The calendar says we’re winding down the regular season, but the standings still have plenty left to sort out. The Hares continue to look every bit like the league’s team to beat, the Goofballs are keeping the pressure on with another ridiculous offensive performance, the Possums may have finally found the gear they’ve been searching for all year, and the PhoeGnomes reminded everyone they’re not quite ready to pack it in. Every category feels a little bigger this time of year, and Week #16 had no shortage of swings in momentum.
HP PhoeGnomes (3-12-2) def. CM Dirt Mountain Anchors (3-10-3), 6-4
If Heather was going to make one last push toward respectability, this was the kind of week she needed.
The PhoeGnomes weren’t overwhelming offensively, but they did just enough. Randy Arozarena, Ozzie Albies, Mickey Moniak and Kyle Stowers all left the yard, the lineup drew 16 walks, and there weren’t many easy outs from top to bottom. They never completely broke the matchup open, but they kept applying enough pressure to stay in front.
The difference came on the mound. Cam Schlittler was outstanding, allowing just one run while striking out 12 over 7.1 innings, and Drew Rasmussen matched him with 14 strikeouts in another dominant outing. Even with Paul Skenes having an unusually rough week, the staff still finished with a 2.85 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP and 71 strikeouts. That’s usually going to win you a fantasy matchup.
Charlie had to be wondering what more his offense could have done. Salvador Perez mashed three home runs, Ketel Marte added two of his own, Michael Harris II went deep twice, and Brooks Lee chipped in five RBI. The Anchors weren’t exactly quiet at the plate.
Unfortunately, every bit of that offensive production was erased by a rotation that couldn’t keep the ball in the yard. Kevin Gausman, Sandy Alcantara and Sonny Gray all had forgettable weeks, while Spencer Arrighetti somehow managed to allow six earned runs despite recording only three outs. By the time the dust settled, the Anchors had posted a 6.18 ERA and 1.63 WHIP, making it almost impossible to capitalize on one of their better offensive performances of the season.
It wasn’t a season-saving victory for the PhoeGnomes, but it was a reminder that when the pitching shows up, Heather can still make life difficult for anybody.
RK Possums (9-7-1) def. LK Armadillos (6-6-5), 7-3
Rick’s lineup absolutely caught fire, launching 15 home runs and piling up 42 RBI in one of the best offensive weeks anyone has put together this season. Manny Machado looked like he was playing a different sport, blasting four home runs and driving in seven, while Dillon Dingler somehow stole the show with three homers and eight RBI. James Wood continued his breakout campaign with two more long balls, Jazz Chisholm Jr. chipped in another pair, and it felt like every time Larry started clawing back into the matchup, another Possums hitter answered with a baseball disappearing into the seats.
The pitching quietly held up its end of the bargain. Parker Messick threw 13.1 excellent innings, Jesus Luzardo continued his recent run of quality starts, Nathan Eovaldi did what Nathan Eovaldi always seems to do, and the Possums paired four saves with a sparkling 2.15 ERA. It wasn’t flashy, but it didn’t need to be with the offense doing that kind of damage.
The frustrating part for Larry is that the Armadillos actually had a pretty good week themselves. Jeremy Peña homered twice despite only getting four at-bats, Wyatt Langford continued to produce, Chandler Simpson racked up ten hits while batting over .500, and Pete Crow-Armstrong contributed across the board. On another week, those numbers might have been enough to make this matchup interesting.
The Possums have spent much of the season looking like a team that should be better than its record. If this version of Rick’s lineup starts showing up consistently over the final few weeks, there are going to be some very uncomfortable stretch matchups.
KG Capital City Goofballs (11-4-2) def. CP Kraken (8-8-1), 5-4-1
There are weeks when you tip your cap and admit the other guy was better – Chris probably isn’t there yet.
The Kraken actually pitched well enough to beat almost anyone in the league. Hunter Brown fired seven scoreless innings, Casey Mize and Kyle Bradish both turned in quality starts, Reid Detmers looked sharp, and the staff finished with an outstanding 3.38 ERA and microscopic 0.94 WHIP. Those are the kinds of numbers that usually put a matchup away.
The problem was Kevin decided pitching was optional. The Goofballs bludgeoned their way to 15 home runs and nearly a 1.000 OPS, completely overwhelming the Kraken with wave after wave of offense. CJ Abrams put together one of the best fantasy weeks we’ve seen all year, collecting 15 hits while blasting six home runs, driving in 12 and scoring eight more. Max Muncy, Corbin Carroll, Brice Turang, Ivan Herrera, Dalton Rushing and Nick Kurtz all joined the party, and before long the offensive categories were simply out of reach.
Chris wasn’t exactly asleep at the plate, either. Yordan Alvarez launched three home runs, Matt Olson added another, and Joey Ortiz continued his quietly productive season, but five home runs felt downright ordinary when the team across the scoreboard had tripled that total.
Even with the tie in saves, Kevin walked away with another victory and kept pace near the top of the standings. When the Goofballs start swinging like this, there simply isn’t much strategy involved. You just hope they cool off before they play you.
JK Hares (12-3-1) def. KK Wolf Spiders (6-7-4), 7-3
The Hares have spent the entire season doing exactly what championship-caliber teams do. They don’t need one player to carry them because somebody different seems to step up every week, and the pitching staff continues to erase whatever mistakes the offense happens to make.
This week it was Trea Turner and Elly De La Cruz providing most of the fireworks, combining for four home runs while filling up the stat sheet in just about every category. Drake Baldwin chipped in two more long balls, Riley Greene continued his steady production, and Josh Naylor kept finding ways to get on base. It wasn’t the biggest offensive week in the league, but it didn’t have to be.
Jeff’s rotation slammed the door. Dylan Cease piled up 19 strikeouts, Jacob Misiorowski added another 18, Mason Miller and Cade Smith locked things down late, and the Hares finished the week with a ridiculous 1.64 ERA and 0.82 WHIP. That’s becoming a recurring theme. Every week opponents know they’ll have to beat elite pitching before they even think about stealing a matchup.
Kyle had plenty of bright spots of his own. Freddie Freeman looked like vintage Freddie, hitting over .540 for the week, Ezequiel Durán just kept collecting hits, Gavin Williams struck out 11 over seven scoreless innings, and Aroldis Chapman converted three saves.
The problem was that the rest of the rotation never gave the Wolf Spiders much of a chance. Framber Valdez, Jacob deGrom and Payton Tolle all had difficult weeks, and against a team as complete as the Hares, there simply isn’t much margin for error.
With only a few weeks left in the regular season, Jeff continues to win in unique ways. The Hares don’t overwhelm teams in one category. They just keep winning more categories than their opponent, week after week, and that’s a difficult formula to beat.
Next Week
The week’s top match is clearly the Armadillos versus the Goofballs. The defending champs are in a de-facto must-win game, while the Goofballs try to keep pace with the Hares. meanwhile, Jeff’s team faces a lighter challenge against the ANchors, but any team can still be dangrous on a given week. The Kraken also look to stay above 0.500 versus the PhoeGnomes, and The Possums and Wolf Spiders face-off in another interesting contest.
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