With the league moving into the second half of the season, Week 14 felt like the point where the title race truly began. The Hares continue to lead the way at 9-3-2, but the chasing pack made it abundantly clear they’re not going anywhere. The biggest story of the week wasn’t even who won—it was the offensive explosions from the Kraken and Armadillos. The two contenders combined for 91 runs, 38 home runs, and 102 RBI in what felt more like a Home Run Derby than a fantasy matchup. The Kraken ultimately prevailed, but both clubs reminded the league they have lineups capable of winning a championship.
The Hares continued to take care of business despite battling pitching injuries and, apparently, their owner spending more time in Ibiza clubs than watching baseball. The Wolf Spiders finally saw their offense wake up, even if their pitching staff immediately tried to sabotage it, while the Possums quietly put together another encouraging week to keep themselves relevant heading into the stretch run.
CP Kraken (8-5-1) def. LK Armadillos (6-4-4), 7-3
If there was one matchup that felt worthy of a heavyweight title fight, this was it. The Kraken and Armadillos entered the week with two of the league’s most explosive offenses, and neither disappointed. Together they combined for 91 runs, 38 home runs, and 102 RBI, turning every night into a fireworks display. In the end, the Kraken’s offense simply reached another level, piling up an absurd 73 hits, 47 runs, 25 home runs, and 56 RBI to hand the Armadillos just their second loss in the last 7 weeks. It was exactly the type of statement win that keeps the Kraken firmly in the championship conversation.
Honestly, it’s difficult to know where to start with this lineup. Yordan Alvarez was completely unstoppable, launching 4 home runs, driving in 11 RBI, and collecting 10 hits. Otto Lopez somehow stole the show anyway, going an incredible 14-for-28 while adding 3 home runs, 7 RBI, and scoring 7 runs. Jake McCarthy erupted for 3 home runs and 10 RBI, Junior Caminero matched Alvarez with 4 home runs, Zach Neto added another 2 bombs and 6 RBI, while Matt Olson, Carter Jensen, Juan Soto, Brandon Marsh, and Michael Busch all left the yard as well. The scary part for the rest of the league is that this wasn’t a top-heavy effort—virtually everyone in the lineup found a way to contribute, making this one of the most complete offensive performances we’ve seen all season.
The pitching wasn’t nearly as dominant, but it didn’t need to be. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was brilliant again with 7 scoreless innings and 10 strikeouts, Trey Yesavage continued his outstanding campaign with another quality start, Casey Mize quietly turned in 6.2 strong innings, while Josh Hader and Louis Varland combined for 4 saves without allowing a run. There were certainly bumps along the way—Hunter Brown, Reid Detmers, Kyle Harrison, and Braxton Ashcraft all had rough outings – but when your offense hits 25 home runs in a single week, perfection on the mound becomes a luxury rather than a necessity.
Perhaps the most frightening part of this matchup is that the Armadillos didn’t even play poorly. In almost any other week, scoring 44 runs, hitting 13 home runs, and posting a sparkling 1.35 ERA would be enough to cruise to victory. Instead, they simply ran into a buzzsaw. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Dansby Swanson, Esmerlyn Valdez, Kody Clemens and Colson Montgomery all had huge offensive weeks, while Christopher Sanchez, Bryce Miller and Tarik Skubal fronted one of the best pitching performances of the season. Sometimes you lose because you play badly. Sometimes you lose because the other team decides to turn every hitter into Barry Bonds for a week. This was very much the latter.
JK Hares (9-3-2) def. KG Capital City Goofballs (8-4-2), 8-2
The Hares just keep finding ways to win. Despite losing several starting pitchers to injury and piecing together innings wherever they could find them, they still cruised to an 8-2 victory over the Goofballs to maintain their grip on first place. Rumors also surfaced during the week that the Hares owner was spotted somewhere between Ibiza Town and Ushuaïa at approximately 4 AM, yet somehow still managed to set a winning lineup. If true, it may be the most impressive managerial performance of the season.
The offense once again carried the load. Trea Turner led the way with 3 home runs and 7 RBI, Bryan Reynolds added 2 home runs and 4 RBI, Jackson Chourio chipped in 2 more homers, while Seiya Suzuki, Drake Baldwin, Brandon Lowe and Sal Stewart all joined the party. Elly De La Cruz collected 8 hits and 3 stolen bases, and the Hares finished with 42 runs, 12 home runs, 45 RBI, and 8 steals in another complete offensive effort.
Considering the circumstances, the pitching staff deserves enormous credit. Dylan Cease was dominant with 7 shutout innings, George Kirby delivered another quality outing, Jacob Misiorowski struck out 10 over 5 strong innings, and Mason Miller plus Cade Smith combined to stabilize the bullpen. Ranger Suárez and Zack Wheeler both had rough outings, but with so many injuries forcing replacement starters into action, simply surviving the week was a victory in itself.
The Goofballs certainly weren’t awful. Jordan Walker drove in 9 runs, Andy Pages had another productive week, and Joe Ryan struck out 14 hitters. Unfortunately, the offense never found enough consistency, while several rough pitching performances from Logan Webb, Freddy Peralta and Tanner Bibee left them chasing the matchup all week. At 8-4-2, they’re still firmly in the title race, but the Hares showed once again why they’re sitting in first.
KK Wolf Spiders (6-5-3) def. HP PhoeGnomes (1-11-2), 6-4
The Wolf Spiders may have surrendered nearly 8 earned runs per game, but thankfully for them their offense decided to bail them out. In one of the stranger scorelines of the season, the Wolf Spiders overcame an ugly 7.49 ERA by piling up 69 hits (nice), 36 runs, and 11 home runs to earn a valuable 6-4 victory. It certainly wasn’t pretty, but style points don’t count in the standings.
Wilson Contreras led the way with 3 home runs and 9 RBI, Hunter Goodman added 2 home runs, Luis García Jr. surprisingly matched him with 3 long balls, while Freddie Freeman, Mauricio Dubón and others kept the production flowing. Connor Griffin also swiped 6 stolen bases, giving the offense another dimension throughout the week.
The pitching, however… let’s just say several members of the staff may want to avoid making eye contact with Jacob deGrom this week. Landen Roupp, Payton Tolle, Brandon Young and Michael Wacha were all hit hard, while the team somehow allowed 62 hits and 38 earned runs despite still winning the matchup. The weekly Pitchers Support Group has officially reopened, with complimentary coffee available for anyone forced to explain a 7.49 ERA to their fantasy manager. Fortunately, deGrom delivered another ace performance, Gregory Soto and Aroldis Chapman stabilized the bullpen, and Paul Sewald picked up 2 saves to keep things from completely spiraling.
The PhoeGnomes actually swung the bats extremely well, collecting 70 hits and 44 runs behind huge weeks from Kyle Stowers, Nick Gonzales, Kevin McGonigle and Jake Bauers. Unfortunately, the pitching staff imploded. Paul Skenes, Cam Schlittler and Drew Rasmussen all endured difficult weeks, and despite Shane McClanahan’s bounce-back outing, the staff simply couldn’t keep the Wolf Spiders within reach. For a team sitting at 1-11-2, it was another week wondering how an offense this productive keeps ending up on the losing side.
RK Possums (6-7-1) def. CM Dirt Mountain Anchors (3-8-3), 5-4-1
After several frustrating weeks, the Possums finally showed some real signs of life. They didn’t completely dominate the Anchors, but they did enough across the board to secure a 5-4-1 victory and move within striking distance of the middle of the table. The offense found its power stroke with 14 home runs, while the pitching staff delivered just enough timely performances to overcome a few ugly outings. It wasn’t perfect, but it was exactly the kind of complete effort the Possums have been searching for.
James Wood was the catalyst all week, stuffing the stat sheet with 9 hits, 3 home runs, 7 RBI, and 6 runs scored. Fernando Tatis Jr. looked much more like himself with 9 hits, 2 home runs, and 4 RBI, while Manny Machado added 2 homers, 5 RBI, and somehow drew 7 walks. Dillon Dingler quietly collected 8 hits, Ben Rice launched 2 home runs, Francisco Lindor chipped in 2 more, and Josh Jung, Casey Schmitt, and Brayan Rocchio all left the yard as well. There were still a few black holes in the lineup—Christian Walker and Cody Bellinger combined to go 0-for-12—but unlike previous weeks, the hot bats more than made up for it.
On the mound, the Possums were far from dominant, but several pitchers stepped up when it mattered. Jesus Luzardo was excellent with 6 innings of 1-run ball and 9 strikeouts, Parker Messick continued his impressive season with another quality outing, while Bryan Baker quietly picked up 2 saves without allowing a run. Shota Imanaga battled through 11 innings across 2 starts and Chase Burns kept the Anchors in check despite some control issues. Walker Buehler’s nightmare outing and Seranthony Domínguez’s one-batter disaster certainly inflated the team ERA, but the rest of the staff did just enough to keep the Possums ahead.
The Anchors once again showed flashes without being able to put together a complete week. Michael Harris II and Ketel Marte carried the offense, Bryce Harper and Shohei Ohtani added home runs, while Kevin Gausman and Spencer Arrighetti both pitched well. Unfortunately, rough outings from Aaron Nola, Zac Gallen, Sandy Alcantara and Mitch Keller ultimately proved too much to overcome. At 3-8-3, the Anchors continue searching for the consistency needed to climb back into contention.
Next Week
The long All-Star weekend is opon us. Remember that teams can start up to 10 pitchers across the two weeks. The Kraken will take their offensive show to the Possums, while the Hares try to stay at the top of the standings against the PhoeGnomes. The Goofballs will try to keep pace against the game Anchors, and the Aramdillos and Wolf Spiders meeting in an important battle to stay in the title race.
Dirt Mountain Baseball League 