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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next Week

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next Week

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next Week

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next Week

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next Week

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next Week

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next Week

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next Week

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

Elo Note

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

A series of weather events spoiled many games in Week 01.  The trend continued for Week 02.  Off days and cancellations created lineup chaos and left managers searching for options.  The net result was two ties and two narrow victories.

KK Thunderwolves (1-0) vs.  RK Possums (1-0)

The week’s most interesting match featured the Thunderwolves and Possums.  Both teams won in Week 01.  Rick was able to remain undefeated with a narrow 5-4-1 win.  The Possums’ best stats came from Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.  The pair made four starts, threw 31 innings pitched, struck out 41, and allowed just three runs.  Verlander had a 0.47 WHIP, but Scherzer was even better at 0.25.  Corey Kluber and Tanner Roark was almost as good in their two starts.  The team’s 0.57 WHIP over 58.1 IP was easily the best in the league and likely a record.

Kyle wasn’t able to compete in ERA or WHIP, but he made up some ground in counting stats.  The Thunderwolves had four wins from starters and a fluke victory from Jeurys Familia.  Poor starts from Alex Wood and Yu Darvish inflated Kyle’s rate stats, and Rick took strikeouts with a league leading total.  Kyle won saves, but Rick carried a 3-0-1 advantage into the hitting categories.

Both teams had good offensive weeks.  The Possums led the league in RBI and Kyle was tied for second in home runs.  Rick had a small lead in SLG while Kyle won steals and OBP by equally thin margins.  The Thunderwolves best player was DJ LeMahieu.  He had three home runs and a 0.800 SLG.  Rick answered with a monster four home run week from Khris Davis (who slugged 0.957).  Charlie Blackmon remained hot amid the rainouts and added two more home runs and a 1.000 SLG.  The Possums did just enough – they won two categories to Kyle’s three.  This was enough for Rick to record a win.

The Thunderwolves’ positive start is welcome, but injuries could be building.  Six of Kyle’s position players used in Week 02 are either on the DL or day-to-day.

JK Lannisters (1-0) vs.  SM Lasershow (1-0)

The other team to record a victory in Week 02 was the Lannisters.  The Lasershow put up a good fight early in the week.  However, the Lannisters’ depth carried the team late in the week.  Neither team had great pitching stats.  The Lannisters had the second-worst ERA in the league and the Lasershow weren’t far behind.  Sean had the fewest strikeouts and Jeff had the lowest win total.  The Lannisters were led by the Astros’ Charlie Morton.  He struck out 12 in just six innings pitched.  His good work was undone by a terrible Jose Quintana effort (2.1 IP / 7 earned runs).  Jameson Taillon had a good start for the Lasershow but Michael Fulmer was dreadful.  The Lannisters took a 3-2 lead thanks to an edge in saves.

The Lannisters were better on offense.  Mike Trout added three home runs while Bryce Harper stayed hot.  Matt Chapman was good in limited duty, as was Corey Seager.  The Lasershow got another good week from Yadier Molina.  Francisco Lindor showed signs of heating up with a 0.636 SLG.  Tommy Pham stole three bases.  Pham was open during the off season about wanting to run more, and he appears to be making good on his promise with five steals already.  By the end of the week Sean won steals with ease but the Lannisters were too much in the other categories.  The Lasershow held a lead early in the week but wasn’t able to close out.  The Lannisters earned an ugly win.  Neither team will be thrilled with their performances, but both have some momentum to carry into Week 03.

LK Armadillos (0-1) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (0-1)

The first of two ties this week belongs to the Goofballs and Armadillos.  After rainouts played havoc with both teams’ pitching matchups, the score was left at 5-5.  The two teams used a combined 44 players (22 each) on offense and 22 total pitchers.  This means that the two teams deployed 66 of their 80 total players.  I do not keep records on how many players enter games but this total has to be near the top.  It also demonstrates why the week was so challenging.  Players like Kole Calhoun, Jason Kipnis, Jesse Winker and Max Kepler saw action (though some were simply in games that were eventually rained out and thus contributed no stats.

Kevin had great power for the week.  Ten players hit home runs including two each from Scott Kingery, Javier Baez, and A.J. Pollock.  The Goofballs led the league in homers and SLG.  The Armadillos had good power too, including eight players with home runs.  They also totaled 12 steals thanks to four from Dee Gordon and three from Billy Hamilton.  This number easily led the league.  The Armadillos’ steal total was greater than every other team’s home run total for the week.  The Armadillos also edged a win in RBI despite a strong push by Kevin on Sunday.  Kevin took three categories but it would prove to be insufficient after counting pitching.

Larry went into Sunday losing several categories.  However, he started by Clayton Kershaw and Noah Syndergaard.  The pair scored 23 strikeouts in just 12.1 innings pitched.  At one point, the Mets game was in doubt and Bartolo Colon was the only available starter who could be used late in the day.  The Armadillos picked up Colon, who went into the eighth inning with a perfect game!  He wasn’t needed, though, since the Mets game was not postponed.  Kevin had worse luck with The Cubs/Braves and Twins/White Sox games were postponed.  However, the Armadillos were not able to take strikeouts despite leading the league in ERA and saves.  Four Armadillos’ relievers had at least two saves and Patrick Corbin allowed the most runs for the week at three.  The teams settled for a draw.  Though both would have liked to win, they are probably happy with just avoiding a loss after the chaos during the week.

HP PhoeGnomes (0-1) vs.  CP Legion (0-1)

The week’s final match saw the Legion and PhoeGnomes battle to a strange 4-4-2 tie.  The Legion were strong on offense and were at the top of the league in home runs, SLG, and OBP.  They easily bested Heather’s totals with room to spare in every category but steals.  Paul Goldschmidt led the way with four home runs, eight RBIs, and a 1.042 SLG.  Chris Taylor had a great week in limited time.  He contributed two home runs in just a few games played.  Heather struggled to find any offensive rhythm and ended up at the bottom of the league in all five offensive categories.  She managed to have more RBI than the Lasershow, but was last or tied for last in all four other categories.

Heather fared better on pitching.  She had a great week from Chris Sale who struck out 16 in just 11 IP.  Joey Lucchesi had a nice start as well.  Chris threw fewer innings and had a brilliant week from Carlos Martinez.  He struck out 15 min 13 IP and allowed just one earned run.  All of his good work was undone by a Lance McCullers implosion and general ineffectiveness from the rest of the rotation.  Heather won four categories with ease.  Both teams also recorded just one save.  This was a prime category for one team to gain the advantage but the bad weather again cost both teams.  Like the Armadillos and Goofballs, the Legion and PhoeGnomes are probably happy with a tie.  Both had opportunities and will try to get on track in the coming weeks.

Next Week

The Legion are off to a slow start and have to get things rolling against the Possums.  Rick is one of two undefeated managers and he will try his best to remain at the top of the league.  Heather and the PhoeGnomes take on the Lannisters, who have pitching and injury issues to deal with.  The Lasershow will have to take on the Armadillos, who have put up good numbers despite being winless.  Finally, the Goofballs meet the Thunderwolves.  Both teams need a win to build momentum.

The season opened with several impressive upsets.  The Thunderwolves, Lasershow, and Possums all took advantage of a long week to capture victories.  The Lannisters were to only favorite to win, but they had to fight off a determined Goofballs effort.  The long week gave teams the chance to start their best pitchers as many as three times.  A series of rainouts and odd scheduling decisions caused chaos as managers would find players inexplicably locked out of their lineups from postponements.  When put together, these factors created a volatile environment that produced unusual results.

HP PhoeGnomes vs.  SM Lasershow

The most surprising result of the week saw the Lasershow upset the PhoeGnomes.  Sean improved his team through trades and the draft this offseason.  However, he was still at a disadvantage to Heather’s star power.  He made up the difference with a strong pitching week.  The Lasershow had the best ERA in the league.  This is even more impressive considering the worst ERA was just 3.59.  Jameson Taillon was the star of the week with 14.1 innings pitched, five hits, and 16 strikeouts.  Archie Bradley and Michael Fulmer contributed great stats as well.

It seems like Heather should have been more competitive in ERA.  Luke Weaver, Gio Gonzalez, and Chris Sale combined for six starts, 33.2 IP, 38 strikeouts, and just five earned runs.  Their solid work was undone by a bad week from Blake Parker, a reliever.  He gave up four earned runs in just 4.2 IP.  Aaron Sanchez was worse for the Lasershow (7 earned runs in 11.2 IP) but Sean’s bullpen was more efficient.  The team also recorded seven more strikeouts over eight more innings pitched than the PhoeGnomes.  This gave Sean a 2-2-1 tie heading into the hitting categories.

Both teams struggled offensively, but Sean edged a win with good home run and RBI totals.  Justin Smoak had two homers and 10 RBI.  Yadier Molina was solid in part time duty with two home runs.  Other players like David Peralta had good OBPs (0.478) and SLGs (0.529).  This was enough to yield category victories in home runs, RBIs, SLG, and OBP.  Heather led the league in steals thanks to Trea Tuner, but the rest of the team struggled.  Paul DeJong managed a SLG of 0.067 in 15 at bats.  No PhoeGnome with more than 10 at bats had a SLG over 0.500.  The end result was an upset for Sean and a series of lingering questions for Heather.  Sean has also won the most opening day match-ups (three) over the past four seasons.  He hopes to continue the trend and move into the upper tier of the league.

RK Possums vs.  LK Armadillos

The Possums and Armadillos are known for having tough, intense battles.  This week was no exception.  Both teams had strong power numbers, but oddly low rate stats.  Each team had 14 home runs and combined for 80 RBIs.  However, neither team was able to get over 0.400 SLG and only the Possums were able to get their OBP over 0.300.

Charlie Blackmon had four home runs and Joey Gallo added three for the Possums.  Five other Possums players had homers as well.  Didi Gregorious added two steals and a solid OBP and SLG in limited work.  Other Possums stars were less efficient at getting on base.  Gallo and Khris Davis were well below 0.300.  Joey Votto managed just a 0.226 SLG.  These results caused an odd mix of high home run and RBI totals but low rate stats.

The Armadillos had ten different players with home runs, including three from Giancarlo Stanton.  Starling Marte added two steals.  Nick Castellanos had 11 hits to lead the team.  However, only three Armadillos’ players had an OBP over 0.350.  Gary Sanchez had a particularly bad week.  He had just two hits in 31 at bats.  Dee Gordon’s three steals gave Larry the category, and the Armadillos took OBP.  The Possums grabbed both rate stats, and the teams tied in home runs.  This meant pitching would decide the match-up.

Rick relied on two starts each from three of his best pitchers – Scherzer, Kluber, and Tanaka.  The three answered the challenge with 38.1 innings pitched, eight earned runs, and 46 strikeouts.  This set a strong foundation that was supplemented by good bullpen work.  The Armadillos countered with Clayton Kershaw and Noah Syndergaard.  The duo started five games, but were more hittable than Rick’s best pitchers.  More importantly, they only earned one win between them (despite a really good week from Kershaw).  The teams threw about the same number of innings but Rick recorded ten more strikeouts.  Larry dominated saves, but the team couldn’t compete in ERA or WHIP.

The pitching stalemate gave Rick a close 5-3-2 victory.  The Armadillos had a good chance to earn a tie at the end, but fell just one home run and win short.  Both teams have concerns on the offensive side, but the pitching performances were both encouraging.  The Armadillos will need to regroup while the Possums can carry some confidence into their next matchup.

KK Thunderwolves vs. CP Legion

The week’s third upset featured the Thunderwolves overtaking the Legion.  Kyle relied on a surprising offensive output and an incredible bullpen to gain the victory.  Kyle’s stars included Ryan Braun and Gregory Polanco.  The two each and two home runs and combined for 13 RBI.  Rhys Hoskins added a home run and two steals.  Dansby Swanson showed improvement with a home run, a steal, and OBP and SLG near the top of the team.  Swanson was a bust last season, and Kyle needs him to make significant progress to compete.  He showed positive signs in Week 01.

Chris suffered the same fate as Rick and Larry – his team hit a lot of home runs but struggled to get men on base or develop a high SLG number.  Miguel Sano had the best week with three home runs and a 0.727 SLG.  Paul Goldschmidt had 10 walks and Aaron Judge provided some power.  Carlos Correa started strong with two home runs and nine RBI, but there was little other power to be found.  Kyle had a strong lead in steals and took three other categories to Chris’s one (home runs).

The Legion fared better in pitching.  They led the league in strikeouts and wins by a wide margin.  They were near the top in ERA and WHIP and tied for the lead in saves.  Luis Severino and Carlos Martinez combined for four starts, 29 strikeouts, three wins, and just six earned runs.  Robbie Ray struggled in two starts, but did manage 17 strikeouts over 11 innings pitched.  Roberta Osuna was a star out of the bullpen with four saves.  Kyle answered with a huge week from Jeurys Familia who had four saves of his own.  The teams tied for the league lead with eight saves.  Chris had a clear edge in strikeouts, wins, and ERA.  However, Kyle had a superior WHIP.  Carlos Martinez and Robbie Ray each allowed eight walks.  By comparison, Aaron Nola gave up the most for Kyle and had only 5 in 10.1 innings.  Kyle’s pitchers were less wild and his edge in the category gave him a narrow 5-4-1 win.

After a challenging season, Kyle is likely thrilled to open the year win a win.  The Legion are stunned but will try to rebound when the schedule evens out.

JK Lannisters vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs

The week’s final match didn’t feature an upset but it was still competitive until the end.  The Goofballs started strong with a good offensive push.  Brian Dozier had four home runs and a steal.  Freddie Freeman had a monster week with two home runs, 11 RBI, and 13 walks.  Elvis Andrus started strong with a home run and an OBP over 0.400.  In total, ten different Goofballs had home runs.

The Lannisters started the week cold but answered late in the week with an explosion of power.  The Lannisters led the league in home runs, RBI, OBP, and SLG.  They even finished second in steals.  Mike Trout started strong with three home runs and two steals.  Bryce Harper was unstoppable with six home runs, 12 RBI, 13 walks, and a steal.  The Lannisters depth showed its strength, too.  Justin Upton and Marcell Ozuna each had a home run and combined to slug well over 0.600 in part-time duty.  The offensive sweep put the Lannisters into a good position.

On pitching, neither team was as effective as some others in the league.  Gerrit Cole was a star for the defending champs – he threw 14 innings and struck out 22.  Much of his good work was undone by a terrible outing from Jon Lester.  Wade Davis led the way from the bullpen with four saves.  Kevin had a good week from David Price, but the team’s other starters were up and down.  Jose Berrios had one good start and one weak one.  The Goofballs had about eight more innings pitched than the Lannisters, but they lost the strikeouts category.  The Lannisters managed a few more saves and wins, and took the week with relative comfort by the weekend.

The Goofballs can take some comfort in their collective performance.  They would have been competitive against all of the other teams in the league.  The Lannisters put the league on notice that their offense is still a force and the pitching staff is showing signs of improvement.

Next Week

Now that the first long week is over, teams can prepare for more regular schedules and off-days in Week 02.  The Lasershow will try to continue their strong performances against the tough Lannister squad.  The Goofballs and Armadillos will try to pick up their first wins, as will the PhoeGnomes and Legion.  Finally, the Possums and Thunderwolves meet in an earlier battle to stay undefeated.