 runs and 14 home runs, numbers that would have been enough to beat most teams in the league this week.
Instead, the week will be remembered for Andrés Muñoz. The Armadillos can point to a lot of things that went wrong, but the season may eventually remember only one stat line. Muñoz entered the week as one of the most reliable relievers in baseball and somehow left it with 0.0 innings pitched, 1 hit allowed, 1 walk, 2 earned runs, an injury, an infinite ERA, and an infinite WHIP. In fantasy baseball, that is roughly equivalent to driving your car into a lake while trying to park it. The Armadillos spent 6 days building a winning matchup only to watch Muñoz kick the entire sandcastle into the ocean in a matter of minutes. Without that appearance, they probably win. Instead, the PhoeGnomes are finally in the win column.
CM Dirt Mountain Anchors (3-6-2) def. KK Wolf Spiders (5-3-3), 5-3-2
While the PhoeGnomes provided the feel-good story of the week, the Anchors delivered the surprise. Charlie’s club entered the matchup as an underdog against a team tied for 3rd place and left with a convincing victory built on strong pitching and another absurd week from Shohei Ohtani.
At this point, Ohtani’s stat lines almost feel unfair. He hit 2 home runs, scored 5 runs, drove in 4, drew 8 walks, and posted a 1.632 OPS. Oh, and he also contributed 6.2 innings on the mound because apparently being one superstar isn’t enough. Bryce Harper added another strong week, while Michael Harris II, Ernie Clement, and Jarren Duran all chipped in important contributions throughout the lineup.
The biggest difference came on the mound. Kevin Gausman, Sonny Gray, Logan Gilbert, and Sandy Alcantara combined to give the Anchors quality outing after quality outing. The staff finished with 50 strikeouts, a 3.40 ERA, and a 1.15 WHIP. It wasn’t flashy, but it was exactly the type of steady performance that wins fantasy matchups.
The Wolf Spiders, meanwhile, never seemed to find a rhythm. Hunter Goodman continued his breakout campaign with 3 home runs and 6 RBI, and Freddie Freeman reached base seemingly every time he stepped into the batter’s box, but the lineup managed only 6 home runs and 21 RBI. The pitching was even more problematic. Roki Sasaki was tagged for 7 earned runs, Noah Cameron struggled, and the staff posted a 5.40 ERA. The Wolf Spiders remain firmly in the playoff hunt, but Week 11 was one to forget.
JK Hares (7-2-2) def. CP Kraken (5-5-1), 8-2-0
The Hares continue to look like the most complete team in the league. Every time it seems like someone is ready to close the gap in the standings, Jeff’s club responds with another dominant performance. This week it came at the expense of the Kraken, and the final 8-2-0 score hardly feels unfair.
The offense was ridiculous. Jackson Chourio put together one of the best weeks any hitter has had this season, blasting 5 home runs while driving in 10 and posting a 1.417 OPS. Alec Burleson matched him with 5 home runs of his own and added 8 RBI. Brandon Lowe chipped in 2 more long balls, while Josh Naylor and Seiya Suzuki helped power the Hares to an incredible 19 home runs and 50 RBI.
As good as the offense was, the pitching may have been even more impressive. The Hares piled up 78 strikeouts while posting a WHIP below 1.00. Jacob Misiorowski continued his ascent into fantasy superstardom, striking out 15 while allowing just a single hit over 9 innings. Dylan Cease added 11 strikeouts of his own, while Zack Wheeler, Mason Miller, and Cade Smith all turned in strong performances.
The Kraken actually hit 11 home runs and posted an .844 OPS, numbers that would normally make them competitive. Juan Soto hit 2 home runs and posted a 1.410 OPS. Yordan Alvarez added 2 more homers and 6 RBI, while Matt Olson chipped in 3 home runs of his own. The problem was the pitching staff. Ryan Weathers, Kyle Harrison, Kyle Bradish, and Trey Yesavage combined to allow 24 earned runs, leaving the Kraken chasing the matchup for most of the week. Sometimes you lose because you play poorly. Sometimes you lose because the first-place team hits 19 home runs and racks up 78 strikeouts.
One final note: after becoming something of a recurring character in these recaps, Emmet Sheehan finally delivered a week that was merely mediocre. Five innings, 3 earned runs, and 8 strikeouts isn’t exactly inspiring, but compared to some of his earlier adventures, it qualifies as progress.
KG Capital City Goofballs (6-3-2) def. RK Possums (5-6-0), 7-3-0
Lost amid the PhoeGnomes celebration and the Armadillos disaster was another impressive performance from the Goofballs. Kevin’s club continues to quietly stack wins, and after another convincing victory they now sit alone in 2nd place, just one matchup behind the Hares.
The offense was relentless from top to bottom. Nick Kurtz continued what is becoming one of the best breakout seasons in the league, hitting 4 home runs while driving in 7 and scoring 7 times. Jordan Walker added 2 home runs and 9 RBI, Ivan Herrera posted a 1.397 OPS while scoring 8 runs, and Zack Gelof chipped in 2 home runs of his own. By the end of the week the Goofballs had piled up 15 home runs, 40 runs, and a robust .850 OPS.
The pitching wasn’t dominant, but it didn’t need to be. Logan Webb tossed 8 scoreless innings, Miles Mikolas delivered 7 shutout frames, and Jacob Latz quietly added 2 saves. The overall numbers were solid if unspectacular, but when your offense is producing at this level, solid is often enough.
The frustrating part for the Possums is that they actually had a very good week themselves. James Wood was phenomenal, finishing with 3 home runs, 6 RBI, 3 stolen bases, and 9 runs scored. Byron Buxton looked like an MVP candidate, launching 4 home runs while posting a ridiculous 1.583 OPS. Fernando Tatis Jr. added another homer, while the Possums finished with 13 home runs, 37 runs, 10 stolen bases, and an .882 OPS.
Unfortunately, fantasy baseball is not graded on effort. By the end of the week, Kevin’s offense had simply landed more punches, and the Goofballs left with a comfortable 7-3-0 victory.
Next Week
The key matchup for the week is a monstrous showdown between the Hares and the Armadillos. With the season reaching its halfway point, the Armadillos don’t want to find themsevles 2.5 games behind. Meanwhile, the Wolf Spiders and Goofballs meet in a battle to keep pace at the top of the standings. The PhoeGnomes will go for win number two against the Possums. Rounding out the week is the battle between the Kraken and Anchors. This match is truly a “submarine” series.
Dirt Mountain Baseball League 