Guest League Update by Larry Kramer!

Legion (3-4-4) at Lasershow (2-7-2)

The Legion entered the week frustrated from several ties and other close losses. But with Jose Ramirez and a resurgent Paul Goldschmidt leading the way, the Legion served notice that they intend to stay in the race by soundly defeating the game, but outmanned Lasershow with a strong 9-0-1 week.

Chris’ team was led by Ramirez with 2 HR/6 RBI/4SB and Goldschmidt with 3 HR/6RBI.  The surprising Brandon Nimmo added 2HR/7RBI with Cody Bellinger chipping in a couple of solo shots.  The Legion had a good, steady week as they jumped to a lead and never let up.  They totaled 40 walks and had an outstanding .387 OBP for the week.

On the pitching side, Chris got great starts from Nick Pivetta (20Ks and only 4 runs allowed in two starts) and high strikeout starts from Clevinger and McCullers, and a strong effort by Blake Snell.  Raisel Iglesias provided 3 saves, and the Legion coasted to the win.

The Lasershow tried to put up a battle and managed to stay relatively close in HR, RBI, and WHIP, but ultimately could salvage only a tie in Saves.  Mitch Moreland, rejected Ranger, had 10 hits, a HR, and 5 RBI, Lindor added 2 HR/6 RBI, and David Peralta had a homer and 5 RBI to lead the Lasershow offense.

Trevor Williams led the pitching side for Sean’s team with only 3 runs allowed in 13 inn with 13 Ks.  Kyle Barraclough had two saves, but the rest of the staff managed only mediocre work, and the Lasershow couldn’t stay with the Legion.

 

Possums (8-2-1) at Goofballs (3-5-3)

The Possums have taken the league by storm so far, and show no signs of letting up.  They defeated the Goofballs (7-2-1) with an offensive barrage and enough  strong pitching performances to neutralize a similarly good pitching effort from the Goofball starters.

At the plate, Rick’s team got good at bats from Joey Votto 2HR/9RBI, Eugenio Suarez 2HR/6RBI, Aaron Hicks 2HR/4RBI, and C. Hernandez with a homer, 3RBI, and 2 steals.  Pitching wise the Possums had the usual dominating starts from Verlander, Kluber, Scherzer, J.A. Happ, and Trevor Bauer (twice) – the Possums starters have been amazing thus far.  But the bullpen also helped swing the week for the Possums as Sean Doolittle and B. Treinan combined for 5 saves.

The Goofballs made it close for most of the week.  Kevin’s hitters performed admirably.  He had 3 players with a pair of homers – Schwarber, M. Carpenter, and A. Rendon.  He also had 4 players with 4 RBI for the week – M. Carpenter, Rizzo, Freeman, and J. Baez – plus Rendon with 6 RBI.  The Goofballs had a strong .385 OBP for the week (with 38 walks).  However, this was the only category on the hitting side that they were able to pull out.

Pitching categories were closer than they appeared as the Goofballs got two great starts from Berrios (1 run/18Ks) and fine starts from Jon Gray, the recycled Tyson Ross, and recently acquired D. Kuechel.  Keone Kela added 3 saves, but it wasn’t enough

 

Armadillos (7-3-1) at PhoeGnomes (3-7-1)

Nolan Arenado and his PhoeGnomes teammates annihilated the hapless Armadillos 9-1.  And it didn’t even seem that close!  Arenado, a coveted trade target for the Armadillos for as long as he has been in the majors, teased his frequent suitor with a 4 HR / 12 RBI week.  The Gnomes were locked and loaded and they put everything together this week.

They had 6 other players with homers and easily swept all the hitting categories except RBIs.  Jose Altuve and Matt Olson had big weeks and Heather also had 5 different players with steals.

Heather’s team won all the pitching categories with ease.  Chris Sale went 14 inn with 2 runs given up and 24 strikeouts!  M. Bumgarner had a great game, and A. Chapman saved two games.

The Armadillos were awful.  They came in leading the league by a good margin in steals and saves.  They lost both categories – and weren’t able to record even one save as the Gnomes dominated the week.  G. Stanton came alive with a 3HR/7RBI week, but it was wasted as he had little help.

On the pitching side, J. Flaherty went 7 inn/1 hit/13 Ks and P. Corbin went 7 inn/ 3hits /12 Ks, but neither could even get a win.  Spot starters D. German , J. Teheran, and M. Soroka were all pounded.  The usually reliable bullpen had no answers, and the Armadillos suffered a humiliating defeat.  Larry’s team has released 7 players since Sunday in an effort to turn things around.

 

Lannisters (6-2-3) at Thunderwolves (4-6-1)

The best drama was provided by these two teams who battled back and forth all week, but on Sunday the whole matchup came down (as it has so often has this year) to the Sunday night game.  The Lannisters won all the hitting categories except steals.  So this was a matchup that would be determined on the pitching side.  The Wolves had taken the lead on Sunday afternoon (helped by a disastrous relief appearance by Pedro Strop for the Lannisters).  The defending champs only chance to overtake Kyle’s team was to win ERA – and the only pitcher with a chance to appear in a game was Wade Davis.  The Rockies went into the 9th inning down by three runs.  But miraculously for Jeff, they called on Davis to pitch the 9th inning, and he set the Marlins down in order.  And that 1-2-3 inning swung the ERA category — and the week to the Lannisters (6-4).  What a finish!

The Lannisters should feel fortunate for the victory, which was definitely a tribute to their strong bench.  Nellie Cruz carried the team (10 hits/3HR/8RBI) with some help from Asdrubal Cabrera and Jesus Aguilar who combined for 3HR/11RBI.

Incredibly, however, Trout, Harper, Machado, Bryant, and Ozuna went 20 for 96 (.208) with one HR!

The Lannisters pitching was strong with deGrom, Cole, and Morton combining for five solid starts.  And the bullpen was able to record 5 saves with strong stats.

It was a heartbreaking loss for the Thunderwolves, who thought they had a tie for sure.  Kyle’s team had a good week from A. Beltre with 2HR/6RBI.  R. Hoskins and the surging Shin Soo Choo both chipped in 4 RBI, and Realmuto added 6 of his own before being injured.  On the negative side for Kyle, Eric Hosmer and Whit Merrifield went a combined 4 for 33 (.121) for the week.

The Thunderwolves pitching was excellent with nice starts from Greinke (two), Aaron Nola, Alex Wood, and C. Richard.  Cody Allen had two saves for the week.  But the Wolves were frustrated by the last minute heroics by Wade Davis, and they fell to the Lannisters.

Next Week

This week the league leading Possums will try to keep the momentum going in a matchup with the Lsasershow.  Sean’s team would love to pull off an upset.

The red hot PhoeGnomes will do battle with the Goofballs.  Neither team wants to lose this match.

The Armadillos will try to regroup against the Thunderwolves who will be looking for a big win after coming close to upsetting the Lannisters.

And the premier matchup of the week will be the Lannisters-Legion battle between two strong rivals who had to lose to anyone, much less each other.

RK Possums (7-2-1) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (3-6-1)

The Possums continued their hot streak against the PhoeGnomes.  Rick’s offense was stellar for the week:  The team led the league in home runs and RBI.  Evan Gattis was the star for the week.  He had four home runs, 10 hits, and 15 RBI.  The Houston DH was joined with three home runs apiece for Khris Davis and Xander Bogaerts.  Davis and Bogaerts represent two of the Possums’ better moves over the last few years.  Rick identified strong young players and kept them though some down periods.  Now they are rewarding the Possums with great stats each week.  Ten total Possums had home runs, which contributed to a strong SLG.  However, Heather put up a fight to the end.  Her team had an advantage in OBP thanks to great weeks from Jose Altuve and Matt Kemp.  Mitch Haniger added three home runs and Trea Turner contributed two steals.  This was enough to give Heather second category despite the Possums’ strong performance.

Neither team had outstanding pitching numbers.  Rick relied on a good week from his bullpen along with his usual high strikeout numbers.  Rick won both categories after a four save week from Arodys Vizcaino.  Max Scherzer struck out 10 in just 6.0 innings pitched, and Trevor Bauer added twelve in his lone start.  Heather enjoyed a good week from Junior Guerra and captured ERA with a middling number.  She also took wins.  However, WHIP slipped away after a disastrous Jake Arrieta outing.  Heather came up just short, and suffered a close 6-4 loss.  The rare downturn in pitching shows that the Possums are still vulnerable.  Heather was close, but her usual strong pitching couldn’t quite overcome a few bad starts.  The win vaults the Possums into first place ahead of the Lannisters and Armadillos.  The Possums hope that their rise continues, and the PhoeGnomes once again ask what they have to do to earn a victory.

LK Armadillos (6-3-1) vs.  JK Lannisters (5-2-3)

The week’s second most important match paired the Armadillos and Lannisters.  Despite a heroic effort from the Lannisters offense, the Armadillos scored a close win despite bad pitching on both sides.  Jeff’s offense rallied behind four home run weeks from Nelson Cruz, Mike Trout, and Marcell Ozuna.  Trout was on fire for the week with a 0.750 OBP and 1.368 SLG.  Ozuna finally emerged from his season-long slump and contributed ten hits and eight RBI.  The Lannisters were near the top of the league in home runs, OBP, and SLG.  However, they failed to generate as many RBI as several other teams.  The Armadillos had only ten home runs but still managed three more RBI from the week.  They were led by a strong week from Starling Marte.  Trevor Story added seven RBI.  The Armadillos had nine players with at least one homer and fourteen contributed RBI.  This indicates a strong week up and down the lineup.  The Lannisters had better stats, but the Armadillos had more contributions from the lower end of the roster on days with few games.  This delivered two categories, and made all the difference for the week.

Neither team had acceptable pitching stats.  The Armadillos used only four starters.  Patrick Corbin and Carlos Carrasco had disastrous outings.  On the plus side, Edwin Diaz had four saves.  This gave the Armadillos one easy category win.  The Lannisters suffered a series of injuries and bad starts.  Gerrit Cole had a rare down outing and Wade Davis suffered a meltdown in relief.  Overall, the pitching on both sides was atrocious and not championship caliber.  The Armadillos won a sloppy 6-3-1 victory.  The win puts the Armadillos in a tie for second.  The Lannisters have a slew of injuries and struggled to even find enough starters for the week.  Both teams are digging deep on the waiver wire to look for reinforcements.

KG Capital City Goofballs (3-4-3) vs.  CP Legion (2-4-4)

The Legion and Goofballs managed to record yet another tie for both teams.  On the positive side, the Legion’s offense was strong.  They were among the league leaders in OBP and SLG.  They also won home runs and RBI.  Carlos Correa led the way with three home runs and eight RBI.  Jose Ramirez, Paul Goldschmidt, and Brandon Nimmo each had three home runs.  Nimmo’s strong Sunday was a big part of what allowed the Legion to secure the category and the tie for the week.  Kevin had a great week from Freddie Freeman with three home runs.  Javier Baez and Lorenzo Cain added strong steals totals.  This gave Kevin a crucial category win.  Besides steals, the Legion were dominant and appeared to have an edge before pitching.

The Legion and Goofballs each had strong pitching stats relative to the rest of the league.  The teams were tied in saves.  Chris had two saves from Brad Boxberger, but his untimely blown save on Sunday cost the Legion the category and a win for the week.  The implosion also skewed the Legion’s ERA and WHIP.  The Lannisters had a similar problem with Wade Davis on Sunday.  The Goofballs were able to take strikeouts thanks to a big week from Jon Gray.  The Rockies’ starter had 19 strikeouts in 11.0 innings pitched.  However, Gray also allowed nine earned runs and had a bloated WHIP.  Chris got a great start from Luis Severino, but it wasn’t enough to affect the rate categories quite enough.  The teams had to settle for yet another tie, and both are left with questions around their pitching staffs.

SM Lasershow (2-6-1) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (3-6-1)

The week’s final match saw the Thunderwolves earn a strong win against the Lasershow.  Kyle’s squad had a good offensive week.  Eduardo Escobar and J.T. Realmuto each had ten hits.  Realmuto and Rhys Hoskins had three home runs each.  This contributed to a solid SLG number as well as wins in home runs and RBI.  The two teams tied in steals, but the Lasershow weren’t competitive in OBP.  Francisco Lindor had a great week with two home runs and a steal, but he didn’t have enough support outside of David Peralta.  Mitch Moreland was miserable with a 0.136 SLG in 22 at-bats.  This gave Kyle four solid category wins before pitching.

Neither team had strong pitching numbers, but the Thunderwolves were able to do enough to win the week.  Kyle’s strong point was his bullpen.  The team had six saves with four coming from Shane Greene.  Kyle Barraclough had a nice week for the Lasershow, but Kyle barely won the category.  He also dominated in strikeouts thanks to strong weeks from Chase Anderson and Aaron Nola.  Sean had a good pair of starts from Eduardo Rodriguez, but several other starters didn’t contribute much.  The Thunderwolves’ improved play had been evident for a few weeks, so Kyle is probably happy to earn a win.

Next Week

After the Possums moved into first place, they face a test against the Goofballs.  Kevin knows he needs to win and not fall further behind the league leader.  The Thunderwolves will try to stay hot against the Lannisters.  The Legion will try to rebound from their tie against the struggling Lasershow.  Finally, the PhoeGnomes and Armadillos will face off with both teams needed to build momentum.

CP Legion (2-3-4) vs.  RK Possums (6-2-1)

The Possums continued their hot streak this week against the Legion.  Despite a determined effort, Rick continued to dominate on both sides of the score book.  To their credit, the Legion did everything they could to try to at least tie the Possums.  However, the question must now be asked – are the Possums the front runners for the title?

On offense, both teams excelled.  They easily tied for the league lead with 16 home runs each.  Rick had a narrow edge in RBI, but Chris took steals with five.  Rick won OBP, but the SLG battle was close to the end.  The Legion enjoyed a monster week from Paul Goldschmidt.  After struggling for much of the year, he broke out with four home runs and 11 RBI.  His OBP was 0.680 for the week with a 1.524 SLG.  In total, 10 Legion players had at least one home run.  Cody Bellinger had a strong week with two home runs and two steals.  The Possums countered with a huge week from Khris Davis.  He had four home runs and a 0.870 SLG.  Max Muncy added three more home runs and a 1.500 SLG for the week.  The power explosion from both teams created a deadlock in home runs and a narrow win for Rick in RBI.  This gave the Possums a 3-1-1 advantage before pitching, but the numbers could easily have flipped in RBI and SLG.  Rick led the league in home runs, RBI, SLG, and OBP.  Chris was first in home runs and steals and second in RBI and SLG.

The Possums were even more impressive on pitching.  Corey Kluber as the star for the week with 15.0 innings pitched, two wins, and 15 strikeouts.  The only Possums pitcher with an ERA over 2.50 was Justin Verlander who gave up three earned runs and earned a victory in his start.  Seven of Rick’s eight starters earned victories.  The team picked up a relief win for eight total.  This led the league and it’s almost impossible to post a higher number.  The squad led the league in strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP as well.  They also won saves.  The Possums would have beaten every other team in the league with ease this week.  The Legion can take some comfort in the fact that they put up a solid effort.  The pitching was decent and Chris could have beaten several other teams this week.  The Possums were just too hot.  Rick is currently in second place behind the Lannisters, but they are clearly the most dominant team at the moment.  Whether they can keep up this torrid pace remains to be seen – they have three consecutive wins.

KK Thunderwolves (3-5-1) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (2-4-3)

There is an anomaly in the Goofballs/Thunderwolves score that is under investigation.  I will post more details soon.

JK Lannisters (5-1-3) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (3-5-1)

The Lannisters and Thunderwolves met in a competitive, close match-up.  The Lannisters are currently in first place but a series of injuries and suspensions have hurt the team.  Almost a quarter of the roster is either injured or day-to-day, and that’s not including two season-ending injury cuts.  Still, the team has persevered and searched for talent high and low.  This week’s hero was Jose Martinez.  The Lannisters added him mid-week and he rewarded them with four home runs and seven RBI, both team bests.  The rest of the Lannisters lineup was quiet, though.  Lesser names like Brandon Crawford and Francisco Cervelli were instrumental in helping the Lannisters reach ten home runs and a solid RBI total.  Heather didn’t have the power numbers that Jeff produced, but she had a more solid all-around attack.  She tied for the league lead in steals with five.  She also had the better OBP and SLG thanks to strong weeks from Andrew McCutchen and Jose Altuve.  George Springer was also solid all-around with a 0.609 SLG, a home run, and a steal.  Overall, the PhoeGnomes carried a 3-2 advantage before pitching.

The Lannisters were able to take control of the match thanks to solid pitching.  The staff posted the best numbers in the league besides the Possums.  No Lannisters’ starter had a two-start week, so the team went with several different names.  Gerrit Cole destroyed the Rangers and Jose Quintana had a nice 10 strikeout start.  Jon Lester and Jacob deGrom allowed just two earned runs combined in their two starts.  Heather tried to reply with a great week from Ross Stripling. However, Gio Gonzalez suffered a devastating outing and Jake Arietta was largely ineffective.  Aroldis Chapman had four saves, but that was the only category in which the PhoeGnomes were competitive.  The Lannisters earned a narrow 5-4-1 victory for the week.  The Lannisters are still on top, but they look more vulnerable than ever.  However, the improved pitching staff should cause concern for other teams, especially if the hitting gets back on track.

LK Armadillos (5-3-1) vs.  SM Lasershow (2-5-2)

The week’s final match paired the Armadillos and Lasershow.  Both teams are dealing with numerous injuries, especially on the pitching side.  Neither team posted good numbers, but the Armadillos were just a little bit better in aggregate.  The bullpen remained the Armadillos’ strength.  They easily won the week with five saves.  Andrew Heaney was also superb with a complete game one-hitter.  This was key for the week, as the Armadillos edged the Lasershow in ERA and WHIP.  The Lasershow had a nice strikeout total, though.  They also took wins.  The Armadillos only threw 36.1 innings for the week.  The Lasershow had 49, but the efficiency wasn’t there.  This left Sean with an uphill battle going into offense.

The Armadillos were able to pull away on offense.  Giancarlo Stanton and J.D. Martinez were strong and combined for five home runs and seven RBI.  Alex Bregman was another standout with two home runs and six RBI.  The team did just enough to take OBP and SLG.  The Lasershow lacked power, but managed for steals.  It wasn’t enough, though, and the Armadillos were able to cruise to a comfortable win.  However, the struggles on both sides of the ball should concern both teams.

Next Week

Next week features two big matches.  The Lannisters face the only team to have beaten them this season – the Armadillos.  The Possums face the PhoeGnomes.  The Goofballs and Legion meet and both want to gain ground on some of the leaders.  Finally, the Lasershow and Thunderwolves square off in an interesting matchup of improving teams.

RK Possums (5-2-1) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (3-4-1)

The ninth week of the season saw the Possums move into a tie for first place with a win against the Thunderwolves.  The Possums put together the most complete week of any team in the league.  They were rewarded with a dominant victory.  The Possums’ offense was anchored by Nomar Mazara.  He had two home runs and five RBI.  He had the highest SLG on the team for any player with over 20 at-bats.  Mazara is up to 14 home runs for the season on a bad Rangers team.  His emergence has been critical for the Possums since older sluggers like Joey Votto and Charlie Blackmon have been down (relatively speaking) this season.  Eugenio Suarez also had a good week, along with Evan Gattis.  Kyle suffered a tremendous power outage, with only three team home runs.  The Thunderwolves won steals, but this was the only offensive category in which they were competitive.

On pitching, both teams put up nice numbers.  Kyle had good starts up and down their rosters.  Zack Greinke, Aaron Nola, Felix Hernandez and others posted good ERA and WHIP numbers.  Cody Allen was a trouble spot in relief, but Kyle still posted the third best ERA in the league.  Unfortunately, the Possums led the league in ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts.  Justin Verlander remained dominant over two starts.  Max Scherzer and Corey Kluber struck out 22 in just 14.0 innings pitched.  Trevor Bauer struck out 11 in just 5.2 innings pitched.  The two way effort was enough to Rick to earn a strong victory.  The win puts the Possums in a tie for first place, though they currently fall in second place in the standings since they have more losses than the Lannisters.  Pitching has been key for the Possums.  They lead the league for the season in strikeouts, wins, and WHIP.

KG Capital City Goofballs (1-4-3) vs.  LK Armadillos (5-2-1)

The other big winner for the week was the Goofballs.  After a slow start, Kevin’s team is showing signs of life.  This week the offense took center stage.  They led the league in home runs, RBI, and SLG by significant margins.  There were second in OBP and steals.  The leader was Eddie Rosario who hit three home runs in just 10 at-bats.  Twelve Goofballs had home runs, including two each from Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber, and Matt Carpenter.  The Armadillos were also strong on offense.  They had nine players with home runs including four from Edwin Encarnacion.  Dee Gordon added three steals, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace with the Goofballs.

Neither team was as successful on pitching as they were at the plate.  However, the Goofballs did enough to earn a comfortable win for the week.  Chris Archer and Tyson Ross combined for four starts, 20 strikeouts, and a win.  The Armadillos got yet another poor outing from Carlos Carrasco and Patrick Corbin.  Mike Foltynewicz was excellent, but Clayton Kershaw was ineffective in his return to the rotation.  The Goofballs also suffered a setback when Alex Reyes went back on the DL with an injury.  Both pitchers were expected to be major contributors.  The Goofballs made the best of their injury woes and took the two categories they needed for  a victory.  The Armadillos won saves with ease, and somehow took WHIP despite having an ERA over 6.20.  It wasn’t enough, and they are left to ponder how to stabilize the staff.  The Goofballs are now gaining some momentum and hope to continue to come back strong next week.

CP Legion (2-2-4) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (2-5-1)

The league’s final decisive contest paired the Legion and PhoeGnomes.  Heather put together the second best all-around performance just behind the Possums.  Their pitching was outstanding behind two great starts from Trevor Cahill.  Other relative unknowns like Wade LeBlanc and Ross Stripling had great starts.  Jake Arietta and Gio Gonzalez didn’t strike out may batters but they also did not allow an earned run.  The Legion didn’t have terrible pitching numbers, but they did not match up with the PhoeGnomes.  Blake Snell was great over two starts but Nick Pivetta and Reynaldo Lopez struggled.  Heather’s strong bullpen ensured that she picked up a five category sweep.

On offense, both teams were solid.  Nine Legion and eight PhoeGnomes players had home runs.  Jose Ramirez stayed hot for the Legion with three home runs.  Heather countered with three home runs from Matt Kemp and Matt Olson.  Nolan Arenado had two home runs and seven RBI.  Chris led the league in steals, and also topped Heather in RBI, OBP, and SLG.  However, the PhoeGnomes were competitive in all categories and managed a tie in home runs.  Chris missed the sweep and a chance for a tie.  Although the Legion didn’t miss any home runs on Sunday, they did leave five on the bench on Saturday, including the beleaguered Paul Goldschmidt.  The PhoeGnomes strong week netted them a well-earned victory.  With both the pitching and offense showing signs of life, Heather has to hope better things are on the horizon.

SM Lasershow (2-5-1) vs.  JK Lannisters (5-1-2)

The week’s final match was a sloppy encounter between the Lannisters and Lasershow.  Neither team could get enough going to earn a victory.  The best performance belonged to the Lasershow’s pitching.  The staff tied for the league lead in wins and was third in ERA and WHIP with strong numbers.  After being held winless last week, the pitchers responded with six victories.  Michael Wacha was particularly strong.  He had two starts, two wins, and a 0.61 ERA and WHIP.  Jameson Taillon rebounded to throw eight shutout innings.  The Lannisters’ staff struggled.  Charlie Morton had two rough starts and Wade Davis was ineffective in the bullpen.  Fernando Romero was called upon for spot start duty and imploded, allowing eight earned runs in 1.2 innings pitched.  The Lannisters took saves and strikeouts, but the Lasershow easily won the other three categories.

The Lannisters were better on offense.  Manny Machado had three home runs, and nine Lannisters in total added homers.  The Lasershow didn’t have the same level of power and lost out in SLG, home runs, and RBI.  However, Christian Yelich had three steals and the Lasershow dominated the category.  The Lannisters were unable to get on base well enough to compete in OBP and the end result was a dreary 5-5 tie.  Neither team is happy with the result.  The Lannisters wanted a win to stay in first place, and the Lasershow were close to pulling off an upset.  Both will try to stabilize things next week.

Next Week

The Goofballs will try to stay hot against the Thunderwolves.  Things don’t get easier for the Lasershow, who must face the Armadillos.  The PhoeGnomes and Lannisters meet again, and Heather needs a victory to keep climbing in the standings.  The final match pairs the Possums and Legion.  This promises to be an interesting contest as the Possums try to remain on top of the league.

JK Lannisters (4-1-2) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (1-3-3)

The second cycle of the season began with an interesting match between the Goofballs and Lannisters.  Kevin’s team has struggled all year despite having good season totals in a number of categories.  On offense, the Goofballs are third in home runs and second in RBI, steals, OBP and SLG for the season.  This success hasn’t translated into many wins because the pitching staff has been near the bottom of the league in ERA, WHIP, and other metrics.  The pattern continued against the Lannisters.

The Goofballs enjoyed good offensive numbers.  The team deployed an astonishing 23 players in an effort to gain matchup advantages.  This generated a league-leading OBP total.  However, the team’s power wasn’t able to match the Lannisters.  The Goofballs had seven players with a home run, but the Lannisters had nine.  Mike Trout and Bryce Harper had three each, and Mookie Betts added two steals and two home runs.  The Lannisters led the league in home runs, RBI, and SLG.  This put Kevin at a 4-1 disadvantage.

On pitching, Kevin started the week with good numbers but faded just enough down the stretch to allow the Lannisters to pull away.  The Goofballs must be devastated to see such a good performance not equal a win.  Kevin’s stars were Jose Berrios and Dylan Bundy.  The pair had 24.1 innings pitched and struck out 31.  This gave Kevin a win in strikeouts (and the best total in the league).  Unfortunately the pair allowed 7 earned runs.  This was a good total, but not quite elite.  A Sean Manaea disaster further hurt the team’s ERA and WHIP when the pitcher allowed six earned runs in 3.2 innings.  This gave the Lannisters just enough room to sneak into the lead.  The leader was Walker Buehler.  The rookie threw 14.0 innings pitched and struck out 14.  He had a 1.29 ERA and 0.43 WHIP.  The bullpen didn’t allow an earned run and tallied 6 saves.  Kevin managed to take the saves category, but the volume of Lannisters’ work was enough to keep ERA and WHIP under control.  The Lannisters led the league in both ERA and WHIP.  They were second in wins.  This added up to a 7-3 win.  The Lannisters moved back into first place with the victory, and the Goofballs are left to ponder what they have to do to get a victory.  Kevin would have easily beaten every other team in the league.

LK Armadillos (5-1-1) vs.  RK Possums (4-2-1)

The most important match relative to the standings paired the Armadillos and Possums.  Rick’s victory in week one was the only loss the Armadillos suffered so far before this match.  The Possums continued their ability to frustrate top teams with a second win in Week 08.  However, the underlying numbers in the match give both teams reason to be concerned going forward.

On offense, neither team offered much of note.  They tied for last in home runs, were the bottom two in RBI and SLG, and only the Thunderwolves had a worse OBP.  Rick was able to make the most of the bad situation, though.  He had the better RBI, OBP, and SLG numbers.  Eugenio Suarez was a hero with two home runs and seven RBI to lead the team.  Nomar Mazara had a bizarre 0.400 OBP and 0.182 SLG line.  Cesar Hernandez dragged the Possums down with just four hits in 24 at-bats.  The Armadillos countered with a good week from Austin Meadows, who had two home runs and two steals.  His work was undone by a nightmare week from Trevor Story.  He went three for 23 with a SLG of 0.130.  Only three Armadillos’ regulars had a SLG above 0.280.  However, the team won steals, so Rick only held a 3-1-1 lead before pitching.

Both teams were substantially better on the mound.  The Lannisters had the best pitching stats for the week, but the Possums and Armadillos were right behind them.  Larry had an incredible nine saves for the week.  Mike Foltynewicz was great in two starts, striking out 12 with a 1.38 ERA.  Carlos Carrasco and Jake Odorizzi struggled somewhat, but the team had great numbers across the board.  Rick’s pitchers started the week great, but then faded on Sunday.  Miles Mikolas and Trevor Bauer allowed eight earned runs.  This gave the ERA edge to the Armadillos.  However, Bauer’s Sunday outing featured 13 strikeouts in just 7.1 innings pitched.  This was enough to flip the category despite Foltynewicz’s good game.  Larry kept the ERA category but Rick held on to WHIP.  This gave him three categories and a narrow win for the week.  The closeness of the WHIP and strikeout categories means this week could have gone in either direction.  However, the Possums’ staff was just a little bit more efficient in strikeouts and WHIP.  The loss drops the Armadillos out of first place.  The Possums, Lannisters, and Armadillos are now essentially equal.  The second victory also means the Possums cannot lose a late season tie-breaker with the Armadillos.  However, both teams will need to address their offensive performance to keep pace going forward.

HP PhoeGnomes (1-5-1) vs.  SM Lasershow (2-4-1)

The PhoeGnomes and Lasershow had an interesting match that featured a great offensive showing from Sean’s team.  However, their pitching was as bad as the hitting was good, and the final result was a needed win for Heather’s beleaguered squad.  The Lasershow were red-hot offensively.  They put up numbers on par with the Goofballs and Lannisters.  Travis Shaw had three home runs and 10 RBI.  Salvador Perez was right behind him with three homers and eight RBI.  Mitch Moreland had a pair of home runs.  The Moreland story continues to evolve for the Lasershow – no one in the league would have expected him to be a viable fantasy option before the season.  Heather had a nice week from Jose Altuve, who had three steals and a home run.   However, her general power numbers were low and she only managed to win one category.  Normally this would be a problem, but the pitching side of the match would tell a different story.

Heather’s team posted a solid five saves and had a nice start from Ross Stripling.  However, Chris Sale had a rare down week in two starts.  He had a 5.25 ERA.  Jhoulys Chacin also failed to deliver much value in his one start.  In total, the PhoeGnomes didn’t post abhorrent numbers but they would struggle to compete against most teams on most weeks.  Fortunately for Heather, the Lasershow suffered a complete collapse.  Sean’s team failed to record either a win or a save.  Andrew Miller went on the DL after posting a 40.50 ERA.  Zack Godley and Drew Pomeranz were shelled for 11 earned runs in 6.2 innings pitched.  Jameson Taillon struck out 14 over 12.1 innings pitched but also gave up nine runs.  This end result was a historically bad team ERA and WHIP.  The short starts also resulted in few strikeouts.  Heather earned a clean sweep and scored a much-needed win.  The Lasershow can take comfort in knowing that their offense was good enough to compete with any team in the league.  The starts who imploded weren’t bad pitchers, so there is definitely hope for better results in the future.

CP Legion (1-2-4) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (3-3-1)

The week’s final match paired the Thunderwolves and the Legion.  Chris continued his streak of close calls, but ultimately earned a 5-4-1 win.  All five of Chris’s category wins came on offense.  Jose Ramirez stayed red-hot with two home runs.  Aaron Judge added three more, and a total of nine Legion batters had at least one.  The only Legion player who struggled to contribute was Jorge Soler, who managed a dismal 0-13 line.  Judge had a rare steal, which turned out to be crucial.  The Thunderwolves only had one steal, so this gave Chris the category win rather than a tie.  Had Judge not gotten his steal, Kyle would have tied the category and the week.  The Thunderwolves offense regressed, and was uncompetitive in the four other categories.

On pitching the battle was more even.  Kyle had a great bullpen week with seven saves from four relievers.  His other pitchers were more mediocre.  They all seemed to hover around the 4.50-6.80 ERA level except for Aaron Nola and James Paxton, who had nice starts.  Chris had the same problem and was sown in ERA and WHIP after another Land McCullers Jr. disaster start.  Nick Pivetta was good during two starts, and earned a win.  Kyle had a chance to tie for the week but Chase Anderson couldn’t get a Sunday win despite and good start.  This left Chris with a narrow victory.

Next Week

Cycle two continues with a series of interesting matches.  The Armadillos will try to get back on track against the Goofballs.  Kevin needs win, and win now, to stay competitive.  The Lannisters face the Lasershow in what has traditionally been a one-sided affair.  Sean will need his offense to come through, and the Lannisters have almost ten players injured, so anything can happen.  The Possums will take the fight to the Thunderwolves, and the Legion meet the PhoeGnomes.

The first seven week cycle of the season concluded last week.  The Armadillos managed a close win against the Legion.  The Thunderwolves moved back to 0.500 with a win against Heather.  The Lasershow earned their second victory in an upset of the goofballs.  Finally the Possums and Lannisters finished with a draw.

LK Armadillos (4-1-1) vs.  Legion (1-1-4)

The Legion and Armadillos typically have classic battles.  This week the Armadillos won after Chris suffered a down week for his offense.  The match was close, and Chris was within one steal of earning a tie.  However, both teams’ relative dominance of their respective categories drained the match of much of its drama.

J.D. Martinez had a monster week for the Armadillos with five home runs and eight RBI.  Gary Sanchez added two more.  Billy Hamilton struggled with just two hits for the week and a 0.071 OBP and SLG.  However, the rest of the team rallied and put up good numbers.  Carlos Santana came through in light duty and the team recorded three critical steals.  The Legion were unable to mount much of a challenge.  Jose Ramirez had a good week, but Jorge Soler’s SLG matched Hamilton’s abysmal 0.071 number.  The Legion were last in two offensive categories, tied for last in one, and next-to-last in the remaining two.  Larry won a 4-0-1 advantage and put tremendous pressure on the Legion’s pitchers.

Chris responded with a spirited effort.  Lance McCullers Jr. did the best over two starts.  He struck out 14 in 13.0 innings pitched.  His WHIP was a tiny 0.69.  Ken Giles had three saves, and Trevor Bauer was dominant in his one start.  The Armadillos didn’t have any answers to the Legion’s starters.  Noah Syndergaard was solid but other starters like Carlos Carrasco and Patrick Corbin were mediocre.  Chris won wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP with ease.  However, the Armadillos’ bullpen recorded an astounding nine saves.  Brad Hand had three and then three other relievers scored two each.  This was enough to win the category and the week overall.

Neither team is likely to be happy with their showing this week.  The Legion remain inconsistent at the plate and the Armadillos were probably lucky to have been relatively unchallenged on offense.  A single steal could have changed the result, and steals are normally one of the Armadillos’ best categories.  It was another hard fought week, and both teams will look toward the rematch later in the season.

KK Thunderwolves (2-3-1) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (1-4-1)

The Thunderwolves have surprised some owners with the strong start to the season.   The PhoeGnomes have elicited the equal but opposite reaction since they have struggled.  Kyle found a way to do enough to move back to 0.500 for the season.  The key was strong pitching.  Kyle had two good starts from Alex Wood and a lot of good bullpen work.  James Paxton recorded another strong outing, and Yu Darvish picked up his first win.  The PhoeGnomes suffered a nightmare start from Kevin Gausman and a weak effort from Joey Lucchesi.  Other starters like Gio Gonzalez and Chris Sale fared better, but it wasn’t enough to challenge the Thunderwolves.  Kyle had the best WHIP in the league and was near the top in the other categories.

Neither team had strong offensive numbers, but Kyle was able to do enough to stay competitive.  Seven Thunderwolves had a home run, and It was enough to tie the category.  Whit Merrifield continued to steal basses and Eric Hosmer added a surprising two of his own.  This was enough to dominate the category and secure the win, even though the team’s SLG and OBP were not good.  Heather won those categories with ease thanks to a great week from Ian Happ.  He had two home runs and a 1.067 SLG.  Heather needed a five category sweep to get a tie for the week, though, and the Thunderwolves did enough to get back to 0.500 and the upper half of the league.

The start continues the baffling struggles for the PhoeGnomes.  After a successful draft, many felt Heather had a chance to compete for the title.  The first cycle hasn’t been kind to the team, and Heather needs to find answers quickly because the season risks falling into a tailspin.

SM Lasershow (1-4-1) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (1-2-3)

After a win in Week 01, The Lasershow have struggled to find much success, managing only a tie and four losses.  They got back on track against the Goofballs, but the win was ugly.  Sean had respectable power numbers and got two home runs from Christian Yelich and Yasiel Puig.  Yangervis Solarte had a nice week in part-time play.  Unfortunately the team had the lowest OBP in the league.  The Goofballs weren’t any better, though.  They had the lowest SLG in the league and were near the bottom in home runs and RBI.  Each team won two categories by default, and tied in steals.

The poor offensive showing meant that pitching would decide the match.  The Goofballs showed more inconsistency again, struggling to get saves and keep their ERA in control.  Jon Gray suffered a meltdown and Julio Teheran was ineffective.  Sean had a good week from Eduardo Rodriguez and Trevor Williams.  The Lasershow weren’t at the top of the league in any categories but they were solid all around and had a good wins total.  They edged by in the strikeouts category and did enough to sweep all five categories and secure the win.  Hopefully this win will help the Lasershow get on track and start to make progress in the standings.  The loss continues the baffling, inconsistent start for the Goofballs.  They are now in seventh place ahead of only the PhoeGnomes.  On the positive side, Kevin is just three games back from the lead early on.  It’s possible for him to make progress, but like the PhoeGnomes, they need to make a change soon.

RK Possums (4-2) vs.  Lannisters (4-1-1)

The week’s final match was an odd encounter between the Possums and Lannisters.  Rick posted great offensive numbers early in the week.  He had five players with two home runs, and players like Andrew Benintendi and Xander Bogaerts piled up RBI.  Brandon Belt had a good week, and Josh Donaldson had a critical steal that offset his poor OBP and SLG numbers.  The Lannisters didn’t have the same level of power, but Mookie Betts had a fantastic week with two home runs and four steals.  Mike Trout added two steals and two home runs.  This wasn’t enough to challenge in home runs or RBI, but the Lannisters locked down steals and OBP.  SLG was close until the end, but the Lannisters were foiled by their part time players.  The six players with the fewest at bats had just two hits between them.  Rick had better production from his spot starters and took a valuable third category.

The Lannisters took control of the pitching rate stats early.  Jose Quintana and Charlie Morton led the way with good starts.  However, the bullpen fell apart and had only four saves.  An early double-header cost Jeff a chance to start Kenley Janson, who recorded two saves on the bench.  This gave Rick an opening.  Rick Porcello struggled but he piled up strikeouts over his two starts.  Max Scherzer was good, and Tanner Roark was strong in spot start duty.  This was enough for Rick to take strikeouts and tie in wins.  The end result was a locked-down 4-4-2 tie.  There were missed opportunities on both sides, and the Possums are probably unhappy that they were not able to capitalize on their big offensive showing.  Alternatively, the Lannisters can take comfort in weathering the storm, but know that a win was just a win, save, or 0.0099 SLG away.

Next Week

The second cycle of the season begins with Week 01 rematches.  The Goofballs will try to find something to work against the Lannisters.  The Lasershow will try to keep rolling against the PhoeGnomes.  The Legion and Thunderwolves meet again and Kyle will try to get above 0.500.  The Legion will try to get moving with a victory.  Finally, the Possums face the Armadillos in a match that could have early implications for the final standings.

CP Legion (1-1-3) vs.  JK Lannisters (4-1)

The Lannisters and Legion renewed their bitter rivalry in the week’s closest match.  Chris dominated on offense but the Lannisters used timely pitching to stay in the hunt.  The end of the week provided an exciting back-and-forth finish that ended in a draw.

Chris started the week with an offensive barrage.  Eleven Legion players had a home run including three each from Jose Ramirez, Aaron Judge, and Odubel  Herrera.  Judge added eleven RBI and Ramirez collected the team’s three steals for the week.  Chris led the league in home runs, RBI, and SLG by a large margin.  They were second in OBP to the Goofballs.  The Lannisters didn’t have bad stats, but they weren’t enough to keep pace with Chris’s output.  However, the team did manage four steals (two each from Mookie Betts and Mike Trout).  This was enough to swing the category and prevent the Legion from achieving the offensive sweep.

On pitching, both teams had excellent numbers.  The Lannisters led the league in WHIP and wins.  They were second in strikeouts and ERA.  The Legion were near the top in these critical categories, but the Lannisters maintained a slim lead.  The Legion earned four saves.  This prevented a sweep for the Lannsiters.  Luis Severino and Sean Newcomb were great in two starts.  They combined for 24.0 innings pitched, three earned runs, and 30 strikeouts.  The Lannisters relied on a 14 strikeout start from Charlie Morton against the Rangers, and another great outing from rookie Walker Buehler.

By the last day of the week, the two categories in play for OBP and ERA.  The Legion opened the week with a lead but the Lannisters rallied behind good pitching to aim for a tie.  There was a slim chance that the Legion could lose control of OBP and possibly the week, despite their power numbers.  Going into Sunday, both teams emptied their lineups.  Chris deployed two players to try to get steals.  The Lannisters hoped these two would fail, and drop the Legion’s OBP.  Instead, both hit home runs!  This forced the Lannisters to put more players in the lineup.  The Legion did the same.  The Lannisters took the category briefly, but fell just one hit short.  It was too late to insert Mookie Betts into the lineup by the time the Legion had dropped in OBP, but this decision still cost the Lannisters.

Though Chris held on to OBP, the ERA category was equally important.  The Legion had three pitchers start, but a rain delay forced Luis Severino into the game later than expected.  This, along with a Blake Snell injury, reduced the Legion’s strikeout potential.  The Lannisters still had to deploy Luis Castillo, because it was possible that Severino could strike out enough players to shift the category!  This put ERA at risk for the Lannisters.  Ultimately Severino had a good outing, but only struck out seven.  Castillo paired with a Kenley Jansen garbage time inning to maintain ERA and strikeouts.  After so many moves, the match ended in a fitting tie.

The tie is somewhat bitter for the Legion.  They would have beaten any other team in the league.  The Lannisters would have beaten three other teams.  Still, when category margins are this small, both teams would gladly take the tie over the loss.  A handful of at bats and innings pitched could have turned the score for either team.

HP PhoeGnomes (1-3-1) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (0-2-3)

The week’s second biggest match saw the Goofballs pick up their first win of the season against the Thunderwolves.  After weeks of inconsistency, Kevin finally got a complete week with both good hitting and pitching.  The team tied for the lead in steals and had the second best SLG and best OBP.  Ten different players had a home run, but the best of the week was Freddie Freeman.  He had three home runs and six RBI.  Javier Baez added a home run and two steals.  However, Kevin’s depth was the real story.  Ten Goofballs had OBP above 0.350 and only three regulars slugged below 0.450.  The PhoeGnomes were solid as well.  Wilson Contreras had a monster week with three home runs, 12 RBI, and a steal.  His OBP was 0.500 and his SLG was 1.174.  George Springer had a SLG of 1.000.  Heather had some great numbers, but the Goofballs were just a little bit better across the board.  The teams tied in steals, but Kevin held a 4-0-1 advantage.

The PhoeGnomes had good pitching, but couldn’t do enough to overcome the Goofball’s lead.  Heather had good strikeout, ERA, and saves numbers.  However, her team didn’t pick up a win.  The Goofballs had three, and also took WHIP.  Both teams threw minimal innings.  The PhoeGnomes were more effective in ERA and strikeouts, but Kevin got nice starts from Julio Teheran and Kyle Hendricks.  Good bullpen work didn’t win saves, but the strong strikeout totals from Hunter Strickland and Corey Knebel reduced the team’s WHIP.  Kevin claimed his first win, and hopes to keep his momentum going.

LK Armadillos (3-1-1) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (2-2-1)

The third close battle of the week saw the Armadillos defeat the Thunderwolves.  The final 6-2-2 score is not indicative of how close this match was.  Kyle’s best chance was through pitching.  Despite a series of injuries, he put together the best ERA in the league and the second best WHIP.  The two leaders were Aaron Nola and James Paxton.  Paxton threw a no hitter, and the two pitchers combined for 18.0 innings pitched, five earned runs, and 27 strikeouts.  Ivan Nova was the only Thunderwolf to have an ERA over 1.80.  The Armadillos threw fewer innings but had more strikeouts thanks to Carlos Carrasco.  Brand Hand and Craig Kimbrel also secured saves.  Despite such good rate stats, Kyle wasn’t able to get enough wins or saves to claim either category.  This would be all the Armadillos needed to take advantage of better offense.

Kyle’s injury woes on offense are a known problem.  This week saw the Thunderwolves struggle to generate power beyond a decent home run total.  Kyle Seager had three for the team, but only five other players had at least one homer.  Larry had seven players with a home run, including three from Giancarlo Stanton.  Trevor Story had three of his own and 11 RBI.  This was enough for the Armadillos to sweep the offensive categories and earn a close 6-2-2 win.  Kyle needs to find an answer to help his offense.  Meanwhile, the Armadillos are now in first place via tiebreaker over the Lannsiters.  However, the Armadillos have injury issues of their own.  The team’s pitching staff has resorted to stream-quality pickups just to get innings.  The Lannisters have also suffered three season-ending injuries (and suspensions) to good players.  This demonstrates how deep and challenging the competition for first is this year.

RK Possums (3-2) vs.  SM Lasershow (1-3-1)

The week’s final match saw the Possums barely beat the Lasershow.  Sean must be disappointed after his team turned in the second best offensive week in the league.  Like the Legion, they lost steals and then fell victim to slightly better pitching by their opponent.  Sean had a great week from Salvador Perez.  He had three home runs and 10 RBI.  Travis Shaw also had three home runs, and four Lasershow members had two.  Rick’s offense was listless, and at the bottom of the league in home runs, RBI, OBP, and SLG.  However, they did manage five steals.  This was a crucial category win.

Sean’s pitching wasn’t terrible, but it was at the bottom of ERA, WHIP, and saves.  Rick dominated the relief battle by a 7-1 margin.  He also got a great Max Scherzer start and two good outings for Corey Kluber.  This gave Rick enough momentum to claim all five categories and score the win.  The Possums are now just a half-game back of first place.

Next Week

The Possums have a chance to prove they are a true contender with a match against the Lannisters.  Rick’s team has caused the Lannisters problems over the years, and he will hope to again frustrate the defending champs with his power and pitching.  The Goofballs will try to keep moving against the Lasershow.  The PhoeGnomes and Thunderwolves meet at a difficult time for both teams.  Still, this is an opportunity for both teams to try to turn their seasons around.

Finally, the Legion and Armadillos have their first match of the season.  No other rivalry in the league is as bitter as this one.  Almost ten years of trades, near-misses, and fierce competition will be renewed.  As the Lannisters/Legion match showed, weeks can turn on just one steal or at bat.

KG Capital City Goofballs (0-1-3) vs.  RK Possums (2-2)

Week 05 featured several close contests.  The Goofballs/Possums encounter was especially important for both teams.  Rick needed a win to move back above 0.500 and stay close to the Lannisters and Armadillos.  Kevin was desperate to earn a victory and try to gain momentum.  The two teams had roughly similar offensive numbers, but Rick relied on strong pitching to secure the week.

On offense, both teams had a respectable 14 home runs.  Kevin had the edge in SLG but Rick took OBP.  The teams tied in steals and Kevin won RBI.  AJ Pollock was the Goofballs’ best performer.  He had four home runs, eight RBI, and two steals.  Anthony Rizzo contributed three home runs and nine RBI.  Eddie Rosario tied for the team lead with eight RBI in part-time duty.  The Possums had a more balanced offensive week.  Nine Possums’ players had home runs, including three from Joey Gallo.  Khris Davis, Charlie Blackmon, and Josh Donaldson had two each.  Blackmon drew seven walks and was a key contributor in Rick winning OBP.  Kevin held a slim 2-1-2 lead before pitching.

Rick posted solid pitching stats.  His team had the most strikeouts in the league, the second best ERA, third best WHIP, and second most wins.  Rick enjoyed two starts from Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.  The two combined to pitch 26.2 innings and strike out an incredible 45 batters.  The duo allowed just four runs.  Rick’s other pitchers had worse numbers but the quantity and quality of Verlander and Scherzer’s work evened out the stats and produced great team numbers.

Kevin suffered another series of meltdowns.  The bullpen was especially vulnerable.  Hunter Strickland, Keone Kela, and Dellin Betances allowed 11 earned runs in just five innings pitched.  The starters were mediocre beyond Chris Archer.  He had a good week over two starts, but his work was undone by the nightmarish bullpen performance.  Josh Hader had a good week for strikeouts – he struck out 12 in just 4.2 innings pitched.  It wasn’t enough to save the team, and Rick won all five categories.  The Possums cruised to a win and remain near the top of the league.  Kevin is left searching for answers yet again.

KK Thunderwolves (2-1-1) vs.  JK Lannisters (3-1)

The week’s second most important match paired the Lannisters with the Thunderwolves.  Jeff’s team often frustrates the Thunderwolves because Kyle doesn’t match up well offensively with the Lannisters.   Kyle dedicated himself to building a solid offensive showing despite having 10 of his 26 offensive players on the DL or day-to-day.  He came close to matching the Lannisters, but it wasn’t quite enough to earn the victory.

The Lannisters led the league in RBI and SLG.  They were second in OBP and home runs.  Kyle as close – the Thunderwolves lost OBP by 0.0043.  They posted the second best SLG and RBI numbers in the league, and were tied for third in home runs.  They easily led the league in steals.  Kyle had three home runs each from Eduardo Escobar, Corey Dickerson, and Eric Hosmer.  Whit Merrifield continued to provide value with three steals.  Tim Anderson had two home runs in just eight at-bats.  In many other weeks this would be enough for a victory.  The Lannisters had just a bit more firepower available, though.  Mookie Betts had a three home run game and five for the week.  Bryce Harper added four of his own, and Mke Trout had 12 hits and eight walks.  Trough had an absurd 0.667 OBP and 1.136 SLG for the week.  This was too much for the Thunderwolves, and the Lannisters won four of five categories.  The Thunderwolves would have one four categories against the Lasershow, Goofballs, Possums, and Armadillos.  They would have swept the Legion and PhoeGnomes.

On pitching, the Lannisters’ bizarre inconsistency continued.  This time, it was on the positive side.  After posting an ERA over 5.50 last week, the same Lannisters crew improved to deliver an unthinkable 0.894 ERA for the week.  This ERA paired with the most wins in the league and the second best WHIP.  This may be the first time that a team has produced an ERA that was lower than the team’s WHIP.  Before this week, the lowest ERA for 2018 was the Legion’s 1.328 number in Week 03.  Chris’s WHIP was 0.934 (slightly better than the Lannisters’ 0.954).  Steen Strasburg was the only Lannisters’ starter to allow a run.  Gerrit Cole added a complete game, 16-strikeout win.  Even newcomer Walker Buehler took a no hitter through six innings before being removed for pitch-count reasons.  Kyle suffered a few bullpen meltdowns and generated poor overall numbers.  The Lannisters earned a hard fought victory.

The loss is a sad one for the Thunderwolves.  They would have beaten any other team this week expect for the Possums, whom they would have tied.  For now Kyle is back to 0.500 and will hope to have better luck against his next opponent.

HP PhoeGnomes (1-2-1) vs.  LK Armadillos (2-1-1)

The Armadillos had the best win of the week at 9-1 against the PhoeGnomes.  Heather’s team suffered a down week on all fronts, winning only the wins pitching category.  Larry set the tone for the week with great offensive numbers.  He led the league in home runs and was near the top in RBI and SLG.  Edwin Encarnacion abused Rangers’ pitching with a three home run day and 10 RBI for the week.  J.D. Martinez added three home runs of his own (some off the Rangers, too).  Twelve Armadillos players had a home run compared to just five for the PhoeGnomes.  Nolan Arenado had a four home run week, but it wasn’t enough to lift the whole team.  The PhoeGnomes were at the bottom of several offensive categories alongside the Legion.  The Armadillos earned a 5-0 sweep.

Neither team offered stellar pitching.  The Armadillos tied for the league lead in saves, but had a pedestrian ERA and WHIP.  Heather earned four wins, but two of them were from relievers.  Injuries caused havoc as well, with Hyun-Jin Ryu going down after just 1.1 innings pitched.  Chris Sale was good but it wasn’t enough to offset a disasterous outing for Jake Arrieta.  The Armadillos had a nice week from Noah Syndergaard but endured dud starts from Carlos Carrasco and Mike Foltynewicz.  Overall the pitching was pedestrian on both sides, but the Armadillos claimed four categories with ease and cruised to a win.

SM Lasershow (1-3) vs.  CP Legion (1-1-2)

The final match of the week saw the Lasershow battle the Legion.  The match was unusual because Sean dominated the offense while Chris enjoyed great pitching.  This caused a rare 5-5 tie where each team swept all of the categories on one side.

Offensively, the Lasershow relied on a great week from Francisco Lindor.  He had four home runs and 10 RBI to go with 17 hits.  Andrelton Simmons had a nice week with 12 hits and six RBI.  Yangervis Solarte had two home runs, 10 hits, and seven RBI.  The Lasershow led the league in OBP and were near the top in SLG, home runs, and RBI.  Chris wasn’t able to compete and finished with the worst home run, OBP, and SLG numbers in the league.

The opposite phenomenon occurred on pitching.  Chris had great stats across the board and Sean wasn’t able to keep up.  Luis Severino had a dominant outing with 10 strikeouts in a complete game.  Trevor Bauer was good in two starts and Roberto Osuna tallied three saves.  Ken Giles continued to struggle but the team’s overall numbers were strong.  The Lasershow had a bizarre week from Eduardo Rodriguez.  He pitched 10.0 innings and stuck out 16 but allowed 10 earned runs.  This doomed the Lasershow’s chances.  Chris easily took all five categories and the match ended in a draw.  Each team’s relative dominance made for an anticlimactic finish to the week,  and both teams have some work to do to put together more complete stats.

Next Week

Next week features a huge battle between the Legion and Lannisters.  Jeff’s team has been inconsistent on pitching, but dominant on offense.  Chris will have to find better luck with his hitters to climb back into the race.  Things don’t get easier for the Thunderwolves as the face the red-hot Armadillos.  The Possums will take on the Lasershow, and the Goofballs will try to win their first match against the PhoeGnomes.

HP PhoeGnomes (0-2-1) vs.  RK Possums (2-1)

Entering Week 04, only the PhoeGnomes and Goofballs stood winless.  Despite a solid challenge from the Possums, Heather earned her first win of the season with  the strongest all-around performance in the league.  The PhoeGnomes led the league in ERA, saves, WHIP, and SLG.  This balanced performance was too much for the Possums to overcome.

Heather’s lesser known starters set the tone.  Junior Geurra, Joey Lucchesi, and Hyun-Jin Ryu were all strong.  Bigger name like Gio Gonzalez and Chris Sale were effective but unspectacular.  The bullpen collected six saves (three each from Aroldis Chapman and Brandon Morrow).  They did not allow a run in 9.1 innings pitched.  This effort stabilized WHIP and ERA, as well.  Rick had a good week from Corey Kluber and Justin Verlander but Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello were not at their best.  Rick led the league in strikeouts by a wide margin, but he was not competitive in the rate categories.  This gave Heather a 3-1-1 advantage.

On offense, both teams showed good home run power.  Twelve players had home runs between the two teams, including a monster week from Didi Gregorious and Joey Votto.  The two Possums’ stars had four homers each and totaled 18 RBI.  Heather was more balanced, and Mitch Haniger led the team with three home runs.  The teams tied in total home runs at 11-11.  Rick carried an edge in RBI thanks to Votto and Gregorious, but Heather got three steals from Trea Turner and took the category.  The PhoeGnomes also took SLG and OBP thanks to their more balanced approach.  The win puts the PhoeGnomes on the board for the first time this season.  After a series of listless weeks, Heather’s team finally put together a complete attack.  The Possums fall to 0.500 after a tough loss.  Rick’s numbers would have beaten several other teams, so there is likely no cause for concern.

JK Lannisters (3-0) vs.  LK Armadillos (2-1-1)

The contentious Armadillos and Lannisters rivalry began for 2018, but the matchup was decided early in the week.  The Armadillos enjoyed a power surge while the Lannisters’ pitchers struggled and the offense couldn’t keep up.  Eleven different Armaidllos players had home runs including four from Gary Sanchez.  Ozzie Albies added three, and even part-timers like Edwin Encarnacion and Christain Villanueva had home runs.  The Lannisters had a nice week from Mookie Betts and Jose Abreu, but their efforts couldn’t keep pace with the Armadillos.  Larry had nine home runs after just three days, and the offensive battle was over at mid-week.  The team easily led the league in home runs and RBI.  The Lannisters took steals and OBP, but it wasn’t enough to be competitive.

Neither team had outstanding pitching, but the Lannisters’ meltdown handed the Armadillos all five categories in a rout.  Gerrit Cole and Charlie Morton came back to earth after hot starts.  Stephen Strasburg struggled, and Fernando Rodney had an infinite ERA.  The Armadillos weren’t great either, but had good bullpen activity.  Craig Kimbrel was the only reliever to allow a run.  Noah Syndergaard had a solid start and it was more than enough to secure all five categories.  A strong win for the Armadillos was overdue, and the Lannisters’ pitching remains a concern.  After having the best performance in the league last week, Jeff needs to find consistency.   The Armadillos are always a troublesome matchup for the defending champs, though, and this week was no different.  Every team now has at least one loss, and even teams at the bottom of the standings are just two games back.

KK Thunderwolves (1-1-1) vs.  SM Lasershow (1-2)

The Thunderwolves continued to surprise the league with a solid win versus the Lasershow.  Kyle is now above 0.500 for the first time since his Week 01 win in 2017.  The Thunderwolves relied on good pitching and just enough offense to secure the victory.  Ivan Lova was dominant in his one start, and James Paxton accumulated 10 strikeouts in just six innings pitched.  Cody Allen recorded two saves and Kyle took four of five pitching categories.  The Lasershow endured a nightmare outing from Jameson Taillon, and other starters like Zack Godley fared little better.  Tyler Chatwood was a bright spot – he allowed just one earned run in 13.0 innings pitched.  However, his good work was undone by Steven Matz and other starters.

On offense, neither team performed well.  The Thunderwolves were at the bottom of the league in home runs and RBI.  The Lasershow lagged in OBP and SLG.  Kyle was surprisingly dominant in steals – he led the league with eight.  Whit Merrifield had three and then five other Thunderwolves had one steal each.  The team’s speed isn’t a fluke – they are second in steals for the season overall.

The Thunderwolves’ offensive struggles are becoming a problem, but the team has endured several injuries.  Eight players are either on the DL or day-to-day on offense alone.  Two pitchers are day-to-day.  Kyle’s main sources of power are on the disabled list, so the lack of home runs makes some sense.  The team will have to rely on good pitching and speed to win going forward.  The Lasershow have faded after their Week 01 win, and need to look for answers on both sides of the ball.

CP Legion (1-1-1) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (0-1-2)

The week’s final match was a bizarre encounter between the Goofballs and Legion.  Neither team has found a rhythm this season, and Week 04 was no different.  The Goofballs posted good power numbers and won three categories with ease – home runs, RBI, and SLG.  Kyle Schwarber had three home runs and three other Goofballs had two each.  Freddie Freeman was the star for the week with a 0.412 OBP and 0.710 SLG.  However, the team struggled to get on base.  Brian Dozier lead the team in plate appearances but had a miserable 0.242 OBP.  The Legion lacked power outside of Yoan Moncada, but did post a slightly better OBP for the week.  Ender Inciarte had four steals to salvage a tie in the category.  This gave Kevin a 3-1-1 edge before pitching.

The Goofballs have the worst ERA in the league for the season by almost three-quarters of a run.  (4.51 vs 3.81 for the Lasershow).  This week was emblematic of the team’s struggles.  Jose Berrios, Dylan Bundy, and David Price all had ERAs over 7.50.  Somehow Chris Archer and Zack Wheeler managed wins, though, and this secured a tie in the category for Kevin.  Chris had much better rate stats and strikeouts.  However, the week could have gone much differently if Robbie Ray had not gone down with an injury on Sunday.  Ray left the game after just 1.1 innings pitched.  This left Chris with no chance to break the tie in wins.   The week ended in an ugly 4-4-2 tie.  Neither team can be happy with their performance.  Each missed opportunities – Chris Taylor had a home run and steal on the bench for the Legion on Saturday.  Ian Desmond ha d a Saturday steal for the Goofballs.

The plus side for Kevin is that his team is tied for second in home runs and is in second for RBI and SLG for the league.  The base is there, but he needs to get his pitching under control. The Legion are second in OBP and near the top in most pitching categories.  They need better power and more consistency.

Next Week

The key match for next week pairs the Possums with the Goofballs.  Kevin is desperate for a win, but Rick has been off to a good start.  The PhoeGnomes hope to keep their momentum against the equally hot Armadillos.  The Lannisters face the Thunderwolves after a tough loss.  Kyle will have his work cut out for him to stay above 0.500.  Finally, the Legion meet the Lasershow.

RK Possums (2-0) vs.  CP Legion (0-1-1)

The week’s most interesting match-up paired the unbeaten Possums with the Legion.  Rick started the season hot and Chris was searching for answers after two disappointing showings.  Both teams posted solid numbers, but the Legion left with the needed victory.

The Legion generated solid offensive numbers.  They led the league in home runs, OBP, and SLG.  Jose Ramirez led the way with four home runs and a 0.955 SLG.  Carlos Correa had a nice week as well with two home runs, a steal, and a 0.833 SLG.  Aaron Judge added three home runs and a 0.444 OBP.  In all, nine Legion players had homers.  The Possums were able to stay close, though, with a good week from a surprising source – Didi Gregorius.  The shortstop had three home runs and seven RBI.  The Possums weren’t close in home runs or OBP, but they had a good OBP and were second in the league in RBI.  They also tied the Legion in steals.  This gave Chris a narrow 3-1-1 advantage.

The Legion gained separation through excellent pitching.  Chris’s team led the league in ERA and were third in WHIP.  Blake Snell was strong in two starts, and Mike Clevinger through a shutout.  No Legion pitcher had an ERA above 3.90.  Lance McCullers had the highest WHIP of any of the Legion’s starters at just 1.50.  The team had fewer strikeouts than expected (Clevinger struck out just three in his shutout) but the rate stats were far too dominant for the Possums.  The Possums had okay rate numbers and managed to win strikeouts and wins.  Corey Kluber was solid with two wins.  However, Masahiro Tanaka’s poor start eliminated the Possums from ERA and WHIP.  A tie in the saves category meant that the Legion earned a hard-fought win.  The Legion were desperate for good shows on both the hitting and pitching side.  They finally got both in the same week.  Rick is likely disappointed in the week’s outcome but fought hard for a third week and could have won against other teams.  Both teams have momentum going into the fourth week.

HP PhoeGnomes (0-1-1) vs.  JK Lannisters (2-0)

Like the Legion, the PhoeGnomes needed a victory to get their 2018 campaign moving.  They faced a tough Lannisters team.  The PhoeGnomes had an excellent week from Mitch Haniger who hit three home runs and had seven RBI.  George Springer added another homer and eight RBIs.  Rafael Devers had a pair of home runs and seven RBIs in part-time duty.  Heather had excellent power and RBI production – she led the league in RBI and was near the top in SLG.  Her OBP was second in the league and she easily won steals.  However, the Lannisters responded with strong power numbers.  They finished second in home runs and SLG.  Manny Machado led the way with five home runs.  Mike Trout added three and Nelson Cruz contributed a pair.  The Lannisters didn’t get the RBI production they would have liked, but their home run power carried them to a win in SLG.  This gave Heather a 3-2 lead before pitching.

Normally, the Lannisters struggle when they win fewer than three offensive categories.  However, the team’s revamped pitching staff came together in Week 03 and turned in a dominant performance.  The Lannisters led the league in strikeouts and saves.  They were second in WHIP and wins, and third in ERA.  Jacob deGrom had two starts and 22 strikeouts.  Garret Richards added another 11 in just 6.0 innings pitched.  Gerrit Cole remained red-hot.  Luis Castillo was dominant until the late innings of his start.  Overall, the effort was the best the Lannisters have seen in weeks from their embattled staff.  The PhoeGnomes tried to counter with strong pitching, and finished with decent numbers.  However, Heather did not have any of her better pitchers (like Chris Sale) on a two-start week.  This forced her to deploy lesser names like Hyun-Jin Ryu and Junior Guerra.  Both responded with great starts, but others like Joey Lucchesi struggled.  The Lannisters swept pitching for the first time in forever and earned a third consecutive win.  The PhoeGnomes made progress, but the Lannisters are a terrible matchup for Heather’s team when Jeff’s pitching does well.  The PhoeGnomes will have to wait at least one more week for their first win.  Meanwhile, the Lannisters hope their new pitching staff can continue to offer this kind of production.

SM Lasershow (1-1) vs.  LK Armadillos (0-1-1)

The Armadillos were able to pick up a much-needed win against the Lasershow.  Larry relied on solid pitching while Sean’s team struggled to find a rhythm.  Patrick Corbin was almost unhittable for the Armadillos.  He made two starts, struck out 19, and allowed just five baserunners in 15.0 innings pitched.  Carlos Carrasco was equally strong in his single start.  Despite subpar outings from Clayton Kershaw and Noah Syndergaard, the Armadillos had the second best ERA and lowest WHIP in the league.  They also finished second in strikeouts and wins.  It’s rare for such solid rate stats to accompany high strikeout totals, but the Armadillos, Legion, and Lannisters al pulled it off this week.  Sean was unable to challenge in any of the pithing categories.  The team had the worst rate stats in the league and failed to capitalize on a lack of Armadillos’ saves.  This put Sean in the tough position of being down 0-5 before accounting for hitting.

Both teams struggled on offense.  The teams were last and next to last in home runs and RBI.  Only the Thunderwolves had a worse OBP and SLG than either of the teams.  The Armadillos had seven home runs from seven different players, and no player with more than six RBIs.  Nick Castellanos was the best of the group, and Starling Marte had three steals.  Josh Reddick and Travis Shaw had good weeks for the Lasershow.  The pair combined for five home runs, 11 RBIs, and 14 walks.  However, the Lasershow didn’t have good production from their part time players.  Larry was able to take three categories and cruise to a comfortable win.  After a great start in Week 01, the Lasershow have now lost one and tied one game.  They need to re-evaluate, after a week of struggles on both sides of the ball.  The Armadillos pitching was excellent, but the offense needs to improve against the league’s top teams.

KG Capital City Goofballs (0-1-1) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (1-1)

The week’s final match featured a bizarre tie from the Goofballs and Thunderwolves.  The match saw each team deploy dozens of players, but somehow leave a no-hitter on the bench.  The Goofball’s strength was their offense.  Javier Baez stayed red-hot with three home runs, nine RBIs, a 0.480 OBP and a 1.040 SLG.  Kyle Schwarber added seven RBI and a home run while AJ Pollock and Mike Moustakas had two each.  This yielded a good RBI, SLG, and OBP total for Kevin.  However, Kyle enjoyed some good power numbers and managed a tie in steals.  Whit Merrifield had three home runs while several other Thunderwolves contributed.  Their stats weren’t enough for Kyle to win any categories, but they secured a tie in home runs and steals.  Sunday was a bitter day for the Goofballs – Anthony Rendon didn’t play but was stuck in the lineup while Mike Moustakas hit a home run… on the bench.  This home run would have secured a win for the week by breaking the category tie.

On pitching, things were even stranger.  The Thunderwolves had middling stats, but they were good enough to earn plenty of category wins.  For example, Kyle’s team ERA was 4^th in the league, his WHIP was 5^th, and his strikeouts were 6^th.  He was able to win all three categories!  Aaron Nola was good for Kyle, but Yu Darvish had a disastrous game and Shohei Ohtani dealt with an injury.  The Goofballs were in a similar situation.  Jose Berrios and Julio Teheran were great and didn’t allow a run.  But Keone Kela struggled and Andrew Triggs was a 1.2 IP disaster.

Most painful for Kevin was Sean Manaea’s performance.  He threw a not hitter and struck out 10, but was on the bench.  Manaea was facing the Red Sox and Chris Sale, so the decisions makes sense.  However, his stats would have turned the tide in WHIP.  It’s tough to blame Kevin for sitting him, but the Goofballs will be haunted by the decisions as they look for their first win.  For his part, Kyle had a pretty good week and is in the middle of the standings with a 1-1-1 record.

Next Week

In Week 04, the Armadillos will try to figure things out against the Lannisters.  Larry is one of the few managers to have success against the Lannisters over the past few years, but he will need better offensive production.  The PhoeGnomes will try to get their first win against the Possums.  The Lasershow and Thunderwolves meet in a battle to stay close early.  Finally, the Goofballs face the Legion in an intriguing match-up.  Kevin can’t afford to fall three or four games behind so early in the season.  The Legion will to continue to improve and secure a winning record.

Elo Note

There is a problem with the program I wrote to create the Elo ratings.  I’m going to try to fix it this week or weekend.  Thank you for your patience.