KK Thunderwolves (9-12-1) vs.  RK Possums (15-4-3)

The Possums needed a win to retain a share of first place.  The Thunderwolves declared their intention to challenge the leaders, and followed through with a good effort.  Rick’s totals were too much, but the match was closer than the score indicated.  Neither team posted good offensive numbers.  Going into Sunday Rick had a lead in steals, but Kyle was close in the other four categories.  Rick had a mini-surge that was good enough to sweep all five categories.  Khris Davis and Joey Gallo each had two home runs.  Xander Bogaerts and Mallex Smith added two steals.  Kyle didn’t have any players with multiple home runs and only three players with more than 10 at-bats with a SLG over 0.500.

Rick had an okay week for pitching, but the totals weren’t great.  Max Scherzer and Corey Kluber struggled in their two starts.  J.A. Happ was solid, though, and Anibal Sanchez had a nice start.  Kyle had room to pick up some categories, but he was doomed by a terrible relief appearance.  Trevor Hildenberger had a 135.00 ERA and 15.00 WHIP for the week after a dreadful third of an inning.  Rick picked up strikeouts, saves, and wins, along with the rate categories.  Although the final score was 10-0, things could have turned out differently for the Thunderwolves if they had a little better luck.  For his part, Rick was able to survive a down week and get a win when he needed one.

KG Capital City Goofballs (4-13-5) vs.  LK Armadillos (16-5-1)

The Armadillos matched the Possums with a workmanlike win against the Goofballs.  Much like the Possums, the Armadillos didn’t have their best numbers but did enough to win.  The Armadillos had a good week from Trevor Story and Robinson Cano, but Kevin countered with a great outing from Juan Soto.  He had four home runs, three steals, and eight RBI.  This was enough to give Kevin wins in SLG and OBP.  Larry took home runs and RBI.

Unfortunately for Kevin, his pitching let him down, just as it has much of the season.  The team didn’t have any spectacular meltdowns but also just one good start from Masahiro Tanaka.  The Armadillos countered with a great start from Mike Foltynewicz.  Craig Kimbrel added three saves to Jose Leclerc’s two, giving the Armadillos another category.  This was enough for a smooth win.  Neither team posted huge totals, but like the Possums, the Armadillos did just enough to win and advance.

The win leaves the Possums and Armadillos tied at the top of the league.  Nothing has changed since last week:  The Armadillos have the most wins and the Possums have fewest losses.  This presents and un-breakable tie and the possibility of a split title.  The two wins all but eliminate the Lannisters, who also won.  For the Lannisters to stay in the race, the Possums must lose or tie next week against the Legion.  The Armadillos must lose or tie against the Lasershow.

For the title situation to resolve, either the Possums or Armadillos will need a loss or tie in the final week.  The following scenarios are in play:

1. Both teams win out – the title is split since the Armadillos have an extra win but the Possums have fewer losses (head-to-head does not come into play since the records are different)
2. One team wins out and the other suffers a loss or tie – the winning team wins the title
3. Both teams win one game and lose or tie one game – the title is split, just like in scenario #1
4. The Armadillos tie two games while the Possums win one and lose one – The Possums win the title because the teams will have the same record, and Rick wins the head-to-head tie-breaker.

The Lannisters are technically still in the race, but need at least a draw from both teams to be in play in the final week.  Until this happens, there is no need to analyze the multiple bizarre possibilities.  The update from last week still applies.  However, it is still possible for both the Possums and Armadillos to lose the title outright if they do not win at least one of their final two games.

Next week, the schedule probably favors the Armadillo.  They face the Lasershow.  Rick meets the Legion.  However, Sean’s play late this season has improved and he is more of a threat.  Despite the improved play, the Legion are still the more dangerous team.  Things change in the final week, where the Possums face the PhoeGnomes and the Armadillos meet the Lannisters.

SM Lasershow (6-11-5) vs.  JK Lannisters (12-4-6)

Jeff managed to stay alive with a narrow win against the Lasershow.  The Lannisters had great pitching and put up the best aggregate stat line in the league.  Stephen Strasburg and Jacob deGrom were dominant and Wade Davis and Pedro Stop picked up relief wins along with a save each.  Sean had a nice week from Trevor Williams and Cole Hamels but the Lannisters tied his strikeout totals despite throwing 14.2 fewer innings pitched.

On offense, Sean had the better OBP for the week and piled up steals.  Christian Yelich continued his good season, and Jackie Bradley Jr.  added two steals.  Yelich had two home runs to go alone with his steals.  The Lannisters countered with big weeks from Mike Trout and Manny Machado.  Justin Upton and Cole Calhoun rallied for home runs on Sunday, and the Lannisters led the league in the category.  The unexpected boost also gave the Lannisters the edge in SLG.  Flipping this category kept the team’s hopes alive for one more week.  Sean posted good numbers, and his improved play should not be overlooked.

CP Legion (7-10-5) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (5-15-2)

The week’s final match saw the Legion take care of business against the PhoeGnomes.  Chris posted the best offensive numbers across the board.  He led the league in steals and SLG and was second in home runs and OBP.  Michael Conforto, Jurickson Profar, and Adalberto Mondesi each had two home runs.  Mondesi added five steals and posted a 0.645 SLG for the week.  Mondesi’s speed and power have caused many owners to take notice of the young player’s abilities.  Heather got nice weeks from Nolan Arenado and Matt Olson, but it wasn’t enough to match the Legion.

Heather put up nice pitching numbers in an effort to come back.  Jhoulys Chacin had two good starts, but Chris Sale was limited to just 4.0 innings pitched.  Mike Clevinger had a good start, but Heather suffered from throwing too few innings.  The Legion were a little more efficient and had more saves.  Chris was able to win the categories he needed to get the win.

Next Week

The league is essentially set up in three tiers.  The title will be decided between the Possums and Armadillos, with the Lannisters on the fringe.  In the middle of the pack, the Legion, Thunderwolves, and Lasershow are all within two games of each other.  At the bottom, the PhoeGnomes and Goofballs are separated by just half a game.

The Armadillos meet the Lasershow while the Possums face the Legion.  Both teams will look to spoil the title chances of the leaders.  The Lannisters face the PhoeGnomes in a game they must win or tie to stay in contention.  Finally, the Goofballs and Thunderwolves meet.  Kyle can maintain his hold on the middle ground while the Goofballs are desperate to finish out of last place.

RK Possums (14-4-3) vs.  LK Armadillos (16-4-1)

The week’s most important match saw the Armadillos meet the Possums with a chance to all but clinch the title.  However, the Possums were just a game behind and could enter a tie with a victory.  Despite a good start from the Armadillos, the Possums were able to take control of the match late in the week and earn a solid victory.  This has unleased chaos on the standings and spawned questions about tie-breakers, scenarios, and the exactly what the ESPN site displays.

Before getting into the standings, the Possums deserve credit for a gritty win.  The Armadillos started out hot with good offensive and pitching stats.  Rick suffered a series of meltdowns early and was out of the running in ERA from the start.    However, his bad starts were short and this allowed him to remain competitive in WHIP thanks to some good starts later, along with decent bullpen work.  Max Scherzer had up and down games, and Michael Kopech injured himself.  J.A. Happ Corey Kluber came to the rescue with good outings.  Meanwhile, the Armadillos piled up strikeouts and saves.  As noted before, they won ERA without much opposition.  Carlos Carrasco was stellar with 14 strikeouts and one earned run in his start.  Spot starters like CC Sabathia were okay, but didn’t pick up wins and hurt WHIP.  This left Larry with a 3-1-1 advantage.  In most weeks, this would be a problem for Rick because his pitching is the team’s strength.

Both teams enjoyed offensive success at the top of their lineups.  Trevor Story exploded for five home runs and Alex Bregman added three more.  The rest of the Armadillos struggled for most of the week, though, and the team needed much better performance from its role players.  Rick had a three home run week from Charlie Blackmon but no other player had more than one.  He still tied the Armadillos because he had nine other players with a home run.  Spot starters like free agent pick-up Jason Kipnis added home runs and RBI in bunches.  Rick took RBI with ease and won steals thanks to a monster four-steal week from Mallex Smith.  The Possums also won SLG and OBP without much trouble.  This was enough for a 5-3-2 win.

The win has created anarchy in the standings.  The Armadillos have the most wins in the league but have lost three of four against the Possums.  The Possums and Lannisters have the fewest losses in the league.  Larry has two fewer ties than Rick, and thus one more win along with one more loss.  If you treat the Possums’ two extra ties as a win, they are in a true tie with the Armadillos.  If you value outright wins more, then the Armadillos are in the lead.  Leaving aside both of these facts, the Possums won the head-to-head tiebreaker.  In the past, this has come into play when teams have exactly the same record.  However, that’s not the case this year since the Armadillos currently have the extra win.

The win also resurrects the Lannisters’ slim chances of entering the mix.  Jeff is now 1.5 games behind both teams with one to play against the Armadillos.  If Rick stumbles and the Armadillos suffer a tie or worse in the next two games, the end result would be catastrophic.  The same situation would arise in reverse if the Lannisters snuck into the tie, because Jeff would have fewer losses and more ties than the Possums!  The Lannisters could finish at 15-4-6.  Rick’s best tied finish would be 16-5-4.  Do you value the avoidance of losses or the capture of wins?  The Armadillos could end the year 17-6-2, also leaving them in a “tie” with both teams.  This nightmare three-team scenario is unlikely but within the realm of possibility.  If either team loses two of the last three, the Lannisters could possibly win the title outright with the same or fewer wins than either other team has right now!

The ESPN site only adds to the confusion.  Right now, the site lists the Possums and Armadillo as having 0.750 winning percentages.  This comes from converting ties to wins – 16.5 “wins” for each team in 22 weeks.  This ignores the idea that two ties versus one win isn’t necessarily equivalent.  Again, do you value loss avoidance or playing for the win?  Is a win and a loss really comparable to two ties?  Should the Lannisters get credit for three whole wins thanks to their six ties?  The Possums have three more actual wins than the Lannisters.  Should that count for something?

The three-team scenario is highly unlikely to come to pass.  However, the specter of a tie at the top of the standings is very real.  The best hope is that one of the top two teams loses or ties and renders the problem irrelevant.  However, if the Possums are the team to lose, this boosts the Lannisters chances of sneaking into the mix since they have one more head-to-head against the Armadillos in the last week of the season.  Jeff has a soft schedule with matches against the PhoeGnomes and Lasershow, so it’s very possible he could win out.  This week, the Armadillos and Possums face the Goofballs and Thunderwolves respectively.  Kyle’s team has played well this year and the Goofballs will never give up.  In week 24, Larry faces Sean while Rick battles Chris.  The Lannisters’ best hope is for a tie from either Kevin or Sean plus a Possums loss against Chris or Kyle paired with a tie somewhere, possibly in the crazy last week versus the PhoeGnomes.

The Armadillos and Possums can both eliminate the Lannisters by winning at least two more weeks.  It’s likely that the final winner will need to either win out or at least avoid a loss.  Rick probably has the edge if he can survive his week against the Legion.  However, losses or ties will be devastating to either team.  The final three weeks promise to be chaotic.  There is no margin for error from either of the two leaders.  Rick managed to get back in the race with his win, but the hard work is far from other.  The Armadillos will seek redemption and hope to avoid a split title.

JK Lannisters (11-4-6) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (4-12-5)

The Lannisters won a dominant week against the Goofballs thanks to a two home run and 12 walk week from Bryce Harper.  Despite struggles from Rich Hill and Carlos Rodon, the pitching staff did enough to capture all five categories.  The Goofballs had a nice week from Randal Grichuk, but pitching issues from Dylan Bundy and Brad Boxberger left the team in a deep hole.  The Lannisters’ win keeps them on the fringe of contention.

CP Legion (7-9-5)  vs.  KK Thunderwolves (8-12-1)

Kyle won a solid week against the Legion.  Adrian Beltre supplied three home runs and Rhys Hoskins added another trio.  Chris enjoyed nice weeks from Michael Conforto and Paul Goldschmidt.  It wasn’t enough to overcome Kyle’s good pitching.  German Marquez threw a great game and had 11 strikeouts in 6.2 innings pitched.  Kyle cruised to a 7-2-1 win.

HP PhoeGnomes (5-14-2) vs.  SM Lasershow (5-11-5)

The week’s final match saw the Lasershow continue to display a solid all-around attack.  The team explode on offense and led the league in home runs by a wide margin.  They also won SLG comfortably.  Leading the way was Francisco Lindor – he had five home runs, along with three from Scooter Gennett and Johan Camargo.  Sean’s team has improved a lot this year.  They have shown an ability to at least be competitive each week.  When things click, they are capable of pulling out big wins like this.

Next Week

The hunt for the title continues as the Possums face the Thunderwolves.  The Armadillos meet the Goofballs.  Larry has the advantage this week with Kyle’s recent good play.  Jeff faces Sean and can’t look past the Lasershow – they must win to stay in the hunt.  Finally, Chris and Heather meet in their final grudge match of the year.

CP Legion (7-8-5) vs.  LK Armadillos (15-4-1)

With only two teams left in contention, two battles took center stage for the week.   The first contest paired the Armadillos and Legion.  The two bitter rivals have run on different paths this season.  The Armadillos entered tied for first place while the Legion have run in the middle of the pack. This week saw the Armadillos move into first place with a decisive victory.  The team had the best two-way week of any team.  On offense, Larry led the league in RBI, tied for first in home runs, and was second in SLG.  Tyler White had a monster week with three home runs and 10 RBI.  Alex Bregman was close behind with three home runs and nine RBI.  The Astros’ performance has to sting for the Legion.  Chris tried to counter with a nice week from Michael Conforto, but the Legion’s highest RBI total was just four.  Jose Ramirez had a steal, and it was enough for Chris to take the category.  However, the team was not competitive in any other offensive stat.  Larry took a 4-1 lead into pitching.

The Legion had good saves and strikeout totals.  The team finished in second place for the league in each.  Luis Severino had 10 strikeouts in just 6.0 innings pitched.  Lucas Giolito and Robbie Ray were also strong in their single starts.  Unfortunately, Jared Hughes has a disastrous relief appearance and Sean Newcomb struggled in his start.  This left the Legion with a poor ERA and WHIP.  The Armadillos threw about the same number of innings but had more success picking up wins.  The team also had the better ERA and WHIP thanks to a dominant week from Carlos Carrasco.  Carrasco struck out 11, allowed just six baserunners, and didn’t allow a run in his start.  This was more than enough for the Armadillos to win the two rate categories and pick up an easy win for the week.  Although the score was close up through the weekend, the outcome was never truly in doubt thanks to the pitching performance.  The win kept the Armadillos in first place, pending the results of the Lannisters /  Possums battle.

RK Possums (14-3-3) vs.  JK Lannisters (10-4-6)

After a frustrating season, the Lannisters finally saw success against the Possums.  The Lannisters relied on a strong offensive attack paired with decent pitching to earn a win and cost the Possums a share of the lead.  Five different Lannisters had two home runs for the week.  Manny Machado led the team in RBI with six.  Michael Brantley added two steals in part time work.  The Possums enjoyed a three home run week from Aaron Hicks and Eugenio Suarez had six RBI.  Jonathan Villar had three steals and Rick easily won the category.  However, the team struggled to find much power.  Suarez and Hicks were the only Possums’ regulars with a SLG over 0.425.  In contrast, the Lannisters had five regulars with higher SLGs.  The Lannisters took four categories with relative ease.

On pitching, the Possums suffered through a rare down week.  Outside of Corey Kluber, no pitcher threw more than 5.1 innings.  Mike Fiers, Rick Porcello, and even Max Scherzer had terrible starts and the aggregate team ERA was 4.50.  The Lannisters threw fewer innings but had a good start from Jacob deGrom.  The bullpen was outstanding and did not allow an earned run.  The Lannisters took wins and the rate stats and coasted to a surprisingly easy victory against the league’s top team.  The down week came at a bad time for the Possums, but the team can rebound.  The Possums and Armadillos meet in the biggest week of the season next.  There is more analysis of this match below.

KG Capital City Goofballs (4-12-4) vs.  SM Lasershow (5-11-4)

Kevin’s sad season continued with yet another tie against the Lasershow.  Kevin had great offensive numbers, probably the best in the league.  However, Sean put up the best pitching for the week.  This led to a deadlocked 4-4-2 tie.  Sean’s pitching led the league in strikeouts and ERA.  It was third in WHIP and tied for first in wins.  Eduardo Rodriguez had a great start with 12 strikeouts over 5.2 innings.  Cole Hamels and Zach Wheeler were also solid.  Kevin struggled in rate stats but found two relief victories and managed a tie in wins.  The two teams’ bullpens both struggled and tied in saves.  Overall, Sean took three categories and tied the other two.

On offense, the roles were reversed.  Kevin had a great week Anthony Rizzo and a host of other players.  Only two goofballs had SLGs under 0.450 and three were over 0.690.  Ian Desmond had two steals.  The Lasershow weren’t competitive in the rate stats thanks to the Goofballs’ power.  However, the Lasershow ran wild and led the league in steals.  Francisco Lindor had three for himself and five other players had at least one steal.  This was enough for Sean to win the category and secure the tie for the week.  Both teams were close to the win, and the Lasershow have shown some improved play in recent weeks.  The Goofballs’ bullpen bailed out the team.  Both teams could be dangerous for the league leaders down the stretch.

KK Thunderwolves (7-12-1) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (5-13-2)

The week’s final match saw the Thunderwolves come alive against the PhoeGnomes.  Kyle posted great numbers on both sides of the ball.  His offense tied for the league lead in home runs and RBI.  He was also near the top in SLG.  Gleyber Torres was the best of the Thunderwolves.  He had three home runs, 10 RBI, and a 0.947 SLG.  Eight other Thunderwolves’ players also had home runs.  Heather enjoyed a nice week from Ronald Acuna, but he had little backup.  Kyle swept all five categories.

On pitching, Kyle also displayed strong stats.  He was near the top in strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP.  Clay Bucholz was dominant in two starts and Aaron Nola struck out 19 over 12.2 innings pitched.  German Marquez had a great start and the bullpen was solid.  Heather didn’t have a chance after a Bud Norris injury and a disastrous Jake Arrieta outing.  Heather tied wins and saves, but Kyle’s overall body of work was too much.  The Thunderwolves improved on their respectable record and have shown real progress lately.  The PhoeGnomes are still searching for answers.

Next Week

Next week features only one match that matters for the standings.  The Armadillos and Possums meet in a massive battle for first place.  Right now, the Armadillos are in the lead by one game.  If the Armadillos win, they will be two games up with three to play.  If the Possums win, they will be tied in the standings but own a 3-1 head-to-head advantage and thus claim the tie-breaker for the title.  A tied leaves the Possums with the tie-breaker edge 2-1-1, but still one game back.

Both teams have equal final schedules.  The Armadillos face the Goofballs and Lasershow, against whom they are heavy favorites.  Meanwhile, the Possums face the Thunderwolves and Legion.  The Possums are still favored, but Chris and Kyle have played closer to the middle of the pack and are more of a threat.  The Armadillos have the advantage here.

However, the final week sees the Possums face the PhoeGnomes and the Armadillos face the Lannisters.  This match is heavily skewed toward Rick, since the Lannisters are still dangerous despite their injuries.  If the Armadillos and Possums are tied after this week, with Rick holding the tie-breaker, they probably have an advantage the rest of the way.  However, if the Armadillos win, they can almost guarantee themselves at least a share of the title.  Everything is one line!

SM Lasershow (5-10-4) vs.  RK Possums (13-3-3)

The Possums were able to hold off a game Lasershow squad to remain tied for first place.  Sean tried to battle Rick on the Possum’s own strengths.  Sean dominated ERA and WHIP with impressive totals that led the league in a week with lots of good pitching.  Zach Wheeler picked up a win and struck out 14 over 14.0 innings pitched.  He had an ERA of just 0.64.  Despite this great performance, Rick countered with a few more innings pitched and more strikeout efficiency.  The Possums easily won strikeouts and wins, and took saves with the Lasershow were blanked.  The Possums took three categories despite Sean’s best efforts.

On offense, Sean put up another good fight but couldn’t quite match the league leaders.  Travis Shaw and Salvador Perez had two home runs, but the Possums countered with three homers from Khris Davis and two each from Xander Bogaerts, Eugenio Suarez, and Joey Gallo.  This tied Rick for the league lead in the category.  Sean had a good RBI total, but Rick had the edge here as well.  The Possums also had more steals and the better rate stats.  This resulted in a strong 8-2 win for Rick, but the Lasershow put up a good fight.

LK Armadillos (14-4-1) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (7-11-1)

The closest match of the week featured the Armadillos and the Thunderwolves.  Kyle’s team has been improving lately and held the lead for most of the week.  His offense was on fire.  Dansby Swanson had three home runs and eight other players had at least one.  This helped Kyle tie for the league lead in the category.  He also led the league in steals, thanks to two from J.T. Realmuto and several other players.  The Armadillos didn’t hand an answer for home runs, RBI, and steals.  However, they were more competitive in OBP and SLG.  JD Martinez didn’t have any home runs but he had a 0.560 SLG.  Kendry Morales was on fire with four home runs and a 1.200 SLG.  Nick Castellanos was also strong with a home run and a 0.750 SLG.  It appears that the Armadillos had just enough power to edge out two categories.

Both teams had good pitching.  The Armadillos got a strong start from Clayton Kershaw.  Several other players had strong starts and the bullpen didn’t allow and earned run.  Edwin Diaz had three saves.  Both teams threw about the same number of innings, but Larry had a few more strikeouts.  However, Kyle struck back with five wins including two from Chas Anderson.  Unfortunately for the Thunderwolves, the team’s bullpen let them down.  Cody Allen and Kirby Yates had horrible ERAs.  This gave Larry just enough room to take both rate categories on the week’s final day.  Larry earned a close victory and remains in a tie for first place.  Like the Lasershow, the Thunderwolves put up a strong fight and almost earned the upset.

JK Lannisters (9-4-6) vs.  CP Legion (7-7-5)

The week’s biggest grudge match paired the Lannisters and Legion.  After some down weeks, Jeff’s team finally showed some life and took advantage of a poor Legion offensive effort.  Chris struggled near the bottom of all offensive categories.  Meanwhile, the Lannisters enjoyed a three home run week from Manny Machado.  Daniel Murphy added two more.  Ender Inciarte was strong in a single start.  Chris managed to tie in saves and the Lannisters won RBI by one.  However, this was enough for the Lannisters to take a 4-1 lead.

On pitching, both teams were strong.  The Legion led the league in wins with six.  Blake Snell was especially strong in two starts with 19 strikeouts and two wins.  However, other pitchers like Zach Eflin struggled.  This gave the Lannisters room and they enjoyed good starts across the board.  Rich Hill and Walker Buehler didn’t allow an earned run.  This was just enough to win ERA and WHIP.  Thanks to the strong offensive numbers, the Lannisters coasted to a 6-3-1 win.  Although the Lannisters are likely out of the battle for first, they are not yet giving up.

HP PhoeGnomes (5-12-2) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (3-12-4)

The week’s final match saw the Goofballs earn a win against the PhoeGnomes.  Both teams have struggled this year and Kevin was desperate for a victory.  His win stemmed from great pitching.  He had the second best ERA and WHIP in the league thanks to a series of strong starts.  Kyle Hendricks was the best with two starts and a 1.29 ERA.  David Price was excellent and didn’t allow an earned run in his single start.  Kevin easily took wins.  However, Heather was more efficient in fewer innings and took strikeouts.  She also took saves thanks to three from Bud Norris.  This gave Kevin a slim 3-2 lead.

On offense, Kevin was superior in most categories.  Javier Baez led the way with three home runs and eight RBI.  Anthony Rizzo had two, as did Kyle Schwarber.  Five players had steals.  This was enough to win several categories.  Heather was able to take OBP but the power just wasn’t there.  Ronald Acuna Jr. had two home runs and a 0.607 SLG.  Nolan Arenado was solid, but it wasn’t enough.  Kevin took four categories and captures a strong 7-3 win.  While the Goofballs have suffered through a miserable season, Kevin can take some solace in picking up the win here.

Next Week

The week’s biggest match features the Possums and Lannisters.  Rick will have to fight hard to hold on to first place.  The Armadillos turn their attention to the Legion in their quest to advance.  The Lasershow and Goofballs meet, as do the Thunderwolves and PhoeGnomes.

RK Possums (10-3-5) vs.  CP Legion (5-6-5)

The Possums remained in first place with the best all-around performance in the league for Week 17.  Rick led the league in strikeouts, WHIP, and ERA.  He tied for first in wins and saves.  The strong pitching effort was led by Corey Kluber, Justin Verlander, and Miles Mikolas.  The trio was dominant, while Trevor Bauer and Max Scherzer contributed good starts.  The Legion were not competitive in pitching after a down week from Robbie Ray and the continued struggles of Luis Severino.  Carlos Martinez landed on the DL, as did Lance McCullers Jr..  Hector Rondon picked up two saves and Julio Teheran got a win, but that was all of the Legion could offer.  Rick claimed a 5-0 sweep.

The Possums also put up solid offensive numbers.  Joey Gallo and Khris Davis each had three home runs.  Evan Gattis led the team with a 0.733 SLG.  Charlie Blackmon was ineffective, but Didi Gregorious made up for it with a nice two home run week.  The Legion tried to stay close, and led the league in steals.  Jose Ramirez captured three and Cody Bellinger added two more.  The team totaled and incredible nine.  They also posted the better OBP thanks to Ramirez and a good week from Paul Goldschmidt and several role players.  Unfortunately for Chris, the Possums had too much of a lead from pitching and the week’s result was never in doubt.  The Possums cruised to an 8-2 win and remain tied for first place.

HP PhoeGnomes (5-9-2) vs.  JK Lannisters (8-2-6)

After a series of close contests, the Lannisters finally caught a break against the PhoeGnomes.  Jeff’s squad led the league in home runs, OBP, and SLG while finishing second in RBI.  The strong offensive base came from a red-hot Nelson Cruz and Jose Abreu.  The pair combined for seven home runs and 14 RBI.  Asdrubal Cabrera had a good week with two home runs and four RBI.  The multi-position player had a 0.680 SLG for the week.  Abreu led the team with a 1.000 SLG and Bryce Harper came in at 0.857.  Heather had a good week from Joc Pederson, who had three home runs.  She also took steals thanks to four from Trea Tuner.  However, this was the only category in which the PhoeGnomes were competitive and the Lannisters took at 4-1 lead into the pitching categories.

Heather’s pitching was never a factor thanks to a nightmare outing from Steven Matz.  He was injured after just 0.2 innings pitched.  He allowed seven earned runs, had a 94.50 ERA and 13.50 WHIP.  Jhoulys Chacin wasn’t a lot better – he allowed eight earned runs in just 4.1 innings pitched.  His 16.62 ERA, when paired with Matz’s debacle, took heather out of contention for the rate stats.  The Lannisters didn’t have the best pitching, and the bullpen didn’t contribute.  However, Heather’s ERA hole was far too deep, and the Lannsiters held on for a 6-3-1 win that wasn’t as close as the score indicated.  Jeff’s team remains firmly in the hunt for the title despite massive injury woes.

SM Lasershow (4-8-4) vs.  LK Armadillos (11-4-1)

The Armadillos barely held on to beat the Lasershow and remain tied for first place.  Neither team had strong offensive numbers.  Both sides struggled to get their SLG over 0.400.  The Lasershow had more home runs thanks to two each from Travis Shaw and Christian Yelich.  Yelich had 12 total hits and a 0.723 SLG.  The Armadillos countered with a big week from Trevor Story, who had three home runs and 10 RBI.  Five different Armadillos had a steal.  This led to a relative split – Sean took three categories to the Armadillos’ two.

The Lasershow had decent pitching and easily beat the Armadillos in ERA.  However, Larry’s team threw more innings and had better strikeouts and saves totals.  Derek Rodriguez was the only player on the Armadillos to throw more than six innings in his start.  Jack Flaherty and Luke Weather were atrocious in two starts, but their low innings totals helped the Armadillos fight back in WHIP.  Sean’s fewer innings pitched meant that his relievers had more influence on WHIP, and a handful of bad outings (including one on Sunday) flipped the critical category.  The Armadillos escaped with a narrow win and maintain their dreams of another title.

KG Capital City Goofballs (3-9-4) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (5-10-1)

The week’s final match was for pride, as the two teams were both at the bottom of the standings.  The Thunderwolves rose to the occasion and dominated the Goofballs to stay out of last place.  In fact, the Thunderwolves posted the second-best week behind the Possums thanks to their strong pitching.  Aaron Nola and James Paxton were great in four total starts.  They threw 28.0 innings pitched, struck out 23, and had a combined 1.93 ERA.  Vince Velasquez had a nice start as well.  The Goofballs weren’t competitive after a Tyler Skaggs implosion.  However, Kevin’s team was more efficient and racked up strikeouts despite giving up more runs.  They also earned more wins, though two of them came from bullpen arms.  This caused a 2-2-1 tie before counting batting.

Kyle put up the best offensive numbers besides the Lannsiters.  He led the league in RBI, was second in SLG, and near the top in home runs and OBP.  The key was Rougned Odor, who had four home runs and 10 RBI.  He had a 0.520 OBP and 1.053 SLG for the week.  Rhys Hoskins had a strong week, and Shin-Soo Choo added two home runs.  Kevin got a big week from Javier Baez, but it wasn’t enough.  Kyle dominated up and down the lineup and took all five categories.  The win keeps Kyle out of last place, and continues the Goofballs’ 2018 misery.  The win shifts Kyle all the way into fifth place, just a game behind the Legion for fourth.  Kevin is now a full game behind both the PhoeGnomes and Lasershow in the quest to stay out of the league’s basement.

Next Week

Week 18 had one monster contest – the Lannisters and Armadillos meet in what is almost a must-win for the Lannisters.  The Possums take on the PhoeGnomes, who struggled mightily last week and have something to prove.  The Legion hope to stay in the first division and battle the fading Goofballs.  Finally, the Thunderwolves hope they can stay hot against the Lasershow.  Both teams have shown improved play lately, and this could be an interesting match.

RK Possums (9-3-3) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (5-9-1)

The Possums remained in a tie for first place thanks to a dominant showing against the Thunderwolves.  Rick had the second best overall showing for the week.  He had good numbers on both offense and pitching.  The Possums were near the top of the league in home runs, RBI, and SLG.  Khris Davis feasted on bad Ranger pitching with five home runs and 13 RBI.  He led the team with a 0.774 SLG.  Eugenio Suarez was close behind with another five home runs and nine RBI.  The team didn’t record a stolen base, and Kyle captured this category with a league-leading eight steals, five of which came from Whit Merrifield.  Rhys Hoskins had a great week, too.  He hit five home runs and had nine RBI.  This secured the category for the Thunderwolves.  Kyle was close in OBP, but Rick held him off and took a 3-2 lead.

On pitching, the Possums continued their solid overall production.  They led the league in wins and WHIP thanks to gems from Matt Scherzer and Trevor Bauer.  The pair struck out 21 in 15.0 innings pitched.  Neither allowed a run and they totaled for just eight baserunners.  This gave the Possums the foundation they needed.  Marco Gonzales and Justin Verlander added serviceable starts and the team nailed down all of the categories they needed for a victory.  Kyle never had a chance after implosions from Nick Kingham and Felix Hernandez.  Rick earned a safe 8-2 win and continued his quest to wrestle the title away from the Lannisters.

LK Armadillos (10-4-1) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (3-8-4)

The Armadillos also got the job done with relative ease against the Goofballs, but the result was closer than that of the Possums/Thunderwolves match.  The Armadillos took four of five offensive categories, and none of them were in doubt.  J.D. Martinez had three home runs (and one other that was removed after a postponement).  Alex Bregman and Matt Chapman added two more each.  Stephen Piscotty was strong in part-time duty with a 0.600 SLG.  By contrast, the Goofballs struggled to get anything going on offense.  Brian Dozier had a couple of steals and Kevin won the category, but he found himself in a 4-1 hole before accounting for pitching.

Neither team had good pitching stats.  Injuries have certainly played a part in both teams’ problems, and the ugly results were on display here.  The Armadillos bullpen was able to come through with five saves, but with terrible peripherals.  Craig Kimbrel had an 8.10 ERA along with two saves.  Kevin managed more wins, but they were the only three starts that were any good from his starters.  Several others bombed, and the bullpen also blew up.  The Armadillos were more efficient and had more strikeouts, but neither team had a good ERA.  WHIP also went to the Armadillos.  Kevin had a chance on pitching, but couldn’t get the one or two starts he needed to make the overall match competitive.  The Armadillos are still in a tie for first place, and the Goofballs’ nightmare 2018 continues as they sit a half game behind the Thunderwolves in sole possession of last place.

JK Lannisters (8-2-5) vs.  SM Lasershow (4-8-3)

The Lasershow enjoyed their best stats of 2018 but only managed a tie against the resourceful Lannisters.  Sean had some of the best pitching numbers in the league.  He led the league in ERA and was second in wins.  Trevor Williams and Kyle Freeland were excellent, and did not allow a run in either of their starts.  However, the Lasershow made a strategic decision to start only five pitchers.  This basically forfeited strikeouts to the Lannisters.  Jeff enjoyed clutch Sunday performances from stopgaps Nate Eovaldi and Carlos Rodon.  The pair were sharp and decreased the Lannisters’ WHIP dramatically.  Despite leading for most of the week, Sean lost the category and the Lannsiters narrowly took three pitching categories.  This was critical given the Lasershow’s offensive explosion.

Sean got a monster four home run, eight RBI week from Salvador Perez.  He also got three home runs and 10 RBI from Christian Yelich.  David Peralta was the only Lasershow batter with more than eight at-bats who had a SLG under 0.450.  Sean led the league in home runs, RBI, and SLG.  The Lannisters tried their best to keep up, and led the league in ERA while finishing second in SLG.  They were also tied for second in steals.  Mike Trout was on fire with three home runs, four steals, and seven RBI.  Jose Abreu emerged from a slump with three home runs.  On most weeks, this would have been enough for a win.  The Lasershow were able to win SLG by a small margin after a strong Sunday from Scooter Gennett.

The tie is a good result for the Lasershow against the Lannisters, but Sean has to be somewhat disappointed in the swing in WHIP that cost him the outright win.  The Lannisters once again withstood a monstrous effort and avoided the loss.  With head-to-head battles against both the Possums and Armadillos looming, the tie is almost as good as a win for standings purposes.  The three teams are still almost deadlocked with multiple meetings that will decide the title.

HP PhoeGnomes (5-8-2) vs.  CP Legion (4-6-5)

The week’s final match saw the Legion win an ugly battle against the PhoeGnomes.  Heather’s offense was ice cold with low RBI and steal totals.  The Legion posted solid numbers across the board.  Yasmani Grandal provided great value with four home runs.  Michael Conforto and Paul Goldschmidt each had two home runs of their own.  Adalberto Mondesi had three steals, as did Jose Ramirez.  Chris cleared and easy five category sweep.

Neither team had good pitching stats and both team’s rate numbers were at the bottom of the league.  The list of struggles is a long one for each team.  Shane Bieber, Ross Stripling, and Junior Guerra imploded for the PhoeGnomes.  They undid the good work for Chris Sale, Madison Bumgarner, and Jhoulys Chacin.  These three pitchers allowed just three total runs in their three starts.  The fact that the PhoeGnomes’ team ERA was well over 5.00 shows how bad the others were.  Robbie Ray and Sean Newcomb also allowed only three runs in three starts for the Legion.  Their work was wasted by traumatic outings from Luis Severino, Nick Pivetta, and others.  Heather did manage to win saves, but Chris’s offensives sweep gave him enough cushion to win the battle despite poor pitching.

Next Week

The Lasershow hope to continue their hot streak against the Armadillos.  The week’s most interesting battle pits the Possums against the Legion.  Chris has the type of team that can give Rick trouble.  The Lannisters meet the slumping PhoeGnomes.  Finally, the Goofballs have a chance to climb out of the league’s dungeon against the Thunderwolves.  Kyle’s team has shown improvement this year, and neither team wants to suffer the pain of last place.

RK Possums (9-2-2) vs.  LK Armadillos (9-4-1)

The week’s most important match paired the league-leading Possums against the impressive Armadillos.  If the Possums won, they would extend their lead over the rest of the league.  With just ten weeks left to play, the Armadillos couldn’t afford to fall two games behind.  Rick put up an impressive pitching performance, but the Armadillos’ offense and bullpen rose to the occasion and earned the upset.

The Armadillos led the league in home runs and RBI.  They tied for the lead in steals and were second in SLG.  Ten Armadillos’ players had home runs, including four from Starling Marte and three from Alex Bregman, Trevor Story, and Greg Bird.  Bird led the team with 11 RBI, and Marte added 10 plus three steals.  Story and Ozzie Albies had two steals, and Billy Hamilton was the only player with more than 10 at-bats with a SLG under 0.455.  The Possums tried their best on offense, but couldn’t quite match up to the Armadillos.  Charlie Blackmon had 15 hits and two home runs.  Cesar Hernandez had 14 hits and a steal.  These performances were good enough to be close, but the Armadillos earned a clean five-category sweep.

The pitching matchup was much closer.  Rick relied on volume to build strong counting stats.  His pitchers combined for 83 strikeouts, easily the best total in the league.  Justin Verlander had 29 in 18.0 innings pitched, and Trevor Bauer stayed hot with 19 strikeouts over 12.0 IP.  Max Scherzer had the “worse” ERA for the week at 3.46.  With numbers like this, it seems like Rick would have run away on the pitching side.  However, the bullpen couldn’t record enough saves.  The Armadillos got four from Craig Kimbrel.  Despite a miserable start from Freddy Peralta, they also earned the ERA and WHIP titles based around fewer innings pitched.  On a normal week, Rick would have a good chance with a 2-3 pitching split.  However, the strong offense from the Armadillos put Rick in an untenable position where he needed to sweep.

The Armadillos earned a critical win to stay in the race.  For Rick, the loss represents a missed opportunity to put distance between himself and the rest of the field.  The two teams are now in a tie-breaker for first place, but both find themselves behind the Lannisters after a shocking turn of events on Sunday.

KG Capital City Goofballs (3-7-4) vs.  JK Lannisters (7-2-5)

The week’s most bizarre match featured the Goofballs and Lannisters.  After leading for most of the week, Kevin was shocked by a strange series of events on Sunday that left the Lannisters with an improbable victory.

The Goofballs appeared unstoppable on offense.  They were second in home runs, RBI, and steals.  They led the league in OBP and SLG by a wide margin.  Four Goofballs had more than 10 hits (Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo, Eddie Rosario, and Matt Carpenter).  Carpenter in particular was spectacular.  He had seven home runs, 11 RBI, a 0.615 OBP and 1.619 SLG.  Baez added three steals and two home runs.  The Goofballs’ subs were highly effective.  Six players had between 10 and 20 at-bats.  These players added six home runs and 14 RBI.  Five of those players had SLG over 0.550.  The Lannisters enjoyed a monster week from Mookie Betts, who had 17 hits.  Manny Machado, Jesus Aguilar, and Bryce Harper had three home runs each.  However, this wasn’t enough to turn any categories and Kevin won four almost unopposed.  Kevin led 8-6 in steals and seemed poised to earn a five category sweep.

On pitching, the Lannisters were more competitive.  Gerrit Cole was unhittable in two starts and picked up 19 strikeouts.  Jon Lester and Charlie Morton struggled but Jacob deGrom was exceptional.  This was enough for a solid team ERA and WHIP.  The bullpen was strong as well, finishing second in the league in saves.  Kevin was never competitive in ERA or WHIP.  Mike Montgomery undid a nice pair of starts by Chris Archer.  The bullpen didn’t record enough strikeouts to be a threat.  However, the team held a 3-2 edge in wins leading to Sunday.

Kevin entered Sunday with a 6-4 lead.  This seemed insurmountable since the Goofballs had a two steal lead and one win lead.  The Goofballs had one starter going.  Chris Archer was strong over six innings and recorded 13 strikeouts.  However, the team couldn’t muster enough offense to earn a victory.  This gave the Lannisters an opportunity with Jose Quintana starting against the Cardinals.  Kevin’s Cubs rallied to dominate the Cardinals and Quintana earned the victory.  However, this only tied the category.  Kevin still held a 5-4-1 lead.  Kevin responded by emptying his lineup to protect his lead in OBP.  The Lannisters started only their star players, and somehow three of them recorded steals.  Trout and Harper had early steals then Jean Segura untied the category with a late steal against the White Sox.  This flipped the category and delivered an improbably win to the Lannisters.  The shocking result is a bitter one for the Goofballs.  Elvis Andrus had a steal, but he was on the bench.  The miraculous win puts the Lannisters back in first place with a tie-breaker thanks to having fewer losses than the Possums and Armadillos.  The loss lands the Goofballs in last place, and few can argue that the team has experienced some of the worst luck this season.

SM Lasershow (3-8-3) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (5-7-2)

After the Armadillos upset the leading Possums, the Lasershow tried to become the second team to overtake a higher ranked squad.  Sean delivered one of his best performances of the season and proved his team is making positive strides.  Felipe Vazquez had five saves and eight strikeouts.  Kyle Barraclough added to saves, and Zach Britton notched three more.  This was enough to lead the league.  The success of the bullpen also gave the team a good base for ERA and WHIP.  Eduardo Rodriguez had two great starts and didn’t allow a run.  Kyle Freeland was serviceable over two starts and Trevor Williams came through.  This gave Sean the edge in ERA.  However, the PhoeGnomes were more efficient in about the same number of innings.  Heather had more strikeouts, a better WHIP, and more wins.  Chris Sale was unhittable in two starts, and Ross Stripling was solid in six innings.  This gave Heather a 3-2 lead.

The PhoeGnomes’ best offensive player was Nolan Arenado.  He had 12 hits, three home runs, and nine RBI.  However, several other PhoeGnomes regulars struggled.  Jose Altuve had a 0.231 SLG and Jose Bautista was ineffective over 33 at-bats.  Ian Happ was good in limited duty, but Brandon Nimmo had a 0.185 SLG over 27 at-bats.  In contrast, the Lasershow put on a strong offensive performance.  Christian Yelich led the way with 20 hits, 11 RBI, and two steals.  Yelich was joined by Salvador Perez and Francisco Lindor:  each had 10 hits and combined for four home runs and 22 RBI.  David Peralta was solid in limited work.  Overall, the Lasershow win four categories with ease.  This translated to a 5-4 victory.  The improved Lasershow continue to demonstrate that the team is making positive strides from the disastrous tenure of the previous ownership regime.

KK Thunderwolves (4-9-1) vs.  CP Legion (4-5-5)

The week’s final upset featured the Thunderwolves triumphing over the Legion.  Both teams put up decent offensive numbers and were evenly matched.  Chris took home runs, OBP, and SLG.  His top performer was Jose Ramirez.  He had 15 hits, six home runs, 13 RBI, and a steal.   Aaron Judge added 14 hits and Cody Bellinger had 11.  Jesse Winker was also strong in part-time work, with a 0.818 SLG and seven hits in 11 at-bats.  Kyle deployed four hitters with at least 10 hits, including Rhys Hoskins, Eduardo Escobar, Adam Eaton, and Corey Dickerson.  Wil Myers had three hits, as did Dickerson.  Kyle had strong production up and down his line up and took the lead in RBI.  Eaton had two steals, and Kyle won this category as well.  In total, Chris held a 3-2 lead.

The Thunderwolves created separation in the pitching categories.  The Legion suffered several meltdowns and had the worse ERA and WHIP in the league by far.  No legion starter had an ERA under 4.00.  Every Legion pitcher except for Hector Rondon and Raisel Iglesias had at least three earned runs (no pitcher had more than one start).  This gave Kyle plenty of room to win categories with average performances.  Chase Anderson had two great starts, and Aaron Nola was solid in two as well.  James Paxton was injured, and his 0.2 inning “start” raised the team ERA and WHIP.  However, the Legion’s struggles meant that Kyle could absorb this problem start.  Overall, the Thunderwolves dominated pitching 5-0 and cruised to a victory.

The Thunderwolves victory leaves the standings with two groups.  The Possums, Armadillos, and Lannisters are essentially tied at the top.  The next five teams are all at least four games back with 10 to play. However, these five teams are all within 1.5 games of each other.    It’s not impossible for one of these teams to climb upward, but they need to start a winning streak right now.

Next Week

After their landmark victory against the Possums, the Armadillos face the beleaguered Goofballs.  Kevin will never give up, and if the team can just find some pitching they can give the Armadillos a run.  The Possums move on to face the Thunderwolves.  Rick needs to get back on track, but Kyle can cause problems with his pitching.  The Lannisters take on the Lasershow, and the Legion and PhoeGnomes meet.

LK Armadillos (8-4-1) vs.  CP Legion (4-4-5)

The league’s most bitter rivalry took a lopsided turn as the Armadillos defeated the Legion in convincing fashion.  The Armadillos put up the best offensive numbers in the league and found enough pitching after a series of Legion implosions.  Leading the way on offense was Avisail Garcia, who had four home runs.  Nine different Armadillos’ players had homers.  J.D. Martinez had a pair and led the team with seven RBI.  For their part, the Legion had a good offensive showing.  Aason Judge had three home runs and Paul Goldschmidt had seven RBI.  Jose Ramirez had a five steal week, and Chris easily led the league in that category.  They also had a top-level OBP thanks go huge weeks from Yasmani Grandal and Andrew Benintendi.  This gave the Armadillos a narrow 3-2 category lead.

On pitching, the Legion were far less successful.  The starters struggled, especially Sean Newcomb.  He and Robbie Ray allowed ten runs each.  Lance McCullers had a great start, but Luis Severino had a poor effort.  Blake Snell stayed hot, but the Legion still finished with the league’s second worst ERA.  The Armadillos had great production all around and picked up wins and saves.  Craig Kimbel and Edwin Diaz had three saves each.  Freddy Peralta and Patrick Corbin had good starts, and this was more than enough to give the Armadillos easy wins in ERA, WHIP, wins, and saves.  The Legion were close in strikeouts, but the Armadillos cruised to a clean 8-2 win.

JK Lannisters (7-2-4) vs.  RK Possums (9-2-2)

The Lannisters and Possums met in a consequential match for the league’s standings.  Rick was able to do enough to pull out a narrow win and remain in first place.  Rick had the second best offense for the week.  Charlie Blackmon, Max Muncy, and Eugenio Suarez each had three home runs.  Aaron Hicks added two more.  The Lannisters were unable to challenge in home runs or SLG despite a three home run and nine RBI week from Jesus Aguilar.  However, the Lannisters managed to win steals and almost took OBP.  One hit or walk made the difference for the week and the Lannisters lost the category by just 0.0008.

The teams were evenly matched on pitching.  Rick was able to take wins but the Lannisters easily won saves.  Two Lannister starters suffered injuries, and the team was forced to rely on players like Jake Odorizzi and Nathan Eovaldi.  The pair did a great job, though, and gave Jeff the lead in strikeouts.  The Possums god a good week from Corey Kluber and Justin Verlander, though, and won ERA.  WHIP was close, but the Possums had an edge.  This gave them a narrow 6-4 win.  The victory puts the Possums in first place by 1.5 games.  The Possums also own the season tiebreaker over the Lannisters.  After years of success, it appears that a slew of injuries may doom the defending champs for this season.

HP PhoeGnomes (4-7-2) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (4-8-1)

 

The PhoeGnomes started the season slow, but have come back to life in recent weeks.  They have managed to avoid the ties that plague many of the top teams and are nearing 0.500 for the season.  This week the PhoeGnomes took care of the Thunderwolves despite a minor rules violation.  Heather’s offense was solid with two homer weeks from Jose Altuve and Trea Turner.  Matt Kemp showed that he still have value with a six RBI week.  Kyle didn’t have any answers on offense outside of steals.  Albert Pujols was particularly bad with a 0.091 SLG for the week.  Heather had an easy 4-1 lead before pitching.

There was some minor controversy on the final day of the week.  The PhoeGnomes accidentally started an extra pitcher, but the mishap didn’t affect the outcome.  The offending pitcher did not top either the wins, saves, or strikeouts categories.  These category wins were enough for victory for the week, so no score adjustments were needed.  ERA and WHIP were, of course, altered by the extra start, but both possible offending pitchers (Wade LeBlanc and Shane Bieber) had bad starts.  Therefore the PhoeGnomes were given a warning, but no other action is needed.  The win gives Heather more momentum heading into the second half.

KG Capital City Goofballs (3-6-4) vs.  SM Lasershow (2-8-3)

The week’s final match saw the Goofballs fall to the Lasershow in a minor upset.  Sean’s team had good offensive stats and took four of five categories.  Francisco Lindor had wo home runs, as did Yadier Molida.  David Peralta added ten hits and five RBI.  The Lasershow tied for the league lead in RBI, and dominated OBP and SLG.  Kevin had okay numbers, and all eight of his home runs came from different players.  However, Javier Baez’s three steals were the highlight for the Goofballs.

On pitching, the Goofballs’ woes continued.  Three pitchers had ERAs over 13.00.  Tyson Ross allowed eight runs in just 2.0 innings pitched.  Kevin got three wins, but two of them were from the bullpen.  The Lasershow staff was better, despite a bad Tyler Chatwood start.  Kyle Freeland was great in two starts and Michael Fulmer had a solid week.  Overall, the Lasershow cruised to a 7-2-1 win.  The Goofballs have the second-lowest ERA, WHIP, strikeout, and wins totals in the league.  Kevin needs to address his pitching, but there isn’t much value out there to be had.

Next Week

Week 15 is a long week, so remember to watch your pitcher limits.  The key match for the week is between the Armadillos and Possums.  Larry needs a win to avoid falling farther behind the Possums.  Rick has a chance to take solid control of first place with a win.  The Lannisters will try to keep pace against the struggling Goofballs.  The PhoeGnomes will try to keep up as well, against the Lasershow.  Finally, the Legion and Thunderwolves will face off.  Chris is still on the fringe of contention but needs a win.  Kyle is further behind, but has shown signs of life.

LK Armadillos (7-4-1) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (4-7-1)

The Armadillos convincing defeat of the Thunderwolves was the lone bright spot in a week of dreary ties.  The Armadillos put together the best offensive showing in the league.  Larry led the league in home runs, RBI and SLG.  Alex Breagman came alive with five home runs and ten RBI.  He also contributed two steals.  Nick Castellanos had three home runs and eight RBI.  The Thunderwolves had a decent offensive week highlighted by three home runs from Rhys Hoskins.  Kyle was also close in RBI.  The Thunderwolves got good production from the bottom of their roster with Wil Myers and Gregory Polanco adding home runs.  However, the Armadillos were too strong, and Kyle suffered a five category sweep despite having great home run and RBI totals.

The pitching battle was much closer.  Kyle led the league in strikeouts and wins.  James Paxton picked up two wins and struck out 21 in his two starts.  Vince Valasquez is the only Thuderwolves starter that didn’t pick up a victory.  The Armadillos countered with slightly better quality in fewer innings pitched.  Edwin Diaz picked up four saves, and the Armadillos easily won the single category they needed to clinch the week.  The team enjoyed a handful of good starts, and it was enough to cruise to victory.  The win was a good turnaround for the Armadillos, and the Thunderwolves put up one of their better efforts of the season in the loss.

CP Legion (4-4-4) vs.  JK Lannisters (7-2-3)

The Legion and Lannisters fought to a second tie for the season.  Neither team had stellar offensive numbers, but the Lannisters won three categories while the Legion took two.  Jesus Aguilar stayed hot with three home runs.  Bryce Harper added a home run and 10 walks.  However, the rest of the Lannisters failed to collect many RBI.  For example, Manny Machado had two home runs, 11 hits, and a 0.630 SLG.  He only had four RBI, though.  This gave Chris a key category win.  The Legion also took steals thanks to a good week from Jose Ramirez.  Aaron Judge had a nice three homer week.  This left pitching to decide the match.

Both teams had good efforts on pitching.  The Lannisters took the lead in ERA and WHIP early.  Charlie Morton was dominant in two starts, striking out 24.  The rest of the Lannisters staff was okay, and the team posted a good ERA for the week.  Chris had move victories and got two key dominant starts from Luis Severino and Blake Snell.  The two struck out 35 and allowed one earned run.  This gave Chris just enough of an edge in WHIP to tie the week.

KG Capital City Goofballs (3-6-3) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (4-7-1)

The second tie of the week happened for the PhoeGnomes and Goofballs.  Both teams had good offensive production.  They tied with 11 home runs.  The Goofballs won RBI and Heather took steals.  Javier Baez had two home runs and 11 RBI for the Goofballs.  Nolan Arenado led the PhoeGnomes with three.  Kevin maintained a slight edge in SLG and OBP.  He held a 3-1-1 lead before pitching.

Heather was able to rally on the pitching side.  She easily won ERA and WHIP.  The Goofballs were ineffective on the mound outside of the Tyler Skaggs and Kevin Gausman.  Five Goofballs had ERAs over 10.00.  Heather had good outings from Madison Bumgarner and Chris Sale, but suffered her own meltdown from Gio Gonzalez.  Gonzalez’s disastrous effort left Heather essentially one start short for the week.    Kevin couldn’t capitalize, though, and Heather won strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP.  The deadlock in wins left the two teams tied 4-4-2.  Heather had a chance to break the tie but Ross Stripling couldn’t match the great effort from Gausman.  Neither team can be happy with the tie, especially with the two deadlocked categories.  Heather is likely to be especially depressed – she left four home runs on her bench to Kevin’s one.

SM Lasershow (2-8-2) vs.  RK Possums (9-2-1)

The week’s final match saw a surprise upset.  The Lasershow tied the Possums on a rare down week for Rick.  The Possums offense couldn’t get going and their usual strong pitching couldn’t do enough to save the week.  Rick won three pitching categories to Sean’s two.  However, the team’s ERA and WHIP weren’t up to par.  The first culprit was Corey Kluber.  He struggled in one start with a 32.40 ERA.  Justin Verlander wasn’t overly effective, and JA Happ was a disaster.  Marco Gonzales and Miles Mikolas had good outings, and that was enough to bring ERA and WHIP under control.  Sean had a solid week up and down his starts, but no one had a real standout effort except for Kyle Freeland.  However, the Lasershow’s consistency paid off in wins and strikeouts.

On offense, neither team distinguished themselves.  Both team’s OBP and SLG were near the bottom of the league.  Sean had a excellent week in steals and led the league, though.  Josh Reddick led the way with two and four other Lasershow batters earned a steal.  The Possums had the better OBP thanks to Joey Votto and Max Muncy.  However, Votto’s OBP hid a low 0.286 SLG.  This lack of power hurt the Possums, and the lost SLG by a small margin.  The Lasershow took home runs late on Sunday thanks to a heroic effort by Francisco Lindor.  His homer overshadowed a great two home run day from Evan Gattis on Sunday.  The Possums are likely to be frustrated by the tie, and Sean is probably glad to have stayed competitive.  However, both teams had opportunities to break the tie, and neither could get quite enough production to grab a full victory.

Next Week

The key match for the week features the Lannisters and Possums.  The Lannisters need a win to keep pace, but their injury troubles keep getting worse and worse.  Meanwhile, Rick has to hope that his pitching rebounds to stay on top of the league.  The Armadillos and Legion renew the league’s most bitter rivalry.  With half of the season done, neither team can afford a loss.  The Goofballs and Lasershow hope to improve on their ties from Week 13.  Finally, the Thunderwolves and PhoeGnomes meet with both teams needing a victory to stay in the middle of the pack.

Guest League Update by Larry Kramer!

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next Week

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

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

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

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