CM Happy Hollidays (2-3) vs.  RK Possums (0-4-1)

After five difficult weeks, the Possums earned their first victory of the season against the Happy Hollidays.  Chris M. entered Week 06 after shocking the PhoeGnomes.  However, his luck didn’t last against the Possums’ combined attack.  Rick put up solid numbers across the board and took advantage of several Hollidays’ pitching meltdowns to enjoy a stress-free week.

Xander Bogaerts and Albert Pujols led the way for the Possums with four home runs and 13 RBI.  Bogaerts was particularly strong for the week with 15 hits.  Charlie Blackmon contributed seven more RBI, and the Possums easily won OBP, SLG, home runs, and RBI.  Chris was able to salvage a tie in steals, and Matt Holliday had a big week, but it wasn’t enough to turn any categories.  After leading the Hollidays to a win over the PhoeGnomes, Francisco Lindor endured a miserable five hit week.  Lindor has a .222 OBP and .192 SLG.  Yadier Molina and Ben Zobrist were the opposite, combining for 20 hits in 41 at-bats.  Unfortunately, they didn’t offer much power for the week, and Chris was forced to rely on his pitching.

Unfortunately for the Hollidays, several of his starters struggled.  Cole Hamels was the only Holliday to allow fewer than four earned runs.  The Possums countered with solid stats in a quantity approach for the week.  Rick had the second most strikeouts in the league and was third in saves.  His ERA and WHIP numbers weren’t great, but they were far below the Hollidays’ results.  Max Scherzer was clearly the standout for the week, with an incredible 20 strikeout performance.  Rick doubled Chris’s strikeout total for the week and cruised to the easy win.

The Possums have to feel good to be on the board for the year.  Rick drew praise for his strategy during the draft, but had yet to see any results for his efforts.  After finally putting together a complete week and avoiding a hot team, he will look to continue to build momentum.  For Chris, the loss exposes some issues on both pitching and offense that need attention before the Hollidays can climb out of the middle tier of the league.

HP PhoeGnomes (3-2) vs.  LK Armadillos (4-0-1)

After falling to the Hollidays, Heather needed a quick rebound while facing the league-leading Armadillos.  Larry hoped to keep his team strong after defeating the Lannisters.  Unfortunately, a series of bizarre incidents, brawls, and bad luck conspired against him, and the PhoeGnomes earned a close win.

On offense, both teams had clear category wins.  Larry easily won steals and RBI, but Heather dominated OBP and SLG.  These were strange results for several reasons.  First, the Armadillos had the second-most home runs and RBI in the league, but the second-worst OBP and SLG.  How were the Armadillos able to get so many HR and RBI without a corresponding SLG rate?  Why was the OBP so low if players were getting on base to drive in runs?  The Armadillos suffered from a massive feast-or-famine problem.  Jackie Bradley Jr. was 10 for 23 with two homers, eight RBI and a .783 SLG.   However, Giancarlo Stanton was 1 for 18 with no RBI and a .056 SLG.  Daniel Murphy stayed hot with an 11 for 25 week with six RBI.  Edwin Encarnacion was 1 for 14 with a .071 OBP.  Carlos Gomez, Carlos Gonzalez, Aaron Hill and Gregory Polanco were hitless for the week.  This schizophrenic performance gave Heather the opening she needed to capitalize on good week from stars like Jose Altuve and role-players like Odubel Herrera.  The teams were even in steals, so pitching would dictate who won the week.  Even this category was not without drama, and Jose Bautista earned a steal as part of a double-steal and Altuve picked up two on Sunday.

Both teams performed well relative to the rest of the league.  The PhoeGnomes had the lowest ERA of any team, and the Armadillos were second.  Heather was second in WHIP and Larry was third.  He also led the league in saves and tied for first in wins.  This gave each team a 2-2 split to go along with their 2-2-1 result on offense.  The outcome of the week rested on strikeouts.  If Larry won the category, he would win the week.  A tie would also result in a draw.

Heather had only two pitchers enter games on Sunday.  Francisco Rodriguez had one strikeout, meaning that Larry needed only four to win the week.  Craig Kimbrel did his part, recording two and picking up a save.  Roberto Osuna entered the Rangers/Blue Jays game but did not record a strikeout, and Jeanmar Gomez did not appear versus Cincinnati.  Fernando Rodney had two strikeouts on the bench, and Trevor Rosenthal picked up one against the Dodgers.  The narrow strikeout margin and Bautista’s Sunday steal secured an improbable comeback win for Heather.  She is now just a game behind the Lannisters.  The loss drops the Armadillos from first to third.

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

Chris needed a victory to keep pace with the Lannisters and PhoeGnomes.  He found success on both offense and pitching, while the Goofballs’ excellent offensive stats were washed away by problems on the mound.  The Legion led the league with 13 home runs and five steals.  However, Chris had just four more RBIs than the PhoeGnomes (who hit just five home runs).  He also had the lowest OBP in the league.  Kevin countered with a massive week of rate stats, easily leading the league in SLG and coming in second in OBP.  Todd Frazier and Lorenzo Cain combined for six home runs and 18 RBI.  Only two Goofballs with at least 10 at-bats had SLG under .450.  Chris countered with monster weeks from George Springer and Yasmani Grandal.  Eight Legion hitters had homers, and Jonathan Villar contributed three steals.  Both teams were evenly matched, but Kevin secured a 3-2 lead on the offensive side.

Unfortunately for the Goofballs, their good work on offense was undone by disastrous pitching.  This was even more disappointing for Kevin since Chris didn’t put up dominant rate stats or saves totals.  The Legion dominated strikeouts with 87, 17 more than the Possums.  Chris also tied for the league lead in wins.  However, his bullpen wasn’t productive and his starters produced rate stats that were in the bottom third of the league.  Fortunately for the Legion, Kevin had the second worst ERA and worst WHIP in the league.  Chris Archer and Jake Odorizzi were terrible for the week, allowing nine runs in nine IP.  Sonny Gray was even worse, allowing 10 runs in 9.1 IP.

Chris secured the close win, and the Goofballs are left to ponder what might have been.  With openings on both the ERA and WHIP categories, Kevin had a chance for the upset.  The Legion were able to win and ugly match-up and keep pace with the league leaders.  Both clubs will need sharper performances in the coming weeks.

KK Thunderwolves (0-4-1) vs.  JK Lannisters (4-1)

After losing to the Armadillos, the Lannisters were looking to get on track against the Thunderwolves.  Kyle was hoping for his first win of the year with an upset of the defending champions.  Something had to give, and Jeff earned a close victory.  However, Kyle can take pride in closing the gap late in the week.

The Lannisters’ offensive starters had mixed results throughout the week.  Manny Machado stayed hot with two home runs, but had only three RBI.  Bryce Harper walked 11 times and had a steal, but hit only one home run.  Eric Hosmer and Jean Segura combined for 19 hits, but with light power.  These mediocre results placed the Lannisters in the middle of the league in every offensive category.  It also gave the Thunderwolves a chance to remain competitive.

Unfortunately for Kyle, he suffered some of the same problems that that the Lannisters faced.  He tied the Lannisters in SLG but failed to make a challenge in RBI despite nine from Addison Russell.  The team was also light on steals.  This gave Jeff a 3-1-1 advantage, but SLG was only .0041 apart.  One or two more hits would have given Kyle the category.  One more home run would have flipped both HR and SLG and given Kyle the win.  However, Kyle can take comfort in the fact that he did not leave any home runs on the bench on Sunday and had only one on Saturday.

The teams were evenly matched on pitching as well.  Kyle threw fewer innings but had good starts from Jose Fernandez and Aaron Nola.  Fernandez in particular was outstanding, giving up one run and striking out 22 in 14.0 IP.  Jeff countered with solid weeks from Felix Hernandez, Jon Lester, and Jacob deGrom.  However, both teams had several starters who struggle.  This led to split results with Kyle taking wins and ERA but Jeff winning both strikeouts and WHIP.  In fact, the Lannisters led the league in WHIP despite having just the third best ERA.  These mixed results were enough to give the Lannisters the win.  Kyle had an opening to win the match, but didn’t have enough firepower to get the job done.  For the Lannisters, the workmanlike win was important after the rest of the leaders kept pace.

Week 07 is the last week of the first cycle of games.  The most important match pairs the Legion with the Lannisters.  These two teams have led the league in Elo for several seasons.  Jeff will look to stay in first place while Chris hopes to show that his rebuilding efforts are already paying dividends.

The Possums hope to keep winning against the Goofballs.  The Hollidays will also look to get back on track against the Armadillos.  Heather will try to take advantage of the Legion/Lannisters battle and gain a game on at least one team against the Thunderwolves.

Two upsets rocked the league’s Elo ratings in Week 05.  Jeff lost the most points after a close battle with the Armadillos.  The PhoeGnomes were not far behind, losing almost 11 points to the Happy Hollidays.  Chris P. held on to second place in All-Time Elo after his victory over the Possums.  The Goofballs also enjoyed a nice boost, moving into sixth place:

Week 06 offers several intriguing match-ups.  The Lannisters are heavy favorites over the Thunderwolves.  The Legion are also above 65% versus the Goofballs.  The closest match pits the Happy Hollidays against the Possums.  The second most competitive match-up is the Armadillos versus the PhoeGnomes.  Heather needs to rebound to keep building her Elo.  Larry looks to move closer to Chris P. and Jeff near the top of the league.

Fewer than 13 points separate the top three teams.  A Lannister loss paired with a win by either the Armadillos or Legion will likely result in a new top Elo squad.  However, none of the leaders will gain many points with a victory, so the status-quo will continue if all win.

Armadillos Edge Lannisters; Upsets Disrupt Standings

The fifth week of the fantasy season saw an anticipated match between the Lannisters and Armadillos.  Larry won the first battle of what may be a season-long war.  Meanwhile, the Happy Hollidays staged an upset over the PhoeGnomes.  The Goofballs and Legion also picked up victories, pushing the Thunderwolves and Possums farther down the leader boards.

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

The week’s most interesting match saw the Lannisters and Armadillos battle for the early lead for first place.  Jeff had won four straight weeks to start the year.  Larry was also unbeaten with a single tie.  Both teams produced league-leading offensive stats.  The Armadillos and Lannisters tied for the league lead in RBI with 39.  Larry led the league with 16 home runs and Jeff tied with Chris for second with 13.  The Lannisters led the league in OBP while Larry was third.  He easily won SLG while Jeff finished third.  Overall, both teams put up monster numbers, but Larry had the slight power edge to take a 3-1-1 lead before looking at pitching.

The Armadillos were led by Rougned Odor and Chris Carter, who had three home runs each.  Four other Armadillos had two home runs, and Gregory Polanco and Mark Trumbo added one each.  Billy Hamilton contributed two steals to give Larry the easy category win.  However, Jeff was able to answer with excellent weeks from Robinson Cano with four home runs and nine RBI.  Bryce Harper added 13 walks.  Unfortunately for the Lannisters, the Armadillos were able to add just a few more home runs along with a higher overall SLG.

On pitching, both teams were evenly matched.  Jeff deployed as many starters as he could, and managed to win strikeouts.  However, Larry managed more wins despite fewer starters and close races for ERA and WHIP.  He was able to take both rate categories, which was enough to secure the win.  Jeff could have secured a tie with slightly better luck:  He was one RBI and one win away.  Given the disgraceful performance of Felix Hernandez and a rare Jacob deGrom dud outing, the Lannisters are left with thoughts of what might have been.  The Lannisters posted numbers good enough to have beaten any other team for the week by a comfortable margin.  The loss should give comfort to the Possums and Goofballs, who were defeated by the Lannisters despite posting numbers good enough to have won against other teams.

For now, the Armadillos have taken over first place and remain unbeaten.  The win also gives Larry the early edge in potential tie-breakers.  However, there are three more match-ups between the two teams, both of which remain title contenders.

CM Happy Hollidays (1-3) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (2-2)

The biggest upset of the week belonged to the Happy Hollidays, who were able to record their second win of the year against the PhoeGnomes.  Chris M. opened the season with a win before dropping three straight games.  Heather looked to continue to rebound after her loss to the Lannisters two weeks prior.  Unfortunately for Heather, Chris put together an excellent week despite managing while in Europe on vacation!

Chris’s victory was led by his offense, which won four of five categories.  The star for the week was Ben Zobrist who had four home runs, 15 RBI, and five walks.  Francisco Lindor and Stephen Piscotty combined for 13 hits and two home runs.  Heather tried to counter with good weeks from several players, including the red-hot Jose Altuve.  However, Paul Goldschmidt managed just three hits and a .182 SLG.  Altuve’s four steals were easily enough to win the category (and lead the league) but the rest of Heather’s bats just weren’t working this week.  Chris took a solid win on offense.

On the pitching side, Heather was more competitive.  Jake Arrieta and Patrick Corbin were both excellent, combining for an ERA under 2.00 and a solid whip.  Madison Bumgarner continued to turn things around, striking out 10 in just 7.1 IP.  Chris was able to counter with a brilliant week from Marco Estrada, who threw 13 IP, struck out 11, and had a 1.38 ERA and .62 WHIP.  Heather was able to win strikeouts and wins, but her advantage in innings pitched did not translate into victories in ERA or WHIP.  Chris took both categories with a quality-over-quantity strategy.  Despite the 3-2 edge on pitching, Heather was unable to close the gap and Chris took a solid 6-4 win.  The improved offensive performance is good news for the Hollidays, who had been ice-cold lately.  Heather can take comfort in putting up good numbers that weren’t quite enough to pull out the win.

RK Possums (0-3-1) vs.  CP Legion (2-1-1)

Although the Lannisters and Armadillos had the best offensive numbers of the week, Chris P. put up numbers that were almost as good.  Chris tied for second in the league with 13 HR and 4 steals.  He was second outright in SLG, third in OBP, and tied for third in RBI.  Overall, this was good enough to take a dominant 5-0 victory over the Possums, who posted lackluster totals across the board.  Rick’s squad was last in RBI, OBP, and SLG.  He tied for last in HR.  Josh Donaldson had a miserable week, going just 4/24 with a .167 SLG.  Chris responded with a monster week from Joc Pederson, who had three home runs.  Seven other Legion players got into the act, including Christian Yelich who had three homers and a steal.  The Legion’s part-timers made the most of their opportunities, too:  Justin Bour and Kolton Wong had two home runs in just six at-bats.

On pitching, neither side was outstanding.  The Legion endured dreadful weeks from Gerrit Cole and Matt Moore.  These were offset by Drew Pomeranz and heavy use for reliever Steve Cishek, who saved three games.  The Possums’ aces Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander combined for a 12.60 ERA over 10 innings.  However, the Possums’ bullpen was very good.  They recorded five saves, and won the category.  They also helped Rick win WHIP.  However, this wasn’t enough to help the Possums overcome their offensive deficit.  Chris took the comfortable victory and improved to 3-1-1.  The offensive performance is even more impressive considering the Legion dealt away many of their best offensive weapons.  The development of players like Pederson will determine how quickly the Legion return as title front-runners.  If they can improve their pitching, they may be able to skip rebuilding entirely and compete today.

KG Capital City Goofballs (1-3) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (0-3-1)

The week’s final match saw the Goofballs battle the Thunderwolves.  Both teams needed victories to get back on track, and each team’s offense answered the call.  Kyle and Kevin both had solid home run totals, but Kyle won the day thanks to bid weeks from Jonathan Lucroy and Brandon Phillips.  Kyle had 12 total home runs, though Kevin made it close thanks to a three-homer week from Yoenis Cespedes.  Brandon Belt drew seven walks for the Goofballs, who used a staggering twenty-two players for the week.  Of these 22, only two did not record a hit (in a combined five at-bats).  Kevin was unafraid to dig deep for talent, and he was rewarded with wins in OBP, SLG, and RBI.  The two teams tied in steals, but Kevin held a 3-1-1 advantage before pitching.

Kyle fared better on the pitching side and led the league in strikeout and saves.  Alex Colome was especially good, recording four saves for the Thunderwolves.  Michael Wacha and Aaron Nola struck out 26 in 15 IP.  However, Yordano Ventura had a terrible week, and Edinson Volquez wasn’t much better in two starts.  Kevin was able to take WHIP and ERA by virtue of strong performances from Chris Archer and Jeff Samardzija.  This was enough to give Kevin a well-earned second victory for the season.  The Goofballs were able to right the ship after several weeks of bad luck.  For the Thunderwolves, the improved offensive performance is a good sign.  However, they need to put together a complete week to earn their first victory of the year.

Next Week

The week’s most interesting match-up pairs the first-place Armadillos with the PhoeGnomes.  Heather needs to rebound and Larry wants to consolidate his grip on the lead.  These teams both pile up strikeouts, so hitting will likely decide the victory.

The Thunderwolves are still looking for their first win, but face the Lannisters.  Jeff’s team has dominated this match-up through the years, but anything can happen.  The Goofballs and Legion meet in yet another interesting match.  Kevin has shown his versatility, but the Legion may be stronger than we thought despite their trades.  Finally, the Possums will face the Hollidays, who hope to start a winning streak.

Rules Note

This is a reminder that relief pitchers can’t be used in starter slots.  If the reliever is primarily a starter, this is fine.  However, if he is working from the bullpen, he must be in a RP slot.  Please make sure you aren’t inadvertently using a fourth reliever.

After four weeks of play, the league’s Elo ratings are beginning to stabilize.  The league’s leaders all gained points this week, with the PhoeGnomes continuing to rack up the most additional points.

The Lannisters are threatening to become the first team to breach the 1,600 boundary this season.  The Legion were also able to rally and stay just ahead of the surging Armadillos.  Chris P. is the biggest favorite of the week, with a 71% change to beat the Possums.

Jeff and Larry are close, with the Lannisters holding a slim 55%/45% advantage.  The PhoeGnomes and Happy Hollidays have similar odds.  However, the closest match belongs to the Goofballs and Thunderwolves, who are a virtual tie at 51%/49%.

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

The Possums entered their contest with the PhoeGnomes as heavy underdogs.  However, Rick was able to put together a solid overall performance and challenge for the victory.  On offense, he enjoyed a trio of two-home run weeks from Josh Donaldson, Michael Conforto, and Albert Pujols.  However, Heather was able to counter with a massive four-home run week from Nolan Arenado.  For the Possums, Xander Bogaerts contributed three steals, giving Rick and easy category win.  However, three other categories fell to the PhoeGnomes thanks to Arenado.  Rick was able to win SLG, but faced a 3-2 deficit.

Heather gained further separation on pitching.  Her staff threw just two more innings than the Possums but recorded 12 more strikeouts.  Four PhoeGnomes pitchers threw more than 10 strikeouts, including a monster week from Madison Bumgarner.  Noah Syndergaard was also effective, despite giving up seven earned runs in 12.1 IP.  Max Scherzer was a bright spot for the Possums, with 16 strikeouts over 13 IP.  However, Ricky Nolasco gave up nine earned runs in 13 IP, which gave Heather an easy win in ERA.  The Possums were able to take WHIP and tie saves, but the damage was done and Heather secured a 6-3-1 win.  The PhoeGnomes were able to bounce back after a difficult week versus the Lannisters.  The Possums are left searching for their first victory.

JK Lannisters (3-0) vs. CM Happy Hollidays (1-2)

Coming off three consecutive wins, the Lannisters faced off against the Happy Hollidays.  Chris M. hoped to get back on track against the league’s early leader.  Unfortunately, Jeff’s pitching staff had other ideas.  After several seasons of relying on their offense, the Lannisters have instead leaned on pitching early in the season.  Tanner Roark continued his early dominance, allowing how runs and just two hits over seven innings.  Five other Lannister starters allowed two earned runs or fewer in their starts.  Jon Lester and Stephen Strasburg combined to strike out 13.  These performances gave the Lannisters comfortable margins in strikeouts, wins, ERA, and WHIP.  The Happy Hollidays weren’t able to mount a challenge for saves, either, and Jeff recorded a comfortable 5-0 sweep.

On offense, Chris M. had some room to maneuver as the Lannisters suffered a down week.  However, the Hollidays suffered the lowest OBP and SLG in the league.  They were next-to-last in RBI and home runs as well.  The Lannisters fared slightly better, with eight home runs.  However, they barely cleared .400 SLG and had RBI and OBP problems.  Neither team was able to gain much momentum on offense, but the Lannisters were bailed out by David Ortiz, who had a fantastic week.  Mike Trout added seven RBI and two homers.  The Cardinals-heavy Hollidays squad struggled outside of Stephen Piscotty, and dropped another five categories.  The Lannisters earned a 10-0 sweep, though the component stats were not high enough to merit much celebration.  Still, the workmanlike victory is the kind the Lannisters will need if they hope to challenge for the title again.

KK Thunderwolves (0-2-1) vs. CP Legion (2-1-1)

The week’s most bizarre stats belonged to the Thunderwolves and Legion.  Despite hitting just one home run, the Thunderwolves were almost able to knock off the Legion.  Kyle lacked any real power with just the single homer and a sub-.400 SLG.  However, five players tallied steals, and Kyle took OBP after a sub-part Legion effort.  Somehow, Kyle managed to lead the league in RBI despite the single home run.  Twelve Thunderwolves players had at least one RBI, while players like Ryan Braun, Addison Russell, and Mitch Moreland had at least four each.  Despite showing almost now power, the Thunderwolves were only down 2-3 thanks to their inexplicable RBI count.

Unfortunately for Kyle, much of his work on offense was undone by a terrible week for Zach Greinke.  The Diamondbacks’ ace gave up nine earned runs and 19 hits in 13.2 IP.  Edison Volquez was even worse, allowing eight earned runs in just five innings pitched.  Similar efforts from Yordano Ventura and Chase Anderson gave Chris easy wins in ERA and WHIP.  The Legion also had several two-start pitchers who performed well and piled up strikeouts.  This gave Chris secure wins in four categories, and earned him a 6-4 victory.  The win was another needed step for the Legion, who hope to compete despite a depleted roster.  Kyle has to be frustrated with his team’s start, given the effort he put forth in the off-season.  The offense continues to struggle, and the team’s pitching core has not performed well thus far.

LK Armadillos (2-0-1) vs. KG Goofballs (1-2)

The most competitive match of the week saw the Armadillos edge the Goofballs.  Kevin came up just a home run or two short of pulling off the upset of the 2014 champs.  Both teams performed remarkable well on pitching.  The Armadillos’ WHP was below 0.90 (best in the league) and the Goofballs were right behind them.  Larry had the second-lowest ERA to the Lannisters, and Kevin was in the mix as well.  The Armadillos took saves, but the Goofballs were able to easily pace the league in strikeouts.  Kevin’s 86 were the best in the league and more than double the total of the Happy Hollidays.  David Price, in particular, was phenomenal with 17 strikeouts in 15 IP.  The staff threw a lot of innings and enjoyed a corresponding number of wins.  This gave Kevin two categories to Larry’s three before accounting for hitting.

The clubs had the highest two SLG in the league.  Kevin took the category by a narrow margin, but a huge week from Giancarlo Stanton gave Larry the edge in OBP.  This meant that HR, RBI, and steals would decide the week.  Thanks to Stanton, Larry had a strong home run base, but Kevin answered with a distributed attack from Freddie Freeman, Gerardo Parra, and Logan Forsythe.  The two teams tied, with Larry taking a slim lead in steals and RBI.  This was enough to secure a 6-3-1 victory for the week for the Armadillos.  However, Kevin would have won with another home run and three RBI.  Kevin left a few home runs on the bench for the week, but none on Sunday.  He can take some consolation that the Armadillos left four home runs and 11 RBIs on the bench on Sunday alone.  The Armadillos remained unbeaten, and the Goofballs are left searching for better luck.

Upcoming Games

This week, the Armadillos hope to keep their momentum going against the Lannisters.  Jeff’s squad has struggled on offense and sometimes struggles against Larry’s high strikeout totals.  This week is the first of many battles between two teams expected to contend for the title.

After a nice bounce-back win, Heather hopes to keep things rolling against the Happy Hollidays.  Chris M. hasn’t been able to recapture his Week 01 magic, and will need better offense against the PhoeGnomes.  Heather remains a threat on both offense and pitching.

The Thunderwolves look for their first win against the Goofballs.  Kevin is likely frustrated with his luck thus far, and hopes that Kyle’s bats stay cool.  Meanwhile, the Possums want to pick up their first win against the Legion.  Chris P. hopes to build momentum and keep the Possums down.

This week’s league update was written by Larry.  Jeff is extremely sick and not feeling well, but he hopes to be back next week.

RK Possums (0-2) vs. KK Thunderwolves (0-2)

The Possums and the Thunderwolves were both looking for their first victory of the young season, but neither team could pull out a win.  Rick won homers, RBI, ERA , WHIP, and  saves.  Kyle countered with wins in the other three hitting categories plus pitching wins.  The week was determined by Kyle’s 59-56 advantage in K’s.  That tied up the week and left both teams underwhelmed with identical 0-2-1 records.

Colby Rasmus led the way for the Possums with 4 HR and 10 RBI.  Off season trade acquisition Josh Donaldson added 2 HR and 6 RBI.  The artist previously known as B.J. (apologies and RIP to Prince) managed the lone steal of the week for Rick.

The Wolves got strong offensive performances from Jason Heyward (10 for 29 with 5 RBI and 3 SB) and Nellie Cruz (2 HR & 7 RBI).  Pitchers were led by another trade acquisition, Yordano Ventura with 2 wins and a 2.25 ERA.  Chase Anderson,  a  local Wichita Falls native who started off well, was pounded this week, giving up 19 hits and 10 earned runs in just 9 innings.  Finally, Gerrit Cole went 6 scoreless innings with 7 K’s and was promptly traded!

KG Goofballs (0-2) vs. CM Happy Hollidays

The Goofballs got their first victory by beating the Happy Hollidays.  Kevin dominated the hitting categories by taking 4 categories.  KG led the week in homers with 15 and was second overall with 37 RBI.  Chris M. was able to take OBP with a stunning .380 good for second place overall.  The pitching stats were much closer with KG winning K’s just 39-36 and wins just 2-1.  The two teams tied with 3 saves each.  CM won ERA over KG’s atrocious 7.16.  The win by Kevin left the two teams tied with identical 1-2 records.

Cardinals OF’s Grichuk and Piscotty were hitting stars for the Hollidays and Jay Bruce pitched in with a homer and two steals.  Brad Ziegler led the pitchers with two saves.

Wellington Castillo made KG look very good with a monster week of 5 HR, 9 RBI, and even had a SB.  Steven Souza had a couple of homers and Maikel Franco contributed 3 HR and 8 RBI.  Pitching-wise Jeremy Jeffress had 2 saves (despite a (9.00 ERA), but the rest of the staff was ineffective giving up 39 earned runs in 49 innings.

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

The undefeated Lannisters and PhoeGnomes squared off with the Lannisters winning with an impressive showing.  Jeff’s squad was outstanding on offense with a 13-7 edge in homers and a 44-31 margin in RBI’s.  The Lannisters also rolled to a .580 to .362 SLG victory.  Jeff  led the league in all 3 of those  hitting categories for the week.  But HP won steals and was at least within shouting distance in OBP.  Jeff powered his way to winning 4 of the 5 pitching stats.  He led the entire league in K’s (74) and saves (8).  Hp had a very strong 0.922 WHIP to edge JK’s 0.987.  But anticipated battle was too one-sided this time around.

Goldschmidt and Bautista each had 6 RBI, and Altuve raced to three SB to lead the PhoeGnomes offense.  Jeff’s offensive trinity — Harper, Trout, and Machado — combined for 7 homers, 18 RBI, and 25 hits.  Lucas Duda made a run at joining their club with 3 homers and 7 RBIs.  In pitching, Heather had a no-hitter  by Jake Arrieta as well as strong outings by Sale, Syndergaard, and Walker. But Jeff countered with great games from Quintana, Lester, Hammel, Strasburg, and
Tanner  Roark  (who was promptly waived).  Jeff’s staff easily won K’s for the whole week with an eye-popping 74 whiffs.

CP Legion (1-1) vs. LK Armadillos (2-0)

The strangest matchup of the week involved the Armadillos and Legion.  Chris led in most categories for much of the week.  CP easily won steals, OBP, and saves.  He eventually edged out a win in RBIs 29-28. The Armadillos won HR , K’s, ERA, and wins.  That meant 8 categories were decided and two still in play on Sunday  night (SLG and WHIP).  After Carlos Carrasco was injured and left his start early on Sunday, it left LK hoping for a strong bullpen performance to try to turn WHIP.  But the bullpen had a rocky day and WHIP was lost.  RBI’s were in play early, but CP persevered there.  The Armadillos only chance came down to SLG.  Almost every game was finished and it looked as though the Legion would prevail and deal the Armadillos their first loss of the year.  But miraculously the Pirates game went into extra innings and Starling Marte was able to get a hit in his 7th and final at bat to pull LK’s team into a tie for the week.  It was just the latest of many bitter battles between the two teams (many of which have resulted in ties) over the past seasons.

CP got homers from 6 different hitters and steals from 6 different players as well as  7 RBIs from Ryan Braun (who was promptly traded).  LK got 5 HR and 10 RBIs from a surging Anthony Rizzo.  Stanton added a couple of homers, but LK’s catchers were a combined 2-24!

Steve Cishek came off the scrap pile to notch 3 saves (nice pickup by Chris P) but the starters had an up and down week.  For the Armadillos, Kershaw was winless but had good stats.  Drew Smyly went 15 inn with 17 K’s and only one earned run.  But LK’s usually reliable bullpen had an off week and it proved costly.

The second week of the season saw all four favorites win their match-ups.  All three teams above 1,500 had gains and Heather moved closer to being rated above average for the long term.  Remember, these ratings are cumulative across seasons.

As expected, the Lannisters has the smallest gain relative to the other winners.  The Possums lost the fewest points.  Chris P. saw a nice rebound, while the Goofballs fell even further behind the Thunderwolves.

Week 03 offers several intriguing match-ups.  The PhoeGnomes have a chance to rise above 1,500 with a win over the Lannisters.  Both the Possums and Thunderwolves can pick some points with a win, especially since they are relatively evenly matched.  The same can be said for the Goofballs and Happy Hollidays.  Finally, the Armadillos may overtake the Legion for second with a victory.  However, Chris P. could return to first with a win and a Lannisters’ loss.

Overall, the week promises several more close contests.  Only the Lannisters are heavy favorites, and this is somewhat deceptive since the PhoeGnomes are playing at a higher level than their rating would indicate.  The other three match-ups are all within 56%/44% or closer, meaning the results are essentially coin flips.

The second week of the fantasy season saw three lopsided wins for the favorites.  The Armadillos romped their way to a rare 10-0 sweep of the Thunderwolves.  Heather put together a phenomenal performance to top the Goofballs.  The Legion righted the ship with strong pitching versus the Happy Hollidays.  Only the Possums were able to threaten an upset, but they were done in by Bryce Harper and the Lannisters.  It was a business-like week for the top of the league, and the stage is set for several interesting early match-ups in week 03.

LK Armadillos (1-0) vs. KK Thunderwolves (0-1)

The Armadillos posted the week’s most dominant stat line against the Thunderwolves.  Larry had a strong offensive base with eight players hitting at least one home run.  Mark Trumbo was a surprise with three in 16 at-bats.  Rougned Odor also provided good production from the second base position with eight hits and seven RBIs.  The Armadillo attack was balanced up and down the lineup.

The Thunderwolves continued to struggle offensively.  Kyle had the fewest steals in the league and was near the bottom in OBP, SLG, and HR.  However, the Thunderwolves maintained a competitive RBI total that fell just short.  The lack of power must be concerning to Kyle.  After investing heavily on the pitching side in the draft and through freezes, the Thunderwolves have not had the offensive firepower for the past couple of seasons.  If the trend continues, Kyle may need to address his struggles through trades or waiver pick-ups.

On the pitching side, neither the Armadillos nor the Thunderwolves had strong ERA or WHIP numbers compared to the stellar efforts from the PhoeGnomes, Legion, Goofballs, or Lannisters.  Both teams pitched about the same number of innings, but the Armadillos took strikeout, wins and saves despite similar rate stats.  Aaron Nola’s horrible 12.0 IP spoiled a quality week for Michael Wacha (12.0 IP, 11 hits, 1 ER) for Kyle.  Aaron Sanchez was a standout for the Armadillos – he allowed just two earned runs over 13 IP.  Craig Kimbrel led the way for the Armadillos bullpen, and helped secure a second five category sweep.  The Armadillos were hard to stop this week, and their combined attack got the job done.  The Thunderwolves are left looking for answers, but Kyle has proven that he is unafraid to make a deal to improve his team.

CP Legion (0-1) vs. CM Happy Hollidays (1-0)

After a rough first week against the PhoeGnomes, the Legion looked to rebound against the Happy Hollidays.  Chris M. hoped to carry over his early success into week two against one of the league’s best teams.  Unfortunately for the league’s newest owner, Chris P. unleashed the best pitching performance in the league en route to a clean 7-3-0 win.  Both teams took a quality-over-quantity approach with only one two-start pitcher between the squads.  Anchoring the Legion was Vince Velasquez, whose three-hit complete game also featured 16 strikeouts.  The Legion used 12 pitchers for the week and only four of them (three starters) allowed earned runs.  This gave Chris P. the best WHIP in the league, a tie for the best ERA and the second most strikeouts.  The Hollidays struggled to keep up in anything other than wins and saves.  The Legion were able to take both of those categories, as well, giving Chris P. the five-category sweep.  The performance was one of the best the league has seen in some time, especially given the number of wins and strikeouts the Legion were able to achieve with a limited number of starters.

On offense, neither team was able to get much traction.  The Hollidays were marginally better thanks to a pair of two-home run weeks from Randal Grichuk and Matt Holliday.  Francisco Lindor added two steals and Chris M. was able to win all three counting categories for the week.  Unfortunately for the Hollidays, the Legion were slightly better in the OBP and SLG categories.  The Legion are clearly feeling the offensive dip after trading away several members of their core to the PhoeGnomes.  George Springer and Ryan Braun were able to keep the Legion competitive, but they will need more help to remain in contention against better offensive teams.  Ultimately, the Legion were able to pull out a solid win.  The Hollidays will need to level their performance in the coming weeks.

JK Lannisters (1-0) vs. RK Possums (0-1)

After a tough battle against the Goofballs to open the season, the Lannisters faced another bitter struggle against the Possums.  Although the Possums have the league’s lowest Elo rating, they have traditionally posted a match-up problem against the defending champs.  This week was no different, and Rick threw everything he had into the hotly-contested battle.  Both teams posted huge power numbers.  The Possums had ten players with a home run.  Albert Pujols and Ian Kinsler were at the top of the list with two each, paired with 11 RBI.  Josh Donaldson led the Possums’ regulars in SLG, and helped propel the team to a victory in the category.  Good weeks from Wilson Ramos and Jeremy Hazelbaker also helped Rick win RBI.

Unfortunately for the Possums, the Lannisters also posted great offensive numbers for the week.  The Lannisters won OBP by a safe margin, and took steals thanks to Jason Kipnis.  However, the standouts for the week were JD Martinez and Bryce Harper.  The two combined for six home runs, 18 RBI, and two steals.  This gave the Lannisters a tie in HR, and a 2-3 deficit before pitching.

After struggling for most of last season against unfavorable pitching match-ups, the Possums looked to adapt and throw more innings this season.  This process gave the Possums the highest strikeout and wins totals in the league for the week, but left the team vulnerable in ERA and WHIP.  The Lannisters capitalized thanks to strong weeks from Jon Lester and Jose Quintana.  Jeff took ERA and WHIP without much of a fight.  He also piled up more saves, and buried the Possums 9-5 in this variable category.  This gave the Lannisters a close 5-4-1 victory.

At one point on Sunday, it looked like the Possums were heading for a tie.  Rick led the HR category late in the day, but Bryce Harper’s 10th inning swing turned the category into a tie.  The Possums can take some comfort that they did not leave any home runs on their bench on Sunday.  Also, Rick would have beaten all the other teams besides the Armadillos and PhoeGnomes.  The Possums are looking better even if the results are not yet noticeable in the standings.  For the Lannisters, the win capped another difficult struggle.

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

In the first week of the season, the Goofballs faced the defending champs.  Their luck didn’t get any better against the improved PhoeGnomes.  Heather put together the most complete week in the league, and looks red-hot going into her battle with the Lannisters.  The PhoeGnomes pitching was just a fraction behind the Legion while her offense paced the league in several categories.

The PhoeGnomes pitched an average number of innings, but achieved outstanding results, especially on the rate side.  Chris Sale was on fire, pitching a two hit/no walk shutout.  Gio Gonzalez was almost as good but over fewer innings.  The bullpen was clicking as well, finishing third in the league in saves.  Heather easily took these three categories, but the Goofballs were unwilling to concede anything further.  Kevin threw five more innings, but logged 13 more strikeouts.  He also took wins, behind strong performances from Jake Odorizzi and Marcus Stroman.  This gave Heather a slim 3-2 lead before adding hitting.

Unfortunately for the Goofballs, Heather turned in one of the better offensive weeks in the league.  Her 14 homeruns and 44 RBI were easily the best.  They also contributed to a solid 0.500 SLG.  The bulk of the work came from Nolan Arenado (4 HR/12 RBI), Jose Altuve (3/7), Chris Davis (3/8) and Andrew McCutchen (2/3).  Kevin had seven players with home runs, including two each from Brandon Belt and Yoenis Cespedes.  It wasn’t enough to turn the tide, though, and Heather rolled on to an 8-2 win.  The loss puts the Goofballs and 0-2, but they have performed better statistically than the Legion, Happy Hollidays, Thunderwolves, and Possums.  At some point, they have to hope that the results catch up to the process.

Next week:

The PhoeGnomes huge win over the Goofballs sets Heather up for a key early match-up against the Lannisters.  Heather’s new additions are paying immediate dividends, and she knows how important it is to log wins early and secure tie-breakers.  The Lannisters are also keenly aware of this possibility, and will use every available resource to defend their title.  Elsewhere, the Armadillos face their rivals, the Legion.  Larry has avoided early scares in a solid start.  The Legion will have to improve their offense if they want to keep pace.

The Goofballs face the Happy Hollidays in an expansion battle.  Kevin will hope to take out his frustrations on the Hollidays, who showed vulnerability in Week 02.  Finally, barring a tie, either the Thunderwolves or Possums will pick up their first win of the season in their match.  The Possums have deserved better in the first two weeks, and the Thunderwolves will do anything they can to avoid falling to 0-3.

This is the first of a weekly report on Elo ratings.  If you are not sure what these are, please check out the introduction I posted last month.

The season’s opening week provided new insight into each team’s true talent level.

The largest Elo gain belongs to the PhoeGnomes, who moved up almost 13 points after defeating the Legion.  Chris M. also moved closer to the 1,500 level with his win over the Thunderwolves.  The Armadillos and Lannisters saw smaller gains against weaker-rated opponents.  Remember, as your Elo rating rises, the amount of points you win for defeating inferior teams decreases.  You also lose more points when an underdog wins.

These ratings give the following probabilities going into Week 02:

As expected, the Lannisters are a heavy favorite against the Possums.  The Possums have just a 31% chance to win.  The Thunderwolves are also heavy underdogs to the Armadillos.  The Goofballs/PhoeGnomes match-up reads as a toss-up, but it’s important to remember that Heather’s new additions will take time to influence the team’s Elo rating.

Chris P. and Larry are also heavy favorites over the Happy Hollidays and Thunderwolves.  It will be interesting to see how these match-ups go.  The fact that the league’s best Elo team (the Lannisters) versus the lowest (the Possums) yields only a 70% chance of victory for the favorite shows how competitive the league is.