KG Capital City Goofballs (12-7-2) vs.  JK Lannisters (14-6-1)

With four weeks to play, the Goofballs were just 1.5 game behind the Lannisters in the race for the title.  Week 22 offered Kevin a chance to pull within half a game of the lead and own a tiebreaker.  The Lannisters faced a difficult run of three straight games against teams still in contention.  Both teams had strong offensive performances.  Trevor Story and Elvis Andrus had two home runs each for the Goofballs.  Kevin’s team had nine players with homers.  The Lannisters had only six players with home runs but scored four from Jose Abreu.  Mike Trout contributed three steals.  This mix of stats led to a split in most categories.  Kevin took home runs and RBI.  The Lannisters won steals.  OBP and SLG were close going into Sunday.  The Lannisters weren’t able to boost their OBP by enough to take the category, but a clutch home run from Jean Segura and two from Jose Abreu shifted SLG into the leader’s favor.  This left Kevin with a 3-2 advantage.

Implosions from several Goofballs’ starters cost the team.  Only one starter, Kyle Hendricks, pitched more than six innings.  Chris Archer, Blake Snell, Jose Berrios, Blake Parker, and Shane Greene allowed more earned runs than innings pitched.  The Goofballs had the worst ERA in the league, and the second worst WHIP.  However, the squad did manage a handful of saves and wins.  The Lannisters enjoyed much better rate stats throughout the week.  Stephen Strasburg was outstanding in two starts.  He threw 14.0 innings, struck out 18, and didn’t allow an earned run.  Jacob deGrom had a poor ERA but struck out 15 in 9.2 innings pitched.  deGrom lost a win after a Mets’ bullpen meltdown, but it wasn’t enough to save the Goofballs.  The Lannisters took three categories and tied the other two.  This was enough to earn a narrow 5-3-2 win.

The loss is heartbreaking for the Goofballs, who fell to 2.5 games back with just three to play.  The missed opportunity also hurts the Possums, Armadillos, and Legion.  Those three teams needed an upset to gain ground.  The Lannisters now hold a tiebreaker over the Goofballs, meaning Kevin’s only chance is to win out while the Lannisters to lose three straight.  This still would not guarantee a title, as the Legion, Armadillos, and Possums would be in play.  There are still too many possible scenarios to go over each possible result, but the Goofballs face an uphill battle from here on.

LK Armadillos (12-6-3) vs.  RK Possums (10-6-5)

The week’s second most important match featured the Armadillos and Possums.  Each team needed a victory to stay close to the Lannisters, especially after Jeff defeated Kevin.  The Armadillos began the week with a monster performance from J.D. Martinez.  The new Diamondbacks’ outfielder hit an incredible seven home runs (including four in one game) and had 11 RBI.  He finished the week with a 1.214 SLG.  Gary Sanchez was strong in limited duty as well – he had two home runs in just 12 at bats.  The Armadillos had the best home run and RBI totals in the league, as well as the highest SLG.  Unfortunately for Larry, his top base stealers were either hurt or failed to get on.  This gave Rick a window to win the category with just two steals.  He had the second highest OBP total too, behind only a surprising Thunderwolves’ effort.  Rick took two categories despite having the lowest home run and RBI totals in the league.

The Possums’ good fortune continued on the pitching side.  The team had the most wins in the league and also took saves and strikeouts.  However, they had the second worst ERA to the Goofballs.  The Armadillos easily took WHIP.  This bizarre stat split led to a confusing 5-5 for the two teams.  How did the Possums manage so many wins?  Arodys Vizcaino, a Braves’ reliever, managed two wins from the bullpen.  Zach Britton recorded a win as well.  This gave Rick the category edge he needed.  The Armadillos experienced even more bad luck when they selected Dallas Keuchel over J.A. Happ.  Happ’s strong start would have given the Armadillos the edge in strikeouts, and thus the week.  Keuchel was the better choice in theory, and a bigger culprit was Clayton Kershaw, who lasted just 3.2 innings in his single start.  The tie pushes the Armadillos back to 1.5 behind the Lannisters.  The Possums also sit at 2.5 back with three to play.

Both teams would have preferred a win, of course.  The tie benefits the Lannisters, who gained 0.5 games on both teams.  The Possums are in the same situation as the Goofballs – they must win out and the Lannisters must lose out.  Even with a victory, the Possums will not have a tiebreaker edge over the Lannisters (the teams would be 2-2).  The Possums and Goofballs do not play each other again, but Rick owns the 2-1 tiebreaker.  The situation is more complicated for the Armadillos, who will need to gain two full games on the Lannisters since Jeff holds the tiebreaker.  This is not impossible given the Lannisters’ battles against the Possums and PhoeGnomes.  However, Jeff’s final game against the Lasershow gives the Lannisters one week as a heavy favorite.  The Armadillos have the best chance left, and the tie doesn’t change their situation.  They would still need to pick up two full games, even if they were just one game back.

CP Legion (10-7-4) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (10-10-1)

The Legion entered the week needing a win to stay in the race.  Chris faced the PhoeGnomes, who are eliminated but still have solid stats and are more talented than their record would indicate.  Heather started well on offense.  She had the second best week behind the Armadillos thanks to four home runs from Matt Olson.  Jose Reyes had a pair of home runs and steals.  Chris countered with a great week from Francisco Lindor.  He had three home runs and a steal.  Jose Ramirez added three home runs before getting hurt.  However, the Legion managed to take steals after the PhoeGnomes struggled on the bases.

This left Chris needing all five pitching categories to stay alive.  He responded with a great series of starts.  Robbie Ray led the way with 13.2 innings pitched and an incredible 26 strikeouts.  Carlos Martinez had 18 strikeouts in 15.0 innings, along with no earned runs.  This added up to a whopping 92 total strikeouts for the team, easily enough to lead the league.  The team also carried the best ERA and WHIP numbers in the league.  Heather struggled on pitching, and Chris earned enough to stay alive and in the hunt.  The close 6-4 win leaves the Legion 2.5 out of first and they hold the tiebreaker over the Lannisters.  This would introduce the possibility of a Legion/Armadillos tie, as well.  These scenarios are unlikely, but possible.  The situation will be clearer after next week.

SM Lasershow (2-16-3) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (3-15-3)

The final match of the week saw the Thunderwolves dominate the Lasershow.  Kyle posted a nice all-around week with both good hitting and pitching.  The Thunderwolves led the league in OBP and were second in steals.  They were third in RBI and SLG.  Eric Hosmer contributed three home runs to these numbers, and Whit Merrifield and seven RBI.  The Lasershow struggled despite a nice week from Kendrys Morales.  Kyle won all five categories with ease.

Pitching was much the same.  Michael Wacha had two nice starts for the Thunderwolves, and Zack Greinke was solid.  The Lasershow struggled to get quality innings, and Rick Porcello and Kevin Gausman were disasters.  Kyle swept these five categories as well, and earned an impressive 10-0 sweep.  The win leaves Kyle two games ahead of the Lasershow, and likely out of a last place finish.

Next Week

The week’s biggest match is the Possums versus Lannisters.  For Rick, the objective is simple:  He must win to stay alive.  A win from the Lannsiters would eliminate the Possums, Goofballs, and Legion.  A Lannister tie would eliminate the Goofballs and Possums.  The Goofballs are in a true must-win against the PhoeGnomes.  The Legion must at least tie against the Lasershow, and likely need a win even if the Lannisters lose.  The Armadillos play the Thunderwolves.  For Larry, a loss paired with a Lannister win would eliminate him from contention.  With five teams still in the race, every game matters.  Even if the odds are long, anything can still happen.  The title can also be decided this week.  If the Lannisters win and the Armadillos lose, the race is over.  The focus of the league will be on the Possums, who must shoulder the weight of the other contenders’ hopes as well as their own.

JK Lannisters (14-5-1) vs.  CP Legion (9-7-4)

In a week with three important matches, the Legion were successful in fighting off elimination.  Chris posted the league’s best offensive numbers.  The Legion led the league in home runs, steals, OBP, and SLG.  Jose Ramirez led the way with four home runs.  Six other Legion players added homers and Ender Inciarte and three steals.  The Lannisters had an excellent week from Welington Castillo, who had four home runs and eight RBI.  Six other Lannisters had home runs, and the team posted strong totals.  They had the second best steals, OBP, and SLG.  They tied for second in home runs.  Despite the strong showing, Chris won all five categories.

On pitching, the Lannisters suffered a disastrous week from Mike Fiers.  He threw 8.1 innings in two starts and gave up 14 earned runs.  This ruined the Lannister’s hopes for the rate stats for the week.  Chris had great starts from players like Luis Severino and Jimmy Nelson.  The Legion led the league in strikeouts and had excellent ERA and WHIP numbers.  This led to a convincing 9-0-1 victory.  The Legion stayed in contention with the win, and provided help to the Armadillos, Goofballs, and Possums.  After a massive eight game winning streak, the Lannisters were due for a down week.  They remain in first place but still have four other teams chasing them.

RK Possums (9-6-5) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (12-6-2)

With a lopsided Lannisters’ loss, the Goofballs had an opportunity to move within half of a game of the league lead.  The Possums needed a victory to stay close.  Both teams combined for the best two pitching performances of the week.  The combined numbers may be the best the league has seen in several seasons.  Both teams had ERAs below 1.40 and WHIP’s below 0.96.  The Possums had better counting performance.  They took both strikeouts and wins.  The Goofballs had better saves and the slightly lower ERA.  The Possums earned a narrow 3-2 edge thanks to WHIP.  Rick relied on monster weeks from his best to pitchers:  Max Scherzer and Corey Kluber.  The pair combined for 28.0 innings pitched, 26 strikeouts, five earned runs, and 23 hits plus walks.  Edwin Jackson was the only Possums’ starter with a WHIP over 1.00.  The Goofballs countered with a great week from Jose Berrios.  However, the team’s bullpen was shaky.  Dellin Betances and Felipe Rivero had poor rate stats.  This was just enough for the Possums to edge out a lead in WHIP.  The Possums would have won at least four categories against every other team, and the Goofballs were not far behind.

The battle was also close on offense.  Rick had better power, but Kevin took RBI and OBP.  Rick had more steals, but a slightly better SLG.  Rick pulled out the win with a narrow 3-2 category edge.  Josh Donaldson and Joey Gallo were the Possums’ two best hitters.  The pair each had two home runs.  Xander Bogaerts and Andrew Benintendi had two steals each.  The Goofballs had similar numbers from Freddie Freeman and Domingo Santana.  The split categories meant that SLG was the only category that could earn Kevin a tie.  Domingo Santana had two home runs on Sunday for Kevin’s team, but the Possums answered with a team SLG of 0.929.  This was enough to give Rick a victory and keep himself firmly in the title race.  The loss is devastating for the Goofballs, who are now a game and a half back and facing a tough series with the Lannisters.  Rick is just two games behind, but can’t win a tiebreaker over the Lannisters.  He will need more help, but for now this key victory is something to celebrate.  The Possums’ upset is a nice break for the Lannisters, who could have lost more ground to their closest competitor.

LK Armadillos (11-6-3) vs.  SM Lasershow (2-15-3)

A major beneficiary of the Possums’ and Legion’s wins was the Armadillos.  Larry’s team had a match against the league’s lowest-ranked team and took advantage.  The win helped them gain ground on the two teams ahead of them in the standings.  The win was keyed by great offensive numbers.  Jorge Polanco had a great week with three home runs, eight RBI, and a steal.  Gary Sanchez scored a home run but will also be suspended for three games this week.  Overall, the Armadillos tied for the second most home runs for the week and were behind only the Lannisters and Legion in overall offensive production.  The Lasershow had a good week from Tommy Pham but didn’t have enough extra to challenge in any of the five remaining categories.

On pitching, neither team posted great numbers, but the Armadillos were able to post enough counting stats to secure four categories and a dominant win.  Drew Pomeranz, Alex Cobb, and Julio Teheran had good strikeout numbers, but poor ERAs.  Kevin Gausman stayed hot for the Lasershow, but his good work was undone by Ervin Santana and Jim Johnson.  The Armadillos had a smooth win and are now just a game back from the league lead.  Like the Possums, the Armadillos cannot win a tiebreaker over the Lannisters.  They will need additional help and an outright lead to take the crown.

KK Thunderwolves (3-15-2) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (10-10-0)

The week’s final match saw the PhoeGnomes score their first tie of the year against the Thunderwolves.  Kyle posted good offensive numbers thanks to big weeks from Adam Jones and Brandon Crawford.  The PhoeGnomes had two home runs from George Springer, but little else in terms of power.  Heather had the second lowest SLG in the league, but she did take steals and OBP.

On pitching, both sides were evenly matched.  Kyle had the edge in saves and wins, but Heather saw better rate stats and a few more strikeouts.  The PhoeGnomes didn’t earn a save for the week, but had an incredible 21 strikeouts in just 12.0 innings pitched from Chris Sale and Taijuan Walker.  The pair didn’t allow a run, either.  The remarkable starts were more than enough to earn three categories and secure the tie.  Neither team is in the playoff race, but Kyle can take some pride in managing the semi-upset.

Next Week

The playoff race continues with another huge series of games.  The Goofballs and Lannisters meet for the last time.  Jeff will still be in first place not matter the outcome, but need the win to keep pace and relieve some pressure over the last three weeks.  A win for Kevin puts him right in the middle of the title hunt.  The Armadillos face the Possums in another crucial match.  The Armadillos will not play the Lannisters again and will have to win to keep pace.  The Possums are playing for their lives again.  The Legion face the PhoeGnomes, and Chris needs a win to stay alive.  Heather’s team is more talented than its record indicates.  They will do their best to eliminate the Legion, and then try again against the Lannisters in two weeks.  The final match pairs the Lasershow and Thunderwolves.  Neither team wants to end the year in last place, and this match gives the Thunderwolves a chance to stay out of the cellar.

The Lannisters lost Elo ground but remain the only team above 1,600.  The Armadillos and Legion made up some ground.  The Possums took a nice step forward, and are not well above the PhoeGnomes.

Next week features some close matches.  The Armadillos and Possums are essentially a coin-flip.  The Lannisters are slight favorites over the Goofballs.  The Legion and Thunderwolves are both the heaviest favorites, with around 60% chances to win.

The Lannisters remain at the top of the Elo board after a lengthy winning streak.  The Goofballs moved into second place after a better quality victory than the Armadillos.  The Legion lost ground and the Possums are now close to moving into fourth place.

The biggest match of the week shows the Lannisters with a small advantage over the Legion.  The Goofballs are even smaller favorites over the Possums.  Larry is a commanding favorite over the Lasershow, and Heather has a good probability versus the Thunderwolves.

 

 

CP Legion (9-6-4) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (11-6-2)

The week’s premier battle featured the Goofballs and Legion.  Both teams were near the top of the standings and each needed a victory to keep pace with the Lannisters.  The Goofballs entered with four straight victories, but the Legion hoped to defeat the expansion team and continue to push for the title.  The week started well for the Legion, with a huge four home run week from Francisco Lindor.  Christian Yelich and Paul Goldschmidt added two each, and the Legion totaled five steals.  This was good enough to win the OBP and SLG categories, but the Goofballs had substantially more RBI.  The culprit was Rhys Hoskins, who had an incredible six home runs and 15 RBI for the Goofballs.  His totals gave the team the lead in home runs and RBI, and Brian Dozier’s three steals secured a third category and a 3-2 advantage.

Chris Archer led the way for Kevin.  He had two starts over 13.0 innings pitched with 18 strikeouts and just two earned runs.  Chris had decent weeks from Jimmy Nelson, Carlos Martinez, and Luis Severino.  However Jimmy Nelson struggled, and the Legion fell behind in ERA and WHIP.  Corey Knebel and three saves for the Goofballs, and the team was more efficient in striking out batters.  Both teams had about the same number of innings pitched, but Kevin had the edge in strikeouts.  This left Chris without a path to victory despite a good overall performance.  The Goofballs took four categories and won the week.  Kevin remained 1.5 games behind the victorious Lannisters.  The Legion are still mathematically alive, but will need tremendous help after falling to 3.5 back with four to play.

HP PhoeGnomes (10-9) vs.  LK Armadillos (10-6-3)

The week’s second most competitive match saw the Armadillos eliminate the PhoeGnomes.  After a crushing loss to the Lannisters, both teams needed a win to stay in contention.  The Armadillos offense remained red-hot.  The led the league in home runs, RBI, and SLG.  Yet again, Giancarlo Stanton led the way with five home runs and 11 RBI.  Gary Sanchez was almost as good – he had four home runs and 10 RI.  Edwin Encarnacion and Anthony Rizzo added two each.  Heather was competitive in home runs, OBP, and SLG.  Four players had two home runs, and five others had one.  However, the team as a whole fell just short in three categories.  The Armadillos earned the five category sweep.

Neither team had outstanding pitching, but Heather was in too deep a whole to climb out despite having the edge in several categories.  Taijuan Walker was good in two starts but didn’t strike out a lot of batters.  Chris Sale struggled in his lone start but Hyun-Jin Ryu was good, as was Madison Bumgarner.  The Armadillos struggled with Chad Betts and J.A. Happ .  John Lackey was cut after a terrible outing.  However, the team got strikeouts and saves.  This was enough to win two categories and take the week, despite a close call on a few offensive categories.  The Armadillos are just two games behind the Lannisters.  The PhoeGnomes were eliminated from contention after falling 4.5 games back.

SM Lasershow (2-14-3) vs.  RK Possums (8-6-5)

Besides the Goofballs, Armadillos, and Legion, the Possums are the only other team left with a chance to catch the Lannisters.  Rick has quietly built a powerful offensive core, and he put together a complete week to stay in the hunt.  Rick had the second best pitching stats behind the Goofballs.  Patrick Corbin was great in two starts over 15.0 innings.  He struck out 14, allowed one earned run, and picked up two wins.  The bullpen was strong and was tied for second in saves.  Masahiro Tanaka and Justin Verlander had 18 strikeouts in just 14.0 innings pitched.  The Lasershow had little to counter the Possums’ pitching.  Jim Johnson imploded and Coe Hamels struggled to a 6.35 ERA over two starts.  Eduardo Rodriguez wasn’t much better.  Only Sonny Gray had a good start for the week.  Rick took every category except WHIP and had a commanding lead before offense was factored in.

The Lasershow were far strong on offense than pitching.  Yasiel Puig and Jonathan Schoop had two home runs.  Five other Lasershow players had a home run as well.  This was enough to win SLG and OBP.  The team also took steals thanks to two from Andrelton Simmons.  Rick had a strange offensive week.  He was second in home runs for the league and won RBI.  However, these results did not translate to OBP or SLG.  Josh Donaldson and Khris Davis had three home runs each but both had OBPs below 0.300.  This strange pattern made the week closer than it likely should have been.  However, Rick did enough to pull out the 6-4 win and remain alive.  Like Chris, he will need help but at this point week-to-week survival is the only concern.

KK Thunderwolves (3-14-2) vs.  JK Lannisters (13-5-1)

The week’s final match saw the Thunderwolves take a shot at the Lannisters in their final match of the year.  Despite having a staff full of injured starters, the Lannisters found a way to win with pitching for the week.  Rich Hill’s near-no-hitter led the way, and his 0.11 WHIP contributed to the Lannisters’ strong total.  The bullpen came through as well, with both stars and part timers contributing saves.  Fernando Rodney, Brad Hand, and Sam Dyson had four saves total.  Kenley Jansen added two more.  Kyle struggled for the week with disastrous starts from Michael Wacha, Aaron Nola, and Marcus Stroman.  The Lannisters took four of five categories.

On offense, neither team delivered stellar stats, but the Lannisters did enough to take three more categories and win the week.  Marcell Ozuna had four home runs, and three other players had two each.  The Lannisters’ offensive depth paid dividends yet again.  Robinson Cano and Paul DeJong had strong SLG numbers in limited use.  Kyle had a great week from Adrian Beltre, but little else to offer.  The Thunderwolves fell, but tried their best to remain competitive despite early pitching disasters.  The win keeps the Lannisters I first place, 1.5 games ahead of the nearest competitor.

Next Week

There are two huge matches next week.  First, the Legion will fight for their lives against the Lannisters.  Next, the Possums face the Goofballs.  The Possums must win this game to remain in contention.  Both of these teams are hoping for a Legion victory.  The Lannisters will cheer for the Possums to keep the Goofballs at bay, and more teams at medium distance.  The Armadillos face the Lasershow.  The Armadillos are another team who would benefit from a Legion victory.  The only meaningless match of the week pairs the Thunderwolves and PhoeGnomes.  Both teams are playing for pride and will want to stay sharp for their final matches of the year against the league leaders.

LK Armadillos (10-5-3) vs.  JK Lannisters (12-5-1)

As the season draws to a close, every match is important.  The Armadillos faced the Lannisters in a close battle for the top of the leaderboard.  After weeks of inconsistent offensive performance, the Lannisters exploded to lead the league in home runs, RBI, and SLG.  Leading the way were Justin Upton and Manny Machado.  Each had four home runs and the pair combined for 19 RBI.  Jose Abreu and Mike Trout had three home runs each, while Paul DeJong and Kris Bryant had two apiece.  The Armadillos put up excellent totals early in the week, but it wasn’t enough.  Gary Sanchez had a monster four home / 10 RBI week, and Giancarlo Stanton added three home runs.  The team also led the league in OBP thanks to Stanton’s performance.  Unfortunately for the Armadillos, the Lannisters had a 3-2 advantage before pitching.

The Lannister bullpen was a standout for the week with six saves to the Armadillos’ four.  This put immense pressure on both pitching staffs.  The Lannisters were slightly better than the Kershaw-less Armadillos.  Reynaldo Lopez and J.A. Happ suffered abysmal starts.  Dallas Keuchel was great in one start, but the rest of the Armadillos’ squad was mediocre.  The Lannisters weren’t much better, after a Jacob deGrom meltdown.  However, the strong bullpen and a few quality starts were enough to capture ERA and WHIP.  The Armadillos won strikeouts, but the Lannisters took the week.  The result has to be frustrating for the Armadillos, because their offense was the second best in the league.  The win puts the Lannisters firmly in the lead for the title, but there are still four teams within just three games of the lead.  The Armadillos fell to three back, but can still make up ground and own the tiebreaker.

RK Possums (8-6-4) vs.  CP Legion (9-6-3)

The Possums kept their title hopes alive with a surprising tie against the Legion.  Rick’s week looked a lot like the Armadillos – great hitting and middling pitching.  Leading the way was Josh Donaldson with four home runs.  Nine other Possums’ players had home runs, and the team was second in both OBP and SLG.  The Legion didn’t put up good offensive totals except for steals.  Delino DeShields had three for the week and the Legion were second in the league.

Chris had a much better week pitching.  Despite a bat stat line from Danny Salazar, the team had the best ERA, saves, and strikeout total in the league.  Roberto Osuna and Raisel Iglesias had three saves each.  Luis Severino and Brad Peacock allowed just one run in two starts.  Overall the Legion had the best pitching line for the week.  Rick struggled, especially for the rate stats.  However, he did manage five wins.  This was enough to secure the tie for the week.  Carlos Rodon and Brad Peacock had good outings for the Legion but their teams let them down and neither got a win.  This cost Chris the victory for the week.  However, the Legion are just 2.5 games back and still alive in the title hunt.  The Possums are three back, but the tie keeps their dream alive as well.

KG Capital City Goofballs (10-6-2) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (3-13-2)

The Goofballs continued to use a horde of players to amass solid production and continue to ascend up the standings.  This week Kevin used 22 hitters and ten pitchers, or more than three quarters of the entire roster!  His best player was Nelson Cruz, who hit three home runs.  However, more unknown names like Rhys Hoskins added a home run, and Lorenzo Cain contributed a steal in just five at bats.  The Goofballs don’t have the star power of some other teams, but they have solid depth and continue to hunt for production on the waiver wire and free agent pool.  The team’s efforts have paid off and the deep roster continues to enjoy success.  This week the Goofballs led the league in OBP and had solid offensive numbers that could have topped the league most other weeks.  The Thunderwolves continued to struggle on offense, but did lead the league in steals thanks to big weeks from Rougned Odor and Whit Merrifield.

Neither team had the best pitching stats, but Kevin had enough good arms to take four categories.  Kyle Hendrisk and Dinelson Lamet had two good efforts each.  The Thunderwolves relied on Zack Greinke and Yu Darvish, but a series of injuries and bad starts derailed the team’s chances.  The Goofballs cruised to a win and are not in second place, just 1.5 games behind the Lannisters.  There are six weeks left and the teams meet once more, so Kevin will need to win and get help.  However, his position at the top of the league shows that his aggressive approach to acquisitions works.  It’s also a reminder to other struggling teams (like the Thunderwolves) that a re-build can happen quickly if you can find the right parts.

SM Laswershow (2-13-3) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (9-9)

The week’s final match saw the PhoeGnomes defeat the Lasershow.  Sean’s demise came because of his pitching, where he posted the worst ERA and WHIP in the league by a considerable margin.  Jim Johnson struggled, as did Trevor Rosenthal.  Hector Neris contributed little, and the solid work from Rick Porcello and Pat Neshek went to waste.  Heather countered with a great week from Gio Gonzalez.  In two starts, Gonzalez didn’t allow a run and had a 0.87 WHIP.  Charlie Morton was good, as was the bullpen.  Heather cruised to a 4-0-1 advantage.

Sean fared better on offense.  He had a good SLG number thanks to a huge four home run week from Rafael Devers.  Heather had much less power, but did take OBP and steals thanks to Jose Altuve and Austin Hedges.  Solid efforts from Jay Bruce and Ryan Zimmerman weren’t enough to help the Lasershow, and Heather earned another victory.  She is now in 6^th place and 3.5 games back.

Next Week

The final matches continue in the 20^th week of the season.  The Legion and Goofballs have a critical match.  The losing team is likely out of title contention.  With the Lannisters facing the Thunderwolves, both teams will want a victory to keep pace and play for the final match-up with the league leaders.  The Armadillos look to keep their title dreams alive against the PhoeGnomes.  Finally, Rick hopes to stay alive against the Lasershow.

The Lannisters edged closer to 1,600 with a strong victory.  The Legion and Armadillos stayed where they were, while the Possums and Goofballs picked up a few points in heavily-favored matches.

The Lannisters and Legion are huge favorites over the bottom two teams in the league.  However, the other two matches are almost coin flips.  The Armadillos and Possums are just 55% favorites in their battles.

CP Legion (9-5-2) vs.  LK Armadillos (10-4-2)

The Legion and Armadillos met in yet another close battle for first place.  The Armadillos took the first match but the Legion struck back and won the second.  The third encounter was even closer, with each team leading at multiple points throughout the week.  However, the final result was an even 5-5 tie.  Both teams posted prolific offensive numbers.  Paul Goldschmidt had three home runs and 11 RBI.  Chris Taylor added three homers and a 0.800 SLG for the week.  Even Justin Smoak was hot, with two home runs and six RBI.  The Armadillos countered with three home runs from Giancarlo Stanton and nine RBI from Eduardo Nunez.  Ten Armadillos’ players had at least one home run, compared to seven for the Legion.  Larry led the league in home runs and SLG.  He tied for the lead in steals and RBI. However, his OBP was only fourth overall.  This gave Chris a critical category win.

Both teams had strong pitching for the week.  Chris easily led the league in strikeouts with 83.  The Lannisters were second with 64.  Larry had a similar lead in saves – his total of nine was well above the Possums’ second-best six.  This left ERA, WHIP, and wins as the only categories in play.  Going into the last day, the Armadillos had a small edge, but Chris had better pitchers ready.  Chris got what he needed from Luis Severino and Jimmy Nelson.  However, Roberto Osuna almost caused disaster for the Legion.  He allowed four runs in 0.2 IP and brought the ERA gap to just 0.122.  This was as close as the Armadillos could, though, and Chris secured four pitching categories.  This left the teams with a 5-5 tie for the week and an overall tie for the season.  The teams will meet one more time in Week 24.

HP PhoeGnomes (9-7) vs.  JK Lannisters (10-5-1)

The Legion and Armadillos’ result opened a window of opportunity for the Lannisters and PhoeGnomes.  Both teams are in the mix for the title and, like the Legion and Armadillos, had two close battles earlier in the season.  The Lannisters won the first match but Heather took a close victory in the second.  After a few weeks of improved pithing, the Lannisters were forced to rely on their offense again.  Justin Upton and Mike Trout provided most of the power, with three home runs each.  Heather had a monster week from Wilson Contreras.  He had five home runs and 13 RBI for a 1.182 SLG.  However, it wasn’t enough to combat the depth of the Lannister lineup.  Heather took steals, but Jeff won the other four categories after some Sunday heroics from Marcell Ozuna and Trout.

On pitching, Heather fared better.  She had the second best ERA and WHIP in the league.  Chris Sale struggled but Danny Duffy excelled in two starts.  The Lannisters had little to counter Heather’s rate stats.  However, they made several good Sunday pickups and were able to take strikeouts.  Heather had a chance to win the category and secure the victory for the week, but Hyun-Jim Ryu was removed from his start after seven innings despite allowing a single hit and no walks.  Heather’s pickup looked brilliant, but he came up just short.  Kenley Jansen removed any doubt when he struck out the side in a meaningless appearance.  The result propelled the Lannisters back into first place.  Heather probably deserved a better result for the week and can take comfort in losing only a half game on the other leaders.

RK Possums (6-6-4) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (2-12-2)

The Possums looked to keep pace with the leaders against the Thunderwolves.  Rick’s offense and pitching answered the call and delivered a resounding 9-1 win over Kyle’s squad.  Cody Bellinger had four home runs and Joey Gallo continued to pay dividends in both OBP and power.  Kyle didn’t have a lot of power to offer, but Adrian Beltre did have six RBI.  However, four Possums had at least two home runs compared to just two such players on the Thunderwolves.

Kyle was more competitive on pitching.  He got a great start from Yu Darvish (who was traded to the Dodgers).  He also got a nice week from Aaron Nola.  However, their good was undone by a bad Zack Greinke outing, and a terrible effort from Bud Norris.  Rick got serviceable performance from Jeff Samardzija and a nice Justin Verlander start.  The Possums’ bullpen was also strong, recording the second more saves in the league.  Overall, Rick cruised to a dominant win and remains just 2.5 games out of first place.

SM Lasershow (2-11-3) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (8-6-2)

After surprising the Legion, Sean tried to bring down the Goofballs.  However, Kevin unleashed a rare strong pitching performance.  They led the league in ERA by a wide margin.  Though they made only five starts, the staff performed well and allowed just a 1.73 ERA.  The bullpen avoided any serious meltdowns.  Jacob Faria was particularly strong, striking out nine in just six innings pitched.  The Lasershow threw almost twice as many innings as the Goofballs.  The easily won strikeouts and wins, but the Goofball’s bullpen took saves and secured WHIP.

On offense, the Lasershow used 20 different batters.  The Goofballs responded with 21.  Both teams made the most of their lineups and the Goofballs were near the top of each offensive category.  Brian Dozier was strong, with three home runs in just 11 at-bats.   The Lasershow had multi-home run weeks from Yasiel Puig, Jay Bruce, and Justin Turner.  However, other players struggled and the team was left with the worst SLG in the league.  Kevin won with relative comfort and is just a game and a half behind the Lannisters.

Next Week

Things don’t get easier for the Lasershow.  Their next match is against the Lannisters.  The Legion also get a breather against the Thunderwolves.  The two matches to watch feature the Armadillos versus the Goofballs and the Possums against the PhoeGnomes.  All four teams will need wins with the other two leaders facing weaker competition.

After a few weeks of problems, I’ve fixed the ELO ratings!  The pitching rules violation was a real problem, but it has been corrected!

The Lannisters are back on top of the all-time Elo ratings.  The Legion lost a few points for their draw.  The Armadillos gained a handful of points for beating the Thunderwolves.  Kevin made a nice jump into the top four.

The Goofballs and Possums are the biggest favorites against the league’s tow lowest-rated teams.  The Lannisters have an edge against the PhoeGnomes.  The Legion and Armadillos are, fittingly, even at 50/50!

New Owner Makes Waves; Defending Champs Rely on Pitching; Goofballs Cool Off PhoeGnomes; Leaders Edge Thunderwolves

SM Lasershow (2-11-2) vs.  CP Legion (9-5-1)

Sean began his first week with a franchise with a difficult challenge.  He faced the Legion, one of the league’s top teams.  Sean made several roster moves to clear the glut of Cardinals on his team.  The former Happy Hollidays then made a trade to build team depth.  The loss of Carlos Martinez will hurt the team’s pitching.  However, the Lasershow’s roster was thin in too many areas.  Trading from strength to build depth is probably a good strategy.

Ryan Zimmerman paid immediate dividends.  He had two home runs for the week in just seven at-bats.  Jay Bruce had an excellent week as well, with two more home runs and seven RBI.  This was enough for the Lasershow to tie for the league lead in homers.  The Legion were less successful on offense.  Sean won four categories with relative ease.  Chris managed to take OBP, and his narrow margin of victory would ultimately salvage a tie.

Both teams struggled on pitching.  The Lasershow struggled to find saves and the Legion took advantage.  Chris dominated strikeouts and had a comfortable margin in ERA and WHIP.  Despite a disastrous start from Lance McCullers, Chris posted a good mix of quality starts and good strikeout totals.  The Lasershow countered with a good Lance Lynn week.  The team stacked up wins, too.  This gave Chris four categories to Sean’s one.  This gave the two teams a tie for the week.  The battle was hard-earned for the Lasershow, who rallied behind their more active new owner.

The result is a new highlight for a franchise that has failed to thrive for too long.  Sean still has a lot of work to do to upgrade the roster, but his victory over the Legion should put the league on notice.  There will be no more easy victories, DL players in the lineup, or pitching oddities.  As far as the standings go, the Legion will take a hit, but the tie is much better than a loss.   Still, this gives a little bit of breathing room for the Goofballs, Armadillos, PhoeGnomes, and Lannisters.  With so many teams clumped near the top, every result is critical.

KG Capital City Goofballs (7-6-2) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (9-6)

After a slow start, the PhoeGnomes have risen to become one of the favorites for the title.  The Goofballs are in the conversation, and have proven they’re no longer a year away from competing.  The Goofballs stayed just two games out after a close victory over the PhoeGnomes.  Kevin relied on strong offensive stats to carry the week.  He tied for the lead in home runs and was second in both OBP and SLG.  The Goofballs had ten players with a home run.  The team posted a balanced offensive attack.  Two players had five RBI and only five players out of the 18 started for the week did not have an RBI.  Heather lost all of the offensive categories except steals.  Like the Lannisters, the PhoeGnomes suffered an unusual power-outage.  Marwin Gonzalez had a nice week, but Heather lacked and real offensive bright spots.

Despite the problems on offense, Heather fared much better on pitching.  Madison Bumgarner was phenomenal, allowing just one earned run over two starts.  Chris Sale had a great start, too, and the team had the best WHIP and second best ERA in the league.  Heather also tied for the lead in wins with seven.  Kevin wasn’t able to counter Heather’s rate stats, but he did take strikeouts.  Jon Gray and Chris Archer had nice weeks, but the Goofballs struggled to get victories.

The turning point for the week was saves.  Neither team had many saves, but Kevin’s “closer by committee” strategy worked well enough to tie the category and take the week.  Heather tried to take the lead on Sunday but only Greg Holland ended up pitching.  Aroldis Chapman and Brandon Kintzler both sat out losing games.  The Goofballs didn’t have a Sunday save, but they did have two relievers each record two strikeouts.  This was a critical difference-maker because it gave Kevin the category.  Without strikeouts from at least one reliever, the Goofballs would have tied the category and the week.

JK Lannisters (9-5-1) vs.  RK Possums (6-5-4)

The Possums’ combination of power and pitching sometimes gives the Lannisters problems.  Rick has fared well against Jeff in the past, and this week was no different.  However, the Lannisters relied on an unusual savior to earn the win – their pitching staff.  Jacob deGrom and Gerrit Cole were outstanding, totaling 27 innings pitched, three wins, and 30 strikeouts.  Five different Lannister relievers piled up nine saves, easily the best in the league.  Kelvin Herrera scored four by himself, more than the team total for every other bullpen save the Armadillos.  None of these relievers allowed a run, and Jeff led the league in ERA.  Rick had a solid week on the mound as well.  He had the most strikeouts in the league and put up a solid win total.  However, the Lannisters carried a 3-1-1 lead before accounting for hitting.

Both teams struggled on offense.  Rick had the lowest SLG in the league while the Lannisters tied for the fewest home runs and had the worst RBI total by a wide margin.  Bryce Harper and Jose Abreu each had two home runs, and no other player on either team had more than one.  Rick managed a few more RBI and home runs, but neither team has much to be proud of.  Jeff won the rate stats, Rick took homers and RBI, and steals were a draw.  This was enough for the Lannisters to escape with a 5-3-2 win. The loss hurts the Possums, who are now three games out of first place.  The Lannisters vaulted into second, and have a huge match with the PhoeGnomes looming.

LK Armadillos (9-4-2) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (2-11-2)

The week’s final close game saw the Armadillos slip past the Thunderwolves.  Larry had the best offensive week of any team and led the league in every statistical category (with home runs being a tie with the Lasershow).  Giancarlo Stanton had three home runs and eight RBI to pair with eight walks.  JD Martinez and Eduardo Nunez each had two homers.  Kyle had a nice week from Rougned Odor (three home runs) but little else.  His numbers were not the worst in the league (those belong to the Possums and Lannisters) but it wasn’t enough to pressure the Armadillos.  Larry had a 5-0 lead before looking at pitching.

Kyle was much more competitive on pitching, but neither team was especially effective.  The Thunderwolves threw a few more innings and had a nice strikeout total.  They also led the league in wins (tied with the PhoeGnomes).  Zack Godly had a great start for the Armadillos, but Steven Matz and Jameson Taillon imploded.  Kyle saw Yu Darvish suffer though the worst start of his career.  Darvish’s time in Texas came to an end with a nightmare ten earned run loss against the Orioles.  Bud Norris was miserable as well, allowing eight earned runs in 1.1 innings pitched.  Despite these abhorrent starts, Kyle somehow won ERA and WHIP!  Unfortunately for Kyle, the Armadillos won saves and took the week by a narrow margin.  The Thunderwolves had a decent week, though, and Kyle has to hope that the offensive improvement is permanent.

Next Week

This week features two hugely important battles.  The Legion and Armadillos meet again and continue the league’s most bitter rivalry.  The Legion are just a game back, and the Armadillos look more vulnerable than ever.  The PhoeGnomes face the Lannisters, too, and both teams need a win to keep pace with the Legion and Armadillos.  Depending on the results, the Armadillos, Legion, and Lannisters could all take first place.  The Goofballs have to face the Lasershow, who are showing signs of being competitive.  The Possums will hope to keep pace and gain ground on a couple of teams with a match against the Thunderwolves.