Week 09 produced more interesting results and saw the standings tighten even further.  However, after weeks of close match-ups, every contest was won by a decisive margin.

HP PhoeGnomes (4-4) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (5-2-1)

The week’s top performance came from the PhoeGnomes.  After weeks (if not seasons) of underperformance, Heather’s team amassed an offensive performance to rival the Lannisters’ outing a few weeks ago.  Heather easily led the league with 20 home run, an 0.3977 OBP, and a 0.6332 SLG.  Eleven players had home runs, but the standout was a surprise.  Zack Cozart had four home runs and eight RBI in a career week.  Nolan Arenado, Aaron Judge, Max Kepler, Justin Bour, and Logan Morrison added at least two home runs each.  Jose Bautista was the only player with more than 10 at-bats with a SLG below 0.500.  The Goofballs had a good week, including a rare three home run effort from Kevin Kiermaier.  It wasn’t enough, and Heather took an easy 4-0-1 lead.

Heather’s pitching was not as good as her hitting, but she did enough to secure a comfortable win.  Dylan Bundy and Wade Miley were good enough to offset a bad start for Jake Odorizzi.  The Goofballs threw more innings and took strikeouts by a wide margin.  He also won saves.  However, the puzzling decline of Kyle Hendricks continued and Jose Berrios regressed.  The Goofballs were overwhelmed and the PhoeGnomes earned a key victory.  The win means that six teams are within three games of first place!

KK Thunderwolves (1-6-1) vs.  LK Armadillos (6-2)

The Armadillos continued to win, albeit with ugly pitching numbers.  Larry had the most strikeouts in the league and tied with three other teams for the most saves.  However, the starters’ numbers were lackluster.  German Marquez struggled, as did Sonny Grey.  However, Clayton Kershaw rebounded from a bad start to record 14 strikeouts over just 7.0 innings pitched.  Goof performances offset the bad, and the Armadillos managed mediocre rate stats.  Normally, this would play to the Thunderwolves’ strengths.  However, Kyle failed to capitalize.  The main culprits were Yu Darvish and Julio Teheran.  Darvish struggled against the Astros.  Teheran allowed 17 hits and 10 earned runs over just 11.1 IP.  This put Kyle in a deep hole.  He managed to take wins, but the Armadillos held a solid 3-1-1 lead.

On offense, neither team posted monster numbers but the Armadillos did enough to win for the week.  Giancarlo Stanton and Alex Bregman had two home runs each.  Seven other Armadillos’ players had home runs.  Kyle lacked power outside of Adam Jones.  He also had the lowest OBP in the league.  Kyle’s offense lacks the kind of impact bats that can rise to the occasion when the pitching staff falters.  The Thunderwolves need a plan to either bring in impact players or get younger.  Meanwhile, the Armadillos remain in first place after winning a match without their best numbers.

RK Possums (3-3-2) vs.  JK Lannisters (5-3)

The Possums made it back above 0.500 with a strong win against the injury-plagued Lannisters.  They did it thanks to good hitting and the best pitching in the league.  Rick had the best ERA and WHIP in the league by a huge margin.  The Possums tied for the lead in saves and wins.  They were second in strikeouts.  There Possums starters had at least ten strikeouts in single starts.  Jason Vargas and Max Scherzer threw excellent complete games and allowed just 12 hits in 18 IP.  Even with a bad week from Mike Leake, the Possums had an easy 4-0-1 week.  The Lannisters’ pitching woes continued.  The struggles are somewhat surprising, since the team holds three of the nine most-owned starting pitchers across all fantasy leagues.

The Possums had a good offensive week and the Lannisters struggled to make progress in any category.  The returning Josh Donaldson had three home runs for the Possums, and Josh Donaldson and Cody Bellinger added two each.  The Lannisters had another good week from Marcell Ozuna, but it wasn’t enough to stay close.  The Possums have quietly climbed back into contention after a miserable start.  The Lannisters have lost three in a row and face several injuries to key players.

CP Legion (4-3-2) vs.  CM Happy Hollidays (2-5-1)

Like the Possums, the Legion also moved back above 0.500 after a decisive win over the Hollidays.  Chris P. posted offensive numbers that would normally lead the league.  He had the second best SLG, OBP, and home runs.  He led the league in RBI.  Carlos Correa went off on the hapless Rangers’ pitching staff and had four home runs and 12 RBI.  Ryan Zimmerman and Miguel Sano added three each and posted 15 total RBI.  Only one Legion regular had a SLG below 0.450.  The team didn’t record any steals, and Chris M. easily led the league with seven.  However, the Legion secured a great 4-1 lead.

Neither team posted spectacular pitching numbers.  The Hollidays had the better ERA and were competitive in the rate stats.  Carlos Martinez had a solid start, but his work was undone by a bad week for Ervin Santana.  The Legion threw 14 more innings and took strikeouts.  Luis Severino had a good week and Robbie Ray had a masterful 10-strikeout complete game.  The Legion didn’t repeat their effort from last week, but it was enough to easily win the week.

Next Week

The league’s best rivalry is renewed again as the Armadillos will try to push the Legion back down the standings.  The Goofballs will try to make up for last week’s loss against the Happy Hollidays.  The Possums are hoping to continue to move up against the Thunderwolves.  Finally, the Lannisters will try to return to form against the PhoeGnomes.

After three upsets this week, the Elo ratings are closer than ever.  The Legion, Lannisters, and Armadillos are within 12 points of each other.  The Hollidays gained ground on the Thunderwolves.  Rick moved further above 1,500.  Kyle is on the verge of falling below 1,400.

The Armadillos and Legion are heavy favorites over the Thunderwolves and Hollidays.  The Goofballs have an edge over the PhoeGnomes.  The closest match of the week features the Lannisters and Possums.

Underdogs Rise; Legion’s Historic Pitching

Week 08 was unusual for a number of reasons.  Three underdog teams won, including the desperate Hollidays.  A week after showing signs of life, Heather lost 10-0.  Both of the league leaders lost.  The end result has seven teams within 3.5 games of the lead, and five within two games.

CM Happy Hollidays (1-5-1) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (1-5-1)

One of the week’s most surprising results saw the Hollidays defeat the Thunderwolves.  Chris M. relied on strong pitching to lead the way to his second victory for the year.  Ervin Santana was outstanding, allowing just two hits and walks in a complete game shutout.  Lance Lynn offered steady production for two starts.  These performances gave Chris the second lowest ERA in the league and the best WHIP.  Kyle had more strikeouts and saves, and the two teams tied for wins.  This left both teams even before accounting for hitting.

Unfortunately for Kyle, his offense went ice cold.  The Thunderwolves had the lowest SLG and OBP in the league by a wide margin.  Neither team had many RBI, and Kyle took steals.  However, Chris had excellent weeks from Jonathan Schoop and Francisco Lindor.  They combined for four home runs and seven RBI.  This was enough to give Chris the edge in home runs.  Chris took the week by a 5-3-2 margin.  The win moved the Hollidays out of last place.  While Chris has reason to celebrate, the rest of the league has to wonder if the Thunderwolves have hit rock bottom.

CP Legion (3-3-1) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (3-4)

The Legion dominated the PhoeGnomes for a 10-0 win.  However, the most remarkable part of Chris’s week wasn’t the end result, but rather how he achieved it.  The Legion posted what has to be the best ERA in a full week in league history.  The Legion threw 47.2 innings and allowed just two runs.  This translated to a 0.38 ERA.  The list of contributors is a long one.  Luis Severino, Eduardo Rodriguez, Alex Wood, Robbie Ray, and Raisel Iglesias all pitched almost perfectly.  The Legion piled up eight saves.  Heather didn’t have a chance in any pitching category.  Incredibly, the Legion didn’t have the best WHIP in the league, despite the minuscule ERA.  The Hollidays had a slightly better number, and both staffs had excellent weeks.

Chris made sure there would be no tie with a good offensive showing.  Jake Lamb had a strong week with three home runs and seven RBI.   Jake Bour and Jose Bautista did well for the PhoeGnomes, but it wasn’t enough.  Chris cruised to a comfortable sweep.  The Legion are part of the five-team scrum at the top of the standings, and just 1.5 games behind the Armadillos.

RK Possums (2-3-2) vs.  LK Armadillos (6-1)

After surprising the league last year, Rick needed a win to stay near the top this year.  He put together a strong offensive and pitching week to bring his record back to 0.500.  Charlie Blackmon had a monster week with three home runs, 12 RBI, and a steal.  Khris Davis stayed hot with two home runs.  Joey Gallo added two more, and role players like Chris Owings (0.643 SLG) contributed as well.  The Armadillos won steals, but were not competitive in any other offensive category.  Rick led the league in RBI and SLG, and was second in home runs and OBP.

The Armadillos tried to counter on pitching, but too many starters had mediocre weeks.  Dallas Keuchel and Tyler Anderson were strong, but Clayton Kershaw had a rough Sunday start.  German Marquez was the best of the crew, but his strong two starts were offset by a Jose Quintana disaster.  The Possums had rough outings from Dan Straily and Justin Verlander, but the rest of his starters were strong.  The Possums had the better ERA and WHIP, and this was more than enough to secure the win for the week.  The Armadillos lost for just the second time this year.

KG Capital City Goofballs (4-2-1) vs.  JK Lannisters (5-2)

The week’s final match saw the Goofballs defeat the Lannisters.  Kevin relied on a strong offensive attack.  Anthony Rendon had four home runs, and a total of nine Goofballs had homers.  Carlos Santana had seven RBI.  The Lannisters countered with a good week from Jose Abreu, who had two homers and 14 hits.  The Lannisters also led the league in steals and OBP.  However, the strong power week was enough for the Goofballs to have a 3-2 lead.

On pitching, the Lannisters had phenomenal starts from Stephen Strasburg and Jacob deGrom.  The pair threw 15.1 innings and struck out 25 while allowing just one earned run.  However, these heroic efforts were undone by terrible weeks from Gerrit Cole and Jon Lester.  The Goofballs posted solid but unspectacular numbers across the board.  A strong Sunday start from Johnny Cueto sealed the week when Jon Lester faltered.  Kevin earned a five category sweep and moved into second place.

Next Week

Week 09 may be calmer than Week 08.  The Legion will be heavy favorites against the Hollidays.  The Armadillos will try to rebound against the Thunderwolves.  The Goofballs will have a more difficult match with the streaky PhoeGnomes.  Finally, the Lannisters and Possums meet in an important battle to stay near the top of the standings.

This week’s biggest winner was the Legion, who gained 11.5 points by defeating the Lannisters.  The Armadillos gained a few points after a win against the Hollidays.  Heather took another step toward 1,500 and Rick gained a point for his tie versus the favored Goofballs.

Next week offers several interesting matches.  The biggest favorites are the Legion and Armadillos, but they are only ~60%.  The Lannisters have a small edge over the goofballs.  The Thunderwolves have a rare, distinct winning probably against the Hollidays.

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

After failing to meet expectations last year, the PhoeGnomes needed a victory to stay in contention in 2017.  A 2-5 start would be difficult to overcome, and Heather rallied with a strong offensive performance.  Justin Bour emerged as an unlikely hero with four home runs.  New addition Trea Turner had three steals.  Jose Altuve continued to be a dual threat with two home runs.  Heather had the best OBP and SLG in the league, tied for first in steals, and was second in home runs and RBIs.  It was easily her best offensive performance of the season and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Neither team had strong pitching, but Heather did amass a good saves total that tied for the league lead.  Kyle fell short in strikeouts and wins.  He had the better WHIP, but Heather recorded a lower ERA.  Kyle had a strong week from Yu Darvish (16 strikeouts in 12.0 innings pitched).  However, a nightmare outing from Julio Teheran undid all of Yu’s good work.  Teheran allowed nine earned runs in just three innings.  Chase Anderson struggled as well, allowing 10 earned runs in 9.1 IP.  Kyle’s pitching has been a strongpoint for his team.  However, his season ERA and WHIP numbers are in the bottom third of the league.  They are also near the middle of the pack in strikeouts and wins.  Kyle has to hope his staff can turn things around.  Heather, on the other hand, will look to build on her strong week and move back to 0.500.

JK Lannisters (5-1) vs.  CP Legion (2-3-1)

The Legion and Lannisters had a close battle that Chris P. won by a single hit or walk.  The Legion were able to take four pitching categories behind good weeks from Alex Wood, Robbie Ray, and Lance McCullers.  Chris had the lowest ERA in the league.  He also led the league in wins.  The Lannisters threw fewer innings but had the second most wins and second best ERA.  Every Lannister starter recorded a win.  Unfortunately for Jeff, saves as the only category he was able to win.

The Legion capitalized taking OBP on offense.  The Lannisters again led the league in home runs and RBIs.  They also won SLG handily and tied in steals.  Mike Trout had three home runs, two steals, and 10 walks for the week.  Chris countered with a huge week from Jake Lamb, who hit four home runs and had 10 RBIs.  The Lannisters held the lead until the last game of the week.  Alex Avila had two walks and one hit, and gave the Legion a 0.0003 win in SLG.  Chris earned a narrow victory and the Legion remain in contention.

RK Possums (2-3-1) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (4-2)

The Possums and Goofballs achieved a rare feat:  The two teams tied 5-5 and each teams swept five categories on each side.  Rick took all five offensive metrics.  The Possums had good consistency.  Six players had home runs and the team tied for second in RBI.  Charlie Blackmon had ten hits and a steal while Joey Votto added two home runs and seven walks.  The Goofballs were relatively close in home runs and RBIs, but struggled in the rate stats.  Nelson Cruz had three home runs, but the Goofballs lacked power elsewhere.  The lengthy injury to Freddie Freeman means that Kevin will have to dig even deeper to find power.

Things flipped on the pitching side.  Kevin won all five categories behind a great week from Ariel Miranda and Jose Berrios.  Berrios allowed only two hits over 7.2 IP and struck out 11.  Chris Archer added 19 strikeouts but allowed nine earned runs in 11.1 IP.  Rick’s starters universally underperformed.  Tanner Roark, Masahiro Tanaka, and Jason Vargas allowed 19 earned runs over just 12 IP.  The bullpen struggled as well, and didn’t record a save.  Kevin won all five categories with ease, and the teams settled into a strange 5-5 tie.  The outcome was never in doubt over the weekend, and both teams will hope for better luck next week.

LK Armadillos (5-1) vs.  CM Happy Hollidays (1-4-1)

The week’s final match featured the Armadillos and Hollidays.  After a series of injuries, Larry finally saw some offensive support this week.  They were near the top in all five offensive categories.  The best player was JD Martinez, who had four home runs, nine RBIs, and 10 walks.  Martinez was injured to start the year, and the Armadillos will need his offensive contributions if they want to maintain their lead.  The Hollidays tried to counter with a huge week from Corey Dickerson.  He had five home runs and nine RBI.  However, the Armadillos were a little bit better across all categories and earned the 5-0 sweep.

Chris did better on pitching, but it wasn’t enough to challenge the Armadillos.  The best pitching outing from anyone this week was Carlos Martinez’s complete game shutout.  He allowed just two hits and one walk.  The Armadillos weren’t able to match this singular performance directly, but they did have good showings from Clayton Kershaw and, incredibly, Matt Garza.  The appearance of Garza on a roster, much less an actual start, shows the depths to which the Armadillos must dig to find capable pitchers.  Ultimately, they won 10-0 and will spend another week in first place.

Next Week

The week’s most intriguing match pairs the Legion and PhoeGnomes.  Both are coming off good performances and need a victory to move closer to contention.  The Lannisters and Goofballs meet in another important battle.  The Thunderwolves will try to get on track against the Hollidays.  Finally, the Possums will be desperate for a win against the leading Armadillos.

The Goofballs were the big winners for the week, gaining nearly 11 points after defeating the Legion.  The Armadillos and Lannisters gained a few points, and the Hollidays made up some ground with their tie versus Rick.

The week’s biggest favorite are the Armadillos.  They have a 72% chance to defeat the Happy Hollidays.  The other three matches are all very close.  Teams range from just 54-58% favorites.  These even match-ups mean a lot of points are on the line for everyone.

A series of close battles were the story of Week 06.  The Armadillos and Goofballs won by narrow margins.  The Hollidays pulled off a rare 4-4-2 tie.  Only the Lannisters had a dominant performance thanks to their monstrous offensive output.

CP Legion (2-2-1) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (3-2)

The week’s most interesting match featured the Legion and Goofballs.  Both teams hovered near 0.500 as the week began, but Kevin was able to rise up and claim a victory.  Both teams had good offensive showings.  The Legion had the best OBP and home run totals besides the Lannisters.  Kevin had the second highest steals and OBP.  Paul Goldschmidt led the Legion with three home runs and six RBIs.  Carlos Correa had a pair of home runs and 10 RBI.  The Goofballs had a more balanced performance, with only one player having two home runs.  However, Kevin’s depth once again paid dividends.  He had 20 offensive starters and 16 of them had RBIs.  The highest total was six for Yasmani Grandal.  Anthony Rendon had a pair of steals.  Overall, the Legion won two categories and the Goofballs won three, thanks to having one more RBI.  The Legion made a valiant effort with nine RBIs on Sunday, but it wasn’t quite enough.

The pitching battle was similarly close.  The Goofballs threw a few more innings but were vastly more efficient in terms of strikeouts.  They easily won the category after excellent starts by Chris Archer and Matt Andriese.  The Legion countered with good weeks from Lance McCullers.  He also had two wins from relief pitchers in addition to five saves.  However, the team’s ERA and WHIP were not good.  This gave Kevin the three categories he needed to secure the win.  The Legion will be haunted by Winson Contreras’s Friday performance: He had two home runs on the bench.

HP PhoeGnomes (2-3) vs.  LK Armadillos (4-1)

The week’s other close match paired the PhoeGnomes and Armadillos.  After a loss to the hot Lannisters, Larry needed an offensive rebound.  Heather was searching for answers after a slow start.  Neither team posted huge numbers, but the Armadillos did enough to take four offensive categories.  Each team had good home runs numbers, but RBIs were hard to come by.  Heather won the category thanks to good weeks from Trea Turner, Austin Hedges, and Nolan Arenado.  The group combined for five home runs and 16 RBI.  Larry countered with quantity:  Eight different players had home runs.  This diversity also meant the team had a higher SLG and OBP.  The PhoeGnomes managed fewer steals than normal, and ended up losing four categories.

On pitching, neither side was particularly impressive.  However, the Armadillos led the league in wins and the PhoeGnomes had the most saves.  Strikeouts were competitive, and the Armadillos won with better efficiency.  Antonio Senzatela was a surprise, with nine strikeouts.  However, he also allowed six runs in 11 innings.  The real hero was Craig Kimbrel.  He recorded seven strikeouts, a win, and a save in just 2.2 innings pitched.  Heather hoped for good weeks from her multi-start pitchers.  However, only Ivan Nova was effective over two starts.  Julio Urias and Gio Gonzalez did not pitch well.  Since the Armadillos had bad ERA and WHIP totals, their runs allowed didn’t matter.  However, the two combined for just 13 strikeouts over 25 innings.  This gave the Armadillos the extra category they needed to secure six total, and win the week.

CM Happy Hollidays (1-4) vs.  RK Possums (2-3)

The week’s strangest match saw the Possums and Happy Hollidays tie.  On offense, both teams struggled.  Neither slugged over 0.400 and only the Thunderwolves had fewer home runs for the week.  The Possums won OBP by a sizable margin, but the Hollidays took SLG.  The two teams tied in home runs and steals.  Rick snagged RBI thanks to a good week from Joey Votto.  However, the Possums suffered a crushing bench performance when Jason Kipnis hit two home runs on Sunday while Jedd Gyorko went just 1-4.  Kipnis’s presence would have secured both home runs and SLG for the Possums, as well as a victory for the week.

Despite the poor offensive showing, the Hollidays were far better on pitching.  They had the best ERA and WHIP totals in the league by a wide margin.  Leading the way were Ervin Santana and Michael Fulmer, who allwed just one run in 14 innings pitched.  The Possums had better saves numbers thanks to Seung-Hwan Oh, but wasn’t enough.  A rough week from Justin Verlander locked in three categories for the Hollidays and created a 4-4-2 tie.

KK Thunderwolves (1-3-1) vs.  JK Lannisters (4-1)

The week’s final match saw the Lannisters unleash an offensive barrage against the Thunderwolves.  The Lannisters easily won HR, RBI, OPB, and SLG across the league.  The 20 home runs and 50 RBIs are near records for the league.  Leading the way were Mookie Betts, Buster Posey and Bryce Harper.  They posted 10 home runs 23 RBI combined.  Buster Posey added four more.  Mike Trout played in one game, and had a home run and two steals.  Kyle was able to lead the league in steals, but it wasn’t enough.  The Lannisters’ monstrous performance is a result of great depth, with players like Justin Upton and Marcell Ozuna hitting four home runs in part-time roles.

The pitching ledger was more balanced, but the Lannsiters were comfortable here too.  Kelvin Herrera’s four saves along with a good starts from Kenta Maeda and Gerrit Cole gave the Lannisters comfortable totals in the counting stats.  They also took both rate categories after a few bad starts from the Tunderwolves.  Kyle was able to make things closer on Sunday but it wasn’t enough.  The Lannisters cruised to a win, while Kyle has to hope for better luck next week.

Next Week

The most anticipated match again features the Legion.  They are desperate for a win, and face the Lannisters for the first time.  It’s a long season, but with a 2.5 game deficit, Chris P. can’t afford to fall much further behind.  The Possums and Goofballs should have a competitive match.  The Thunderwovles and PhoeGnomes are playing each other at the right time – both really need a victory.  Finally, the Armadillos hope to have a more relaxed match against the Hollidays.  Chris M. will try to exploit Larry’s injury troubles and keep making positive progress.

Two of the top three teams lost ground in the Elo race this week, allowing the Lannisters to open up a wider lead over the rest of the league.  Other big winners included the Possums and Goofballs, who edged further over 1,500.

The Lannisters and Possums are heavy favorites next week  Each team has over a 70% chance to win.  The Armadillos are also strong favorites, while the Legion are just a 54% favorite over the Goofballs.

LK Armadillos (4-0) vs.  JK Lannisters (3-1)

The week’s most important match paired the Lannisters and Armadillos.  Larry’s team entered the week undefeated and in first place.  Their performance against a difficult schedule was so strong that other teams were actively rooting for the Lannisters to win.  Unfortunately for the Armadillos, their hot start came to an abrupt end after a deluge of injuries and a strong Lannisters performance.

By most metrics, the Lannisters have produced some of the worst pitching stats in the league.  This week was different as Gerrit Cole and Jon Lester returned to form.  The pair struck out 19 over 15.0 innings pitched and allowed just six earned runs.  The Lannisters led the league in strikeouts and were second in ERA.  They posted a strong WHIP and tied for wins.  The Armadillos had the better bullpen, but a nightmare outing for Mike Foltynewicz (4.0 IP, 7 earned runs) ended any hope the Armadillos could challenge for the rate stats.

The Lannister offense is difficult to beat, and without a pitching edge, the Armadillos were in trouble.  Jeff’s team led the league in home runs, OBP, and SLG.  Jose Abreu and Manny Machado combined for seven home runs and 15 RBI.  Eight Lannister players had at least 15 at-bats, and the lowest SLG posted by a player was 0.476.  The Armadillos won steals and the Lannisters had a low number of RBIs relative to their home runs.  The rest of the teams earned between three and four RBIs per home run.  The Lannisters had only 30 on 15 homers, well below average.  Still, it wasn’t enough for the Armadillos to compete and the Lannisters earned a strong victory.  Both teams are dealing with injuries to superstar players, though, and the rest of the league is likely happy to have the last undefeated team fall.

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

The closest match of the week saw the Possums edge the Legion in a tight contest.  The Possums relied on strong starting pitching while Chris placed his hopes in his offense.  Both strategies worked, but the Possums clawed their way to victory with a huge Sunday.

Both teams had good pitching.  Rick had the best ERA and WHIP in the league.  Chris was second in strikeouts and also took saves.  Lance McCullers was strong, striking out 14 over 13.1 innings pitched.  However, the Possums countered with players like Jason Vargas who allowed just one earned run in 12 innings and a strong effort from Max Scherzer.  The Possums took three categories to the Legion’s two.  All categories were closely contested and each team’s stats were at the higher end of the league.

Both teams also excelled on offense.  The Possums led the league in RBI and were second to the Lannisters in home runs and SLG.  The Legion were second in OBP, steals, and RBIs.  Joey Gallo continued to help the Possums with three home runs.  Joey Votto was an OBP machine and drew 11 walks.  Nine total Possums had home runs.  Chris countered with a three-home effort from Paul Goldschmidt.  Ryan Zimmerman stayed hot as well.

Going into Sunday, the Legion had the lead in RBI, SLG, and home runs.  However, the Legion faded with a 0.138 SLG on Sunday and just a single RBI.  The Possums posted a huge day, tallying three homers and seven RBI.  This was enough the flip three categories and take the victory of the week.  The Legion are likely devastated.  Their performance (and the Possums) would have defeated every other team in the league except for the Lannisters.  Unfortunately for Chris, he was matched with one of the only two teams that were better for the week.

CM Happy Hollidays (0-4) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (2-2)

After four weeks for frustration, the Happy Hollidays earned their first win of the year against the PhoeGnomes.  Chris M. won thanks to a solid pitching performance.  The Hollidays tied for the league lead in wins and had the third best ERA and WHIP.  Michael Fulmer was excellent over eight innings.  The PhoeGnomes tried to counter with a good week from Chris Sale.  However, the rest of the team suffered several blow-ups including bad outings from Ivan Nova and Ian Kennedy.  The teams tied in wins and saves, but Chris had a 2-1-2 category lead.

On offense, neither team performed well, but Chris did enough to take three categories.  Matt Carpenter was the main reason the Holidays stayed competitive.  He had four home runs and a SLG of 1.133.  Heather had more players with home runs but only Aaron Judge had a SLG over 0.500 for the week.  Neither team had standout efforts, but the Hollidays did just enough to take three categories and escape with a win.

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

The week’s final match saw the Goofballs triumph over the Thunderwolves.  Much like the Hollidays and PhoeGnomes, neither team posted good stats relative to the rest of the league.  However, the match was competitive before the weekend.  Kevin was led by good performances from Freddie Freeman and Brian Dozier.  The Goofballs used a total of 20 players, and tried everything they could to stay competitive.  The Thunderwolves stayed close with a nice week from Eric Hosmer.  However, the Goofballs were a little bit stronger over the weekend and earned a five-category sweep.

Kyle needed a miracle on pitching, but it wasn’t to be.  Cody Allen and Neftali Feliz were great in the bullpen, but that was the only category Kyle could capture.  Rough weeks from Chase Anderson and Julio Teheran blew up the team’s ERA and WHIP.  The Goofballs took advantage and secured the win for the week.

The most important news from the Thunderwolves as the arrival of the team’s newest free agent:  William Jordan Kramer.  Liam is the heir to the Thunderwolves dynasty and is expected to be in uniform soon.

Next Week

After a huge win over the Armadillos, the Lannisters meet the Thunderwolves.  Larry will try to rebound against the PhoeGnomes.  The Hollidays will try their luck against the Possums.  Finally, the Legion and Goofballs meet in what might be the most interesting match of the week.  The Goofballs believe they are a team on the rise, and the Legion are desperate to win to stay near the top of the league.

Week 04 saw the Armadillos move into a tie for the all-time Elo lead.  The Lannisters also won, but received fewer points for defeating a weaker opponent.  The Legion lost a small number of points thanks to the tie with Kyle.  The week’s biggest gain came from the PhoeGnomes who took another step toward 1,500 with a win over the favored Possums.

Next week features a rare match of two teams tied at the top of the Elo leaderboard.  As expected, the Lannisters and Armadillos is a coin flip.  The Legion and Goofballs are heavily favored at 60% each, but Heather has the largest expected win percentage against Chris M..