LK Armadillos (5 – 3 – 4) vs.  JK Lannisters (8 – 4)

The Lannisters exacted more revenge on the Armadillos for last year’s title win, this time with a Sunday power surge.  The Armadillos put up solid numbers and easily won steals.  DJ LeMahieu had two home runs and 10 RBI.  Eleven total Armadillos players had at least one home run.  On most weeks this would be enough to win.  However, the Lannisters dominated RBI with 52, including 15 on Sunday to lead the league.  Manny Machado was on fire with four home runs and eight RBI.  Jean Segura had three in limited playing time.  Matt Chapman had three and nine RBI.  In total, the Armadillos won three categories, but the Sunday barrage gave the Lannisters two.

On pitching, the Armadillos suffered the same fate as the Legion and PhoeGnomes.  Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu allowed 15 earned runs in 17.0 IP.  The team managed single quality start for the week and had the second worst ERA and SLG in the league.  In contrast, the Lannisters had the best ERA total in the league and were second in strikeouts, WHIP, and quality starts.  Gerrit Cole was in the middle of the action with two quality starts and 13 strikeouts.  Luis Castillo rebounded for a nice outing.  Overall, the Lannisters were able to capture the win and stay in first place ahead of the Possums.  The win is the second over the Armadillos this year, meaning there is no way Larry can win a possible tie breaker this time around – The Lannisters will have that advantage.

SM Lasershow (1 – 11) vs.  RK Possums (7 – 4 – 1)

The Possums needed a win to keep pace with the Lannisters.  Though they didn’t have the Lannisters’ strong pitching, Rick had enough hitting and pitching volume to win the week.  The Possums led the league in home runs, steals, OBP and SLG.  Max Muncy led the way with three home runs and 12 RBI.  Joey Gallo had three home runs as well and Ronald Acuna had four steals.  Ten different Possums had at least one home run.  The Lasershow had decent hitting as well, but it wasn’t enough to win a category.  Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had three home runs in the losing effort.

Neither team had dominant pitching stats but the Possums led the league in quality starts with five.  The Lasershow also failed to record a save.  Trevor Bauer and Max Scherzer totaled 36 strikeouts in 22.2 IP.  Jesse Chavez also added a nice quality start.  Max Fried pitched well for the Lasershow, as did Mike Minor.  However, they were only able to take ERA while the Possums took all of the counting stats and WHIP.  This was enough for Rick to earn a win and stay close behind the Lannisters at the top of the league.

KK Thunderwolves (5 – 5 – 2) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (6 – 5 – 1)

The Thunderwolves and PhoeGnomes met in a battle between two fairly hot teams.  Neither team posted great offensive numbers but Kyle earned the victory thanks to good pitching stats and several PhoeGnomes’ players’ meltdowns.  The Thunderwolves led the league in both ERA and WHIP.  Aaron Nola stayed hot by striking out 10 in his only start.  Lance Lynn bounced back to strike out ten as well.  Zack Greinke was solid over two starts.  The PhoeGnomes managed more strikeouts in fewer innings, but several pitchers suffered catastrophic failures.  Blake Snell, Chris Sale, and Zach Eflin allowed 21 earned runs in 21.1 IP.  This volume of poor quality innings left quality starts, ERA, and WHIP well out of reach, though Heather did win saves.  Kyle held a 3-2 advantage before accounting for offense.

The Thunderwolves were slightly more consistent on offense and narrowly won all five categories.  Rhys Hoskins had three home runs and Josh Bell added two more.  Nick Senzel had two steals.  The PhoeGnomes failed to steal a base.  Matt Olson was strong for Heather with three home runs, but the rest of the offense didn’t click.  The team’s home runs, RBI, steals, and SLG were worst win the league, and their OBP was next to last.  Kyle earned a solid win and stayed above 0.500.  Heather suffered her first down week in a while and will need to regroup next week.

KG Capital City Goofballs (5 – 6 – 1) vs.  CP Legion (6 – 5 – 2)

The Goofballs and Legion struggled to a tie for the week.  The Legion offense was strong, but the pitching staff undid their hard work.  Kevin did just enough to force the tie on the week’s final day of play.  Kevin put up solid offensive numbers.  Juan Soto and Anthony Rendon each had two home runs.  However, the Legion were superior in all of the other categories.  They were second in the league in RBI, steals, OBP, and SLG, and third in home runs.  David Dahl had three homers and eight RBI in relatively few at bats.  Four other Legion players had two home runs, and Trea Turner had four steals.  This was enough to sweep all five categories.

On pitching, neither team was great but the Legion struggled to a greater extent than the Goofballs.  Chris’s team had a 6.11 ERA, but what is truly shocking is that this was only the third worst ERA for the week!  The Legion also joined the Lasershow to earn the dubious honor of not recording a save for the week.  The Goofballs easily won ERA, WHIP, and saves.  However, they needed a strong performance from Miles Mikolas on Sunday to earn a quality start and record enough strikeouts to win both categories.  The Legion were let down by Robbie Ray who failed to get out of the fourth inning.  The tie means that both teams lose some ground to the Thunderwolves, Lannisters, and Possums.  However, given the relatively poor performances, each is probably happy with the result.

Next Week

This week is the long All Star week, so each team can start a maximum of 10 pitchers with a minimum of 7.  Remember that the minimum will still show as five on the site, so we will count at the end of the week to make sure everyone has enough starts.  The Possums face the Armadillos in a critical grudge match.  The PhoeGnomes will try to return to winning form against the Lasershow.  The Lannisters and Goofballs meet in yet another long-week match.  Finally, the Thunderwolves and Legion meet in a critical battle to emerge from the middle of the league.

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

The week’s best performance belongs to the Armadillos.  After a slow start the defending champs are beginning to find more consistency and move up in the standings.  This week’s victim was the Goofballs.  The Armadillos led the league in home runs, RBI, and SLG.  They were second in OBP to the Lannisters.  Pete Alonso had a massive week with four home runs and eight RBI.  Gary Sanchez added three home runs of his own and nine RBI.  Four other Armadillos’ players had two home runs.  Even part timers like Domingo Santana were solid – he had two homers, five RBI, and four walks in just 14 at-bats.  Freddie Freeman tried to keep the Goofballs close with two home runs and 10 RBI, but it wasn’t enough to compete in non-steals categories.  Larry won four categories with ease before accounting for pitching.

Neither team had elite pitching but the Armadillos were competitive with the rest of the league and easily outmatched the Goofballs.  Clayton Kershaw and Mike Fiers had solid starts.  Brandon Woodruff had 18 strikeouts over 13.0 IP.  Brad Hand and the relief corps were dominant.  The Goofballs threw slightly more innings and had a higher strikeout total than Larry’s team, but it wasn’t enough.  Poor starts from Lucas Giolito and Joey Lucchesi put the team out of contention in the rate stats, and the Armadillos cruised to an easy win.  The loss drops the Goofballs below 0.500 and the Armadillos continue their steady march up the standings.

JK Lannisters (7 – 4) vs.  SM Lasershow (1 – 10)

The Lannisters remained in first place despite a spirited challenge from the Lasershow.  Both teams put up excellent offensive numbers.  The Lannisters led the league in OBP and were second in home runs, RBI, SLG, and steals.  As usual, Mike Trout was at the center of the offense with three home runs, 10 RBI, and a steal.  Mookie Betts added a home run and two steals.  Manny Machado had three home runs and eight RBI.  Matt Chapman remained hot with two home runs in limited duty.  Sean got great production from Christian Yelich.  He had three home runs and a steal.  Jeff McNeil had two home runs and two steals.  Overall the Lasershow’s offense was solid, but it couldn’t quite keep pace with the Lannisters.  Sean tied for third in home runs, led the league in steals, and was third in SLG.

The Lannisters gained greater separation on pitching.  They led the league in strikeouts, quality starts, ERA, and were second in WHIP.  Jacob deGrom returned to form with 19 strikeouts over 14.1 IP and two quality starts.  Walker Buehler also earned a quality start and struck out 16 in a complete game three-hitter.  This level of production covered for a few down outings from Luis Castillo and some bullpen hijinks.  Sean got a few decent pitching performances but his starters had trouble lasting deep enough into games to compete in strikeouts or quality starts.  Sergio Romo was solid with two saves, but the team could only tie this single category.  The Lannisters won four others and earned a win.  The match was probably closer than the score indicated, and the Lasershow continue to show competitive fire, but seem to always face a hot team.

RK Possums (7 – 4) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (5 – 5 – 1)

The week’s most bizarre result belongs to the Possums and Thunderwolves.  The final outcome of this match rested on a tie in both SLG and OBP.  I can’t remember another time in which this has happened.  The week started well for the Thunderwolves.  They had strong pitching from Aaron Nola who struck out 10 in just 8.0 IP.  German Marquez added another eight strikeouts in 8.0 IP.  Lance Lynn provided valuable innings and one quality start.  This was enough to top the Possums in ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts, despite Justin Verlander 17 strikeouts in 14.0 IP.  Verlander also allowed seven earned runs, and likely cost the Possums the victory had he been only slightly more effective.  Max Scherzer also had a nice start for the Possums and their bullpen was effective.  This gave Rick two categories to Kyle’s three before accounting for offense.

Neither team posted great offensive numbers but both were competitive.  Gleyber Torres was outstanding for the Thunderwolves – he had three home runs and nine RBI.  Whit Merrifield added two home runs, as did Nick Senzel.  This was enough to edge the Possums in both categories.  The Possums struggled to show much power or RBI capability.  Three Possums’ players had three home runs but totaled just eight RBI.  Each team lacked doubles power and neither had a good OBP.  This led to a bizarre situation where Rick won steals, OBP, and SLG despite the scoreboard showing ties in OBP and SLG.  This happens when the numbers are so close that they round to the same value.  However, the Possums must have had the higher value before rounding.  For example, Rick could have had a 0.3187 OBP vs. the Thunderwolves’ 0.3186.  Each rounds to 0.319 but the Possums’ number is slightly higher.  Under the old system, you could view the actual value out the three decimal places.  However, this is not possible on the new site.  It is also impossible to calculate the SLG numbers since doubles and triples are not broken out for the week.

However, it is possible to calculate OBP.  Something bizarre happens, though.  When I used the inputs the game displays on the scoreboard summary, I get a different OBP than what is shown.  I don’t know if it does not count HBP or something else, but I cannot replicate the 0.319 OBP.  The chart above shows what I calculated, which does have the Possums ahead in the category but with a different value.  If anyone has any idea what could be happening here please let me know.  As it stands now, the Possums managed to squeak by in both categories and sneak away with a tie.  The Thunderwolves are likely devastated by the result and know that a single hit or out would have turned the tide for either category and give him the win.

CP Legion (6 – 4 – 1) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (5 – 5 – 1)

The week’s final match saw the PhoeGnomes outlast the Legion thanks to some major pitching shenanigans.  Heather posted mediocre pitching numbers that ordinarily would have lost categories.  She had good saves and quality starts totals but a few bad outings left her near the bottom for ERA and WHIP.  Madison Bumgarner had a blow-up that undid a nice Shane Bieber outing.  Cole Hamels was solid, but Chris Sale was pedestrian.  Normally this would spell trouble, but the Legion were somehow even worse.  They were last in the league in ERA and WHIP, second to last in strikeouts and quality starts, and failed to record a save.  Trevor Williams was at the core of the meltdown with seven earned runs in 5.0 IP.  Andrew Heaney was equally bad, giving up five in just 3.2 IP.  Even the two quality starts met the bare minimum threshold of 6.0 IP and three earned runs.  Overall the staff was simply not competitive and Heather swept the categories with ease.

On offense the Legion were better, but it was too little, too late.  Yordan Alvarez had three home runs and eight RBI, and Yasmani Grandal added another pair of home runs.  Three Legion players managed a steal, and Heather did not have the power to compete.  However, she managed to win steals and this was enough to ensure that she took the week overall.  Even a tie in steals wouldn’t save the Legion, those Jose Ramirez tried to do his part.  The loss is the third straight for the Legion, who need to revamp their pitching approach.  The win also moves up the PhoeGnomes, who are now over 0.500 and in the mix for the title.

Next Week

Next week’s biggest match features the Lannisters and Armadillos.  The Lannisters have long struggled with the Armadillos, and need a win to stay on top.  The Possums will try to keep rolling against the Lasershow.  The Legion and Goofballs both need a win to get back on track.  Finally, the PhoeGnomes and Thunderwolves meet in an interesting match with heavy implications for the standings.

RK Possums (6 – 4 – 0) vs.  CP Legion (6 – 3 – 1)

The most important match of the week saw the Legion and Possums battle for first place.  Rick captured a decisive victory behind the best overall performance of the week.  The Possums led the league in SLG and were near the top in RBI, home runs, and OBP.  The Legion posted decent offensive numbers, but they were not enough to challenge for any categories except steals.  The Possums rallied behind Charlie Blackmon.  He had an incredible week with six home runs, 15 RBI, a 0.568 OBP and 1.216 SLG.  Eight other Possums players had a home run.  Eleven players had SLG above 0.500.  The team-wide performance was enough to win four categories.  Chris had a decent week with three home runs each from Cody Bellinger and Yordan Alvarez.  Adalberto Mondesi added a couple of steals, but this was the only category the Legion would win.

The Legion needed a strong pitching performance to have a chance, but unfortunately for Chris, it was the Possums who had dominant numbers.  Rick led the league in strikeouts, quality starts, ERA, and WHIP.  Trevor Bauer rebounded after some poor starts to record two excellent quality starts.  He struck out 14 in 16.2 innings pitched.  He had a 0.54 ERA and 0.90 WHIP.  Julio Teheran provided good value in one start and Justin Verlander struck out 15 in just 7.0 IP.  This was enough for the Possums to dominate all five categories.  The Legion failed to record a save and several starters suffered meltdowns.  Adrian Sampson was miserable in one start and Mike Soroka struggled.  The Possums capitalized on this weakness and easily won the week.  This moved the Possums into a tie with the Lannisters for first place.  The Legion are left looking somewhat vulnerable after two consecutive losses.  However, both of these losses came to the Lannisters and Possums, who now lead the league.  Chris will try to get back on track against teams lower in the standings.

KK Thunderwolves (5 – 4 – 1) vs.  JK Lannisters (6 – 4 – 0)

The Legion’s loss opened a window of opportunity for both the Lannisters and Thunderwolves.  Each team had a chance to gain ground.  The Lannisters posted a solid all-around week while the Thunderwolves had good offensive numbers but not enough pitching.  The match eerily mirrored the Possums / Legion battle.  The Lannisters’ offense was carried by a balanced attack.  Two standouts were Trey Mancini and Manny Machado.  Each player had three home runs.  Unheralded James McCann had two home runs and five RBI in part-time duty.  McCann has quietly put together a strong season – he is hitting 0.324 / 0.374 / 0.509.  Nine different Lannisters players had a home run, and part-time players like Marcell Ozuna made the most of their at-bats.  This yielded a high SLG and league-leading OBP.  Kyle had okay numbers including a standout week from Eduardo Escobar.  Josh Bell had eight RBI, and Kyle produced more RBI up and down the lineup than the Lannisters.  The Thunderwolves took RBI and steals, but lost leads in the rate stats late in the week.  However, despite the deficit, Kyle could still compete if he had good pitching.

Unfortunately for the Thunderwolves, several players suffered severe meltdowns and conceded both pitching rate stats early in the week.  German Marquez allowed 11 earned runs in 11.2 IP.  Aaron Nola continued to struggle and undid a nice week for Dakota Hudson.  The Lannisters had few starts from their best pitchers, but got nice outings from Walker Buehler and Gerrit Cole.  The team deployed a few fill-in starters who dropped the rate stats slightly at the end of the week.  However, there was more than enough cushion for the Lannisters to earn a win.  The Thunderwolves did their best, but didn’t have the pitching they needed.  The win vaults the Lannisters into a tie for first place.  The loss slows the Thunderwolves momentum, but they are still close to the top of the league.

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

The week’s most interesting contest saw the PhoeGnomes continue to improve, this time at the expense of the Goofballs.  Heather had the second best pitching in the league for the week, and she needed it to outlast Kevin.  Shane Bieber had a great week with 12 strikeouts in his 7.2 IP quality start.  Cole Hamels and Zach Eflin each had a nice start with 18 strikeouts in just 15.0 IP.  Chris sale had two good starts in which he struck out 20, allowed two earned runs, and scored two quality starts.  Heather easily won strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP.  Kevin had some fighting spirit, though.  Fourteen different pitchers made appearances.  Steven Brault had a nice start, as did Jose Berrios and Marcus Stroman.  Kevin was competitive in quality starts, but a few high-profile blowups like Kyle Hendricks left him out of the ERA and WHIP races.  Kevin won saves but Heather swept the other four categories.

On offense, things were different.  Kevin scored an incredible league-leading 22 home runs.  The Goofballs were near the top in RBI and SLG.  Twelve different Goofballs had at least one home run.  Freddie Freeman had two and 10 RBI.  Anthony Rendon had three home runs and five RBI.  Part timers like Miguel Sano and Marcus Semien had home runs in very limited duty.  Heather was essentially shut out of home runs, RBI, and SLG.  However, she did tie for the lead in steals with seven.  Three came from Trea Turner.  This left OBP as the category that would decide the week.  Kevin’s power came at the expense of some OBP.  The PhoeGnomes had less power but better OBP up and down the lineup.  This gave her the edge and took the week.  The Goofballs had a strong week but their total output wasn’t enough to get them over the edge.  The win solidifies Heather’s return to form.  Both teams are now hovering near 0.500 and are legitimate threats to the leaders.

SM Lasershow (1 – 9) vs.  LK Armadillos (3 – 3 – 4)

The week’s final match was a wild encounter between the Armadillos and Lasershow.  Both teams posted great offensive numbers and abhorrent pitching stats.  First, the positive.  The Lasershow led the league in OBP and were tied for the lead in steals.  They also had a strong SLG.  The Armadillos were near the top of the league in home runs, RBI, and SLG, but were edged by the Lasershow in the latter category.  J. D. Martinez and Sterling Marte had three home runs each for the Armadillos.  Shohei Ohtani and Jackie Bradley Jr. each had two home runs and two steals.  At the end of the week, the Lasershow held a narrow 3-2 lead.

For pitching, neither team had good stats.  Only the Thunderwolves had a worse ERA than either team.  Both WHIP totals were near the bottom of the league.  David Price punished the Lasershow with six earned runs in 1.1 IP.  Max Fried struggled as well, logging five earned runs in 4.2 IP.  The Armadillos were equally bad with nightmare outings from Patrick Corbin (5.0 IP / 7 earned runs), Matthew Boyd (4.0 / 4), Jake Odorizzi (6.0 / 4) and Noah Syndergaard (6.0 / 4).  This left several categories in flux going into Sunday.  Hyun-Jin Ryu saved the Armadillos with a clutch Sunday evening quality start.  He totaled 14 strikeouts in 13.0 IP and allowed just one earned run.  His Sunday performance tipped quality starts and ERA to the Armadillos, and they escaped with the narrow 5 – 4 – 1 win.

Next Week

Several interesting matches await the league in Week 12.  The Possums hope to defend their position against the Thunderwolves.  The Lannisters will try to keep rolling against the Lasershow.  Heather and Chris meet when the hot PhoeGnomes try to further bring down the Legion.  Finally, the Goofballs will try to get back on track against the Armadillos.  Currently the top seven teams are all separated by just 1.5 games.  Even the Lasershow are just six out and could feasibly make a run.

JK Lannisters (5 – 4) vs.  CP Legion (6 – 2 – 1)

The week’s most important match-up featured the Legion and Lannisters.  The Legion have been hot and lead the league while the Lannisters have been up-and-down this season.  Jeff found himself in the rare position of having the support of the rest of the league in his battle against the league leaders.  The Lannisters responded with a strong week on both offense and pitching.  The Legion failed to gain traction and suffered a down week all around.  The final result was a strong win for the Lannisters.  The victory was largely a result of excellent pitching.  The Lannisters led the league in ERA and WHIP, and tied for the lead in strikeouts and quality starts.  Two pitchers were outstanding.  Walker Buehler allowed a single earned run over two quality starts in which he struck out 20 batters.  Gerrit Cole was exceptional in his single start – he struck out 14 in just 7.0 innings pitched.  The Legion struggled with implosions from Chris Paddack, Andrew Heaney, and Caleb Smith.  The Legion managed to take saves, but it was the only category they could win for pitching.

Chris’s team fared little better on offense.  The team suffered a power outage that resulted in league-low RBI, OBP, and SLG.  Michael Conforto had a good week in the losing effort, but Nolan Arenado struggled with a 4/22 week and 0.182 SLG.  The Lannisters’ offense wasn’t great, but it did enough to get the job done.  Mike Trout had three home runs and Corey Seager added a home run and nine RBI.  Trout and Seager did enough to push the Lannisters over the top with a comfortable 8-2 victory.  The Legion suffered their third loss, two of which came from the Lannisters.  This tightens the race at the top of the standings.  The PhoeGnomes are in seventh place but only two games behind the Legion.  Five teams are within a single game.  The loss also means the Legion can’t win a tie-breaker with the Lannisters at the end of the season.  Chris will look to rebound from the lost week, while the Lannisters continue to rebound.

HP PhoeGnomes (3 – 5 – 1) vs.  RK Possums (6 – 3)

The week’s most surprising result saw the PhoeGnomes defeat the Possums in a close battle.  Each team displayed good power.  Heather enjoyed a monster four home run week from Tom Murphy in just 13 at-bats.  Jay Bruce added two home runs to taunt his former team.  Seven other PhoeGnomes players had a home run and the team posted a good SLG total.  Rick countered with a pair of three home run weeks from Franmil Reyes and Ronald Acuna Jr..  Acuna also added a steal and Rick took the category.  Although Rick had a good home run total, Heather had superior power up and down the lineup.  She took RBI, but the Possums had the edge in steals.  This gave each team two categories.

Heather was able to distance herself thanks to great pitching.  Both teams had nice stats and solid totals that fell just behind the Lannisters’ dominant performance.  Frankie Montas had 10 strikeouts in just six innings for the Possums.  Three relievers contributed to saves.  Rick had five quality starts mixed with some lesser performances.  Masahiro Tanaka and Zach Davies were less effective, though both avoided a total meltdown.  This gave Heather breathing room and a monster start from Cole Hamels set the tone for the week.  He had 10 strikeouts in 8.0 IP.  Madison Bumgarner had two quality starts.  The team’s MVP was Josh Hader.  He struck out nine in just 3.1 IP and recorded three saves.  Heather took strikeouts and sealed the week.  The Possums put in a good effort and would have beaten many other teams.  Unfortunately for Rick, Heather was just too strong and is now just two games out of first place despite being in seventh.  The Possums missed a chance to move into first, but the blow is softened by the Legion’s loss.

SM Lasershow (1 – 8) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (4 – 4 – 1)

The League’s best offensive performance belonged to the Goofballs.  Kevin led the league in home runs, RBI, SLG, and was tied for first in OBP.  Mike Moustakas had four home runs and Freddie Freeman and Javier Baez added three each.  Three other Goofballs had two home runs.  Only one Goofball regular had a SLG below 0.540.  The onslaught was too much for the Lasershow, who also put up strong numbers.  In fact, the Lasershow were second in SLG and tied for the lead in steals.  Francisco Lindor and Shohei Ohtani had three home runs each.  Christian Yelich had a pair of home runs and steals.  The Lasershow were competitive, but they couldn’t withstand Kevin’s home run blitz.

The scores were close on pitching as well.  Each team had good strikeout and quality start numbers, but mediocre ERA and WHIP metrics.  For the Lasershow, Eduardo Rodriguez had good strikeout numbers but too many earned runs and no quality starts.  David Price was dominant in one start, striking out 10 and earning a quality start.  Kevin countered by relying on the hot Lucas Giolito who struck out 11 in 7.2 IP.  Kyle Hendricks had a nice start in which he struck out 10.  Overall, the Goofballs had slightly better numbers despite the Lasershow narrowly winning ERA and tying in strikeouts.  Kevin cruised to a 7-2-1 win, but Sean’s team put up a good fight.  The team’s numbers would have beaten many others in the league, and the Lasershow have to be patient and hope things eventually add up to success.

LK Armadillos (2 – 3 – 4) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (5 – 3 – 1)

The week’s final match saw the Armadillos frustrate the Thunderwolves.  Larry’s win was predicated on good pitching.  Brandon Woodruff had a nice 10 strikeout start.  Hyun-Jin Ryu added a quality start along with good results from Jake Odorizzi and Clayton Kershaw.  Brad Hand added three saves.  Kyle countered with a good start from Lance Lynn but also suffered poor returns from Aaron Nola and Chase Anderson.  Hector Neris had a nice three save week, but the Armadillos were better in the other four categories.

On offense neither team excelled but the Armadillos did enough to post respectable numbers and earn the win.  Edwin Encarnacion had a huge four home run week.  Pete Alonso added two of his own.  Only two Thunderwolves players had a home run for the week – J.T. Realmuto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr..  The team struggled to get men on base and didn’t record a steal.  Four categories went to the Armadillos, though OBP still eludes them.  The win brings the Armadillos back up to 0.500 and within range of the top of the league.  Kyle will need to find some offensive help and get better pitching to stay in the top half of the league.

Next Week

The week’s most critical match pairs the Legion and Possums.  Rick can move into first place with a win, and the Legion need to bounce back after a tough week.  The Lannisters meet the Thunderwolves, and Kyle is desperate to stay near the top.  The Armadillos face the Lasershow.  Finally, there is an intriguing match between the Goofballs and PhoeGnomes.  Both teams are coming off good performances and want to keep building momentum.

RK Possums (5 – 3) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (4 – 3 – 1)

Week 10 featured close battles in almost every match-up.  The most interesting was the Possums versus the Goofballs.  Both teams are positioned near the top of the league behind the Legion.  In this match, each team had strong pitching.  Kevin was slightly better and led the league in quality starts, ERA, and WHIP.  They tied for first in strikeouts (with the Possums).  Leading the way was Lucas Giolito.  He struck out 19 in two quality starts.  Merrill Kelly was also strong with 10 strikeouts in his single start.  The bullpen was productive and struck out ten betters despite not getting many saves.  The Possums were also strong.  They were second in the league in ERA and WHIP.  They tied for the lead in saves and strikeouts.  Max Scherzer was excellent with 21 strikeouts over two quality starts.  Justin Verlander and Trevor Bauer were also solid.  Rick had four pitchers record a save – this is a rarity now that there are only two relief slots.  Saves was the only category that the Possums won, despite good numbers.

Each team’s stats were close on offense, too, but here Rick too the advantage.  Xander Bogaerts, Joey Gallo, and Max Muncy each had two home runs.  Ronald Acuna Jr. had two steals.  The Possums had strong production up and down the lineup.  Kevin boasted a strong week from Anthony Rizzo and Juan Soto.  Each had two home runs.  However, Kevin didn’t have quite the overall strength that the Possums showed.  Rick won home runs by one and took SLG by a wider margin.  Rick’s RBI and stolen base totals were slightly above the Goofballs.   Kevin took OBP but Rick swept the other four categories and it was just enough to earn a 5-4-1 win.  Kevin needed one home run or strikeout to capture a tie.  The results gives Rick sole possession of second place and momentum going forward.

KK Thunderwolves (4 – 3 – 1) vs.  SM Lasershow (1 – 7)

The season’s most surprising team has been the Thunderwolves.  Kyle’s team is near the top of the league and in position to challenge for the title.  After a fast start, the team lost a little momentum.  However, they turned things around against the Lasershow and won a solid match.  Like the Goofballs, the Thunderwolves best showing was on pitching.  Aaron Nola had an excellent start, but the most surprising contributor was Lance Lynn.  He struck out 17 in two quality starts.  Kirby Yates recorded two saves and Zack Greinke was serviceable over two outings.  Kyle had strong quality start, ERA, and WHIP totals.  Meanwhile the Lasershow continued to struggle.  David Price had a good start but others like Marco Gonzales and Jhoulys Chacin imploded.  The Thunderwolves were able to sweep all five categories and set up a strong chance of winning the match.

Despite this poor pitching showing, Sean put up good offensive numbers and tried to keep the match close.  The Lasershow led the league in OBP by a wide margin.  Jackie Bradley Jr. and Tommy Pham each had OBPs over 0.500.  Christian Yelich had two steals and seven different players had a home run.  This gave the Lasershow solid category wins in OBP, SLG, and steals.  However, Kyle was able to win RBI and home runs.  Eduardo Escobar was the best of the group – he had three home runs, nine RBI, and a steal.  Josh Bell was also strong with two home runs and a good overall SLG.  This was enough for the Thunderwolves to secure victory.  Kyle is now two games over 0.500 and remains a threat to the top teams.

CP Legion (6 – 2) vs.  LK Armadillos (2 – 3 – 3)

The week’s most peculiar match-up featured the Legion and Armadillos.  Both teams put up excellent offensive numbers and abysmal pitching.  The ultimate result was a tie, and both teams surely consider this a massive missed opportunity.  The Armadillos led the league in home runs and RBI.  Gary Sanchez had three homers and six other players had two.  Trevor Story had seven RBI and role players like Hunter Renfroe had a SLG of 1.286.  The Legion couldn’t match these totals but managed to have a stronger OBP and SLG.  Derek Deitrich had four home runs and nine RBI.  Nine different Legion players had SLG over 0.500.  Ten had an OBP of at least 0.400.  This production left the two teams with two categories each and one tied.

The pitching from both teams was as bad as the offensive numbers were good.  The ERA and WHIP totals were near the bottom of the league.  Each team’s ERA was double the Goofballs’ total and the Armadillos’ WHIP was twice what Kevin posted.  Each team had a series of meltdowns and poor outings.  Brandon Woodruff allowed six earned runs in just 4.0 IP for the Armadillos.  Matthew Boyd and Clayton Kershaw were bright spots over four starts – they struck out 28 in just 24.0 IP.  The situation was direr for the Legion.  Matt Strahm allowed 10 earned runs in 10.1 IP.  Steven Matz and Chris Paddack were poor as well.  Roberto Osuna recorded three saves, however, and there were a handful of quality starts to go around.  The Armadillos took ERA and saves but didn’t pitch enough innings to compete for strikeouts.  Both teams tied in quality starts and this resulted in a tie for the week.  Both teams are left to wonder what might have been if there had just been a slightly better pitching effort.  For now, the Legion remain in first place.  The Armadillos managed their fourth tie for the year, and continue to look for momentum to defend their title.

HP PhoeGnomes (3 – 4 – 1) vs.  JK Lannisters (4 – 4)

The week’s final match saw the Lannisters win with a sloppy effort against the PhoeGnomes.  On the positive side for the Lannisters was the offense.  After several down weeks, the team seemed to find more power.  They tied for second in home runs and had a good RBI total.  Matt Chapman led the team with three home runs and Austin Meadows stayed red-hot with two home runs, 10 RBI, and two steals including one steal of home.  Mike Trout returned from injury with two home runs and a steal.  The PhoeGnomes weren’t terrible on offense.  Adam Jones and Matt Olson had two home runs each.  However, the team’s OBP couldn’t compete with the Lannisters and the SLG numbers just weren’t there.  Thanks to Meadows, the Lannisters took steals and swept the other four categories as well.

Like the Legion and Armadillos, neither team had great pitching.  Heather was slightly better thanks to a nice week from Cole Hamels and Zach Plesac.  Each of these pitchers earned a quality start.  Aroldis Chapman had three saves.  Chris Sale had ten strikeouts.  No one had great numbers, but they were good enough to compete in all five categories.  Heather won ERA and WHIP with ease, and narrowly won strikeouts.  However, the Lannisters managed to equal the PhoeGnomes in quality starts and saves.  Kenley Jansen had three saves and Gerrit Cole had two quality starts.  This was enough to tie two categories, and thus secure the win.  The Lannisters are back above 0.500, and the PhoeGnomes took another step back despite a decent effort.

Next Week

The biggest match of the week pits the Lannisters against the Legion.  Jeff is one of only two teams to beat Chris this year, and the Legion need a win to have a chance to win a tiebreaker.  The next best match is the Thunderwolves versus the Armadillos.  Each team needs a win to keep pace.  The Possums are heavy favorites against the PhoeGnomes and the Lasershow hope to frustrate the Goofballs.

KK Thunderwolves (3 – 2 – 1) vs.  CP Legion (5 – 1)

The week’s closest match paired the Legion and Thunderwolves.  Both teams are experiencing unexpected success early in the season.  Kyle won this meeting behind strong power and pitching.  The two teams easily led the league in home runs with 15.  Kyle posted the best SLG in the league and had the most RBI.  Josh Bell and Vladimir Guerrero Jr each had four home runs for the Thunderwolves.  Eduardo Escobar and Gleyber Torres each had three.  Nick Senzel won the steals category on his own with four for the week.  Chis had a three home run week from Kris Bryant and Cody Bellinger.  Ten total Legion players hit home runs.  Despite this heroic effort, Chris was unable to win any offensive categories.  The Thunderwolves had a slight edge across the board.

In a week where several teams had good pitching numbers, Kyle and Chris both had their strong points.  Mike Soroka had a good start for the Legion, but the rest of Chris’s pitchers failed to work deep into games.  Chris had good ERA and WHIP numbers, but Kyle was able to get more quality starts.  The teams were even in strikeouts and Kyle earned one more save.  The teams split pitching 2-2-1, which cemented Kyle’s victory.  The loss is a frustrating one for the Legion.  The win moves Kyle into second place at the end of the first cycle.  After years of offensive struggles, it’s possible that Kyle has found some answers.  The Thunderwolves are third in the league in home runs and second in SLG just behind the Legion.

RK Possums (3 – 3) vs.  LK Armadillos (2 – 2 – 2)

The defending champion Armadillos continued to struggle and the Possums took some small revenge to close the first cycle of play. Rick enjoyed power up and down his lineup.  Nine players had at least one home run.  Ronald Acuna had six RBI and two steals.  Joey Gallo stayed hot with a 0.481 OBP.  The Armadillos struggled to find power, though three players hit two home runs.  Alex Gordon made his presence known with two steals, but this was all the team could produce.  Both teams struggled with RBI and tied the category.  However, Rick swept the other four.  The Armadillos are still struggling to get on base and hit for consistent power.

The battle for pitching was close.  The Armadillos put up an excellent week and led the league in ERA, WHIP, and quality starts.  Patrick Corbin was especially good in his start – he struck out 11 over eight innings.  The team as a whole recorded an impressive seven quality starts out of a possible eight.  The Possums were almost as good – their ERA and WHIP were the second best in the league!  The team had six quality starts and managed to record more strikeouts than the Armadillos.  Besides Trevor Bauer, no player allowed more than three earned runs for the week.  Rick won just enough categories to pick up a 6-3-1 victory.  The loss pushes the Possums to back above 0.500 and the champs are now near the bottom of the pack.  This win won’t ease the pain of last season, but Rick has to be happy with an early victory.

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

The Goofballs and Lannisters tend to have exciting matches and this was no exception.  Kevin earned a victory behind a dominant offensive showing.  Two former Lannisters were the main culprits.  Freddie Freeman had four home runs and Byron Buxton added three more along with 10 RBI.  The Goofballs had the third most home runs in the league, were second in RBI and SLG, and had the best OBP.  The Lannisters suffered a down week and had the second fewest home runs and were near the bottom in each of the other statistical categories.  Bryce Harper led the team with just two home runs, and no other player had more than one.

The Lannisters were more competitive on pitching, but still failed to pick up many categories.  Only three pitchers had a quality start compared to just two for Kevin.  Jacob deGrom was inconsistent and Jon Lester imploded.  The Goofballs had fewer strikeouts and quality starts, but managed a solid ERA with relatively few innings pitched.  Outside of a disastrous Jose Berrios effort, no Goofball pitcher allowed more than three earned runs for the week.  The combined offensive and pitching numbers gave the Goofballs a relatively easy win.  This pushes the Goofballs higher in the standings.  Meanwhile, the Lannisters are left to wonder where the team’s power has gone.  Before the start of games today, the Lannisters were tied with the PhoeGnomes for the second fewest home runs in the league.

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

Speaking of the PhoeGnomes – Heather’s squad won again, despite some peculiar numbers against the Lasershow.  The PhoeGnomes had 11 home runs but somehow managed to have the second lowest SLG in the league.  Mitch Haniger had three home runs to pace the team.  Six other players had at least one, but for whatever reason the team didn’t have strong power elsewhere.  Christian Yelich tried to carry the Lasershow with an impressive three home run week.  His two steals, along with another pair from Francisco Lindor, helped him win the category.  The rest of the team struggled, though, and Heather built an early lead.

Heather sealed the win with a good pitching showing.  They led the league in strikeouts thanks to an absurd total of 27 from Chris Sale in just 12.1 IP.  Sale’s total equaled the Lasershow’s team total!  Several members of the Lasershow struggled.  Zack Wheeler and Marco Gonzales each had 9.00 ERAs.  This made it almost impossible to win any rate stats, and Heather was able to cruise to a smooth victory.  The loss drops the Lasershow into last place.  The PhoeGnomes are now beginning to move up the standings after a few solid weeks in a row.

Next Week

The first cycle is over so now teams are going back to their Week 01 matches.  The Possums and Lannisters meet again and Rick hopes to avenge his early loss.  The most interesting match features the Goofballs and Thunderwolves.  Kyle is tied for the fewest losses in the league and needs to keep winning.  Kevin is looking to get back over 0.500.  The Legion face the Lasershow – Sean is desperate for a win, and the Legion want to stay in first.  Finally, the PhoeGnomes meet the slumping Armadillos.  Heather will want to keep up her hot streak while the Armadillos are desperate to not fall too far behind early in the season.

HP PhoeGnomes (1 – 4) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (3 – 1 – 1)

Before Week 06, the PhoeGnomes and Thunderwolves were trending in different directions.  Heather’s team struggled mightily while the Thunderwolves started strong.  Everything changed this week.  The Thunderwolves posted good numbers but the PhoeGnomes had the best pitching in the league.  Leading the way were Zach Eflin and Blake Snell.  The pair combined to allow just two earned runs over 20.2 innings pitched.   Snell threw 11.2 of those innings and struck out an astounding 21 batters.  Chris Sale was also strong – he struck out 14 in just 8.0 IP.  This base was too much for the Thunderwolves to handle.  Heather won strikeouts, quality starts, ERA, and WHIP.  The team’s ERA and WHIP were easily the best in the league.  Kyle had an okay pitching week, but he faced to steep a climb to challenge Heather’s best results.

The offensive battle was closer.  Each team had good power numbers.  George Springer had five home runs and 10 RBI for the PhoeGnomes.  Kyle countered with a three homer week from Michael Brantley.  Heather usually steals many bases, but the team was held in check this week.  Kyle won the category with just two.  He also had a slightly higher SLG since seven players had home runs.  However, Springer’s week was enough to give Heather home runs, RBI, and OBP.  When added to her pitching numbers, this was enough to take a secure win.  The Thunderwolves were respectable, but Heather picked up a desperately needed win.  It remains to be seen whether she can build on the remarkable pitching results, but at least it’s a step in the right direction for the struggling franchise.

JK Lannisters (3 – 2) vs.  LK Armadillos (2 – 1 – 2)

The Armadillos and Lannisters met in another close contest.  Both teams had solid pitching, but the Lannisters managed to pull ahead slightly on offense thanks to a balanced attack.  Larry managed to win three pitching categories including saves and both rate stats.  Hyun-Jin Ryu was almost as good as Blake Snell – he threw 17 innings, struck out 15, recorded two quality starts, allowed no earned runs and had a 0.35 WHIP.  Other Armadillos’ pitchers performed well, including Patrick Corbin and Matthew Boyd.  A few bad outings from Noah Syndergaard and Max Fried kept the team from being in the PhoeGnomes class, but they were still outstanding.  The Lannisters had productive weeks from their starters but they gave up more runs and walks.  Luis Castillo was the standout – he threw only 6.0 IP but had 11 strikeouts.  Jacob deGrom and Stephen Strasburg also added 26 strikeouts combined.  Jeff easily won the category and quality starts, leaving the Armadillos with just a small lead.

On offense, Larry couldn’t find any rhythm.  Alex Bregman stayed hot with three home runs.  Six other players also had home runs, but the team continued to struggle with a low batting average, meaning they weren’t getting singles, doubles, or triples to go with their home runs.  This also cascades into OBP issues.  The Lannisters won SLG and OBP with ease – they had 20 more walks than the Armadillos.  They also won home runs thanks to a solid team effort.  Mike Trout had two and eight other players had one.  Mookie Betts had a 0.467 OBP and Jose Martinez added solid production.  They easily led the league in RBI.   Larry took steals, but it wasn’t enough.  The Lannisters claimed a 6-4 victory over a team that typically gives them problems.  This could be a useful win as the season moves along.

RK Possums (2 – 3) vs.  SM Lasershow (1 – 4)

The Possums overcame a slow pitching week thanks to dominant offense to earn a win over the Lasershow.  Like the Armadillos, the Possums displayed extreme home run power.  They led the league with 16 and had seven combined from Charlie Blackmon and Eugenio Suarez.  However, they were unable to produce as many RBI as one might expect.  They still won the category but only 4^th in the league overall.  Sean didn’t offer much power, but he did lead the league in steals thanks to Yasiel Puig and Francisco Lindor.  They also had the league’s best OBP behind Jeff McNeil and Andrelton Simmons.  Improving OBP is a critical area for the Lasershow, so hopefully this step lasts.  They also had a good SLG but the Possums took the category based on their home runs.  This gave Rick a slim 3-2 lead.

On pitching the Lasershow had far superior quality – they won ERA and WHIP with little trouble.  Eduardo Rodriquez and Jhoulys Chacin were outstanding and didn’t allow a run over two starts.  Felipe Vazquez picked up three saves.  However, Rick was able to tie this critical category behind Shane Greene and Sean Doolittle.  Andrew Miller had 2.0 IP for Sean, but he didn’t record a save.  This would eventually cost the team a tie.  The Possums threw more innings and, predictably, had more strikeouts.  They also won quality stats, thanks to two good efforts from Max Scherzer.  This 2-2-1 split was enough for Rick to earn a narrow victory.  However, the Lasershow would have beaten or tied several other teams in the league.  Rick moves back to 0.500 after a somewhat frustrating opening to the season.

CP Legion (4 – 1) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (2 – 2 – 1)

The week’s second best overall performer behind the PhoeGnomes were the Legion.  They were near the top of the league in every statistical category.  The Goofballs put up a solid effort but it just wasn’t enough.  The best Legion members were the pitchers – they posted great stats would have dominated the league most weeks if not for Heather’s great work.  Caleb Smith and Chris Paddack struck out 22 in just 14.1 IP.  Roberto Osuna captured three saves.  Only the injured Tyler Glasnow allowed more than two runs for the week, and he only allowed three over 5.2 IP.  Kevin threw more innings but his team couldn’t match the level of production from Chris’s squad.  Yu Darvish and Domingo Santana weren’t terrible but they failed to go deep into their games.  The Legion dominated all five categories.

The same pattern continued on offense.  Chris deployed a lot of players in part time and platoon situations and it payed off.  They had 14 total home runs, including four from Kris Bryant.  However, only one other player had two, with the rest just having one.  This kind of up-and-down the lineup production is sure to frustrate opponents.  This is the same tactic that Kevin usually deploys, but Chris executed it more successfully this week.  Adalberto Mondesi had three steals and a home run.  Nolan Arenado led the team with a 0.737 SLG.  This was more than enough to supplement the pitching and capture the week with a 10-0 rout.   Like the Lasershow, the Goofballs didn’t play poorly.  They caught a hot team that countered their best stats.

Next Week

The Legion and Lannister wins clear the standings somewhat.  Chris remains in first place, one game ahead of the Lannisters.  Kyle is still in third at just 1.5 games back.  Larry and Rick are tied for fourth, while the Goofballs, PhoeGnomes, and Lasershow are at the back of the pack.  The Goofballs have another tough match against the Lannisters.  The Thunderwolves can try to prove they deserve to be in the first division against the Legion.  The Lasershow and PhoeGnomes pair off, and at least one of the teams will make progress.  Finally, the Possums meet the Armadillos for the first time this year.  This will be Rick’s first chance to get some revenge for the shocking end to last season, where still-unsigned Craig Kimbrel secured the title in a non-save situation.

KK Thunderwolves (2 – 1 – 1) vs.  RK Possums (2 – 2)

The most unexpected start to the season belongs to the Thunderwolves.  For the first time in several seasons, Kyle is multiple games above 0.500.  His team is in second place behind good pitching and hitting.  Kyle added to his resume with a win over the Possums in Week 05.  The Thunderwolves offense led the way.  Although the team did not have stats on par with the Lannisters or Armadillos, they were near the top of the league in most categories.  Four players had two home runs including Rhys Hoskins, who had eight RBI.  Six Thunderwolves had SLG values over 0.700.  This gave Kyle easy wins in home runs, RBI, and SLG.  They also won OBP handily and tied steals.  Rick had a nice three home run / nine RBI week from Jose Abreu, but the rest of his offense was quiet.  This put Kyle in a commanding position for the week.

Neither team had great pitching stats, but most categories were evenly matched.  Kyle had a good week from Zack Greinke while Rick relied on Justin Verlander.  The two teams threw almost the same number of innings.  Rick had a slight edge in strikeouts and quality starts.  However, Kyle won ERA by a tiny amount.  Both teams had two saves.  This was just enough to give Kyle the needed win.  Rick could have tied if not for a disastrous start from Joe Musgrove, who allowed five earned runs in just 2.2 IP.  The win keeps the Thunderwolves near the top of the standings.  Rick’s slow start is becoming more of a concern.  However, the Possums were one of the most feared teams in the league last year and have time to turn around their season.

SM Lasershow (1 – 3) vs.  JK Lannisters (2 – 2)

The week’s top performer overall was the Lannisters.  Jeff’s team led the league in multiple categories and dominated the Lasershow.  The Lannisters were tops in strikeouts, OBP, and SLG.  They were second in quality starts and RBI.  Manny Machado tallied four home runs, and eight other Lannisters contributed one.  Stats appeared up and down the lineup – role players like Jonathan Schoop had a home run and four RBI to add to the team’s strong total.  The Lannisters didn’t steal a base, but they easily won the other four offensive categories and built an almost insurmountable lead.

On pitching, the Lannisters kept up the pressure with five quality starts and a league-leading 69 strikeouts.  Jon Lester, Gerrit Cole, and Jacob deGrom each had a seven inning start with no earned runs.  The trio gave up only five total hits.  Lester in particular was strong, recording 11 strikeouts and posting a 0.29 WHIP.  The Lasershow struggled to keep up and the Lannisters won another four categories.  Overall, it was a dominant return to form for the Lannisters, who are dealing with numerous injuries.  Sean will need to make some changes going forward to get back to winning.

KG Capital City Goofballs (2 – 2) vs.  LK Armadillos (2 – 1 – 1)

The week’s closest match was a strange 5-5 tie between the Goofballs and Armadillos.  These teams are evenly matched and seem to gravitate toward ties.  On offense, the Armadillos led the league in home runs with 15.  Alex Bregman had five along with 10 RBI.  Like the Lannisters, the Armadillos had production up and down the lineup.  Eight players had at least one home run.  Ozzie Albies added eight RBI.  The Goofballs countered with a great week from Anthony Rizzo and Keel Marte.  The pair totaled six home runs and nine RBI.  The Goofballs had more overall power and took SLG despite Larry winning home runs.  The Goofballs also took OBP when the Armadillos posted the league’s worst total.  Larry did take RBI, and Kevin captured steals.  Alex Bregman was thrown out stealing, and this would haunt the Armadillos after factoring in pithing.

The Goofballs went with a quality-over-quantity strategy that seemed to work.  They won ERA and WHIP behind a masterful start from Kyle Hendricks.  However, they didn’t throw enough innings to be competitive in quality starts or strikeouts.  Larry took these categories with ease and dominated saves.  This left the stats deadlocked.  Kevin came one RBI from winning and the Armadillos were one steal behind.  The close match means both teams lose ground against the Legion, Lannisters, and Thunderwolves.  However, the result is obviously better than a loss that could have gone either way.

HP PhoeGnomes (1 – 3) vs.  CP Legion (3 – 1)

The week’s final match saw the Legion win with confidence against the PhoeGnomes.  Chris posted the week’s best pitching stats and finished just behind the Lannisters in total performance.  Mike Soroka had a masterful week over two quality starts, striking out 13.  Caleb Smith and Matt Strahm were solid as well.  Heather had good pitching stats behind Luke Weaver and a three-save Josh Hader week.  She won strikeouts by virtue of more innings pitched.  Chris held a slim 3-2 lead before accounting for hitting.

Although pitching was close, offense was a no-contest win for the Legion.  Chris had good numbers across the board, and Heather failed to be competitive in anything but steals.  Nolan Arenado haunted his former team with three home runs for Chris.  Jesse Winker and Willson Contreras added two apiece.  The PhoeGnomes finished at the bottom of the league in SLG and OBP, and barely beat the Lasershow for home runs and RBI.  Chris earned a solid win that keeps him in first place with his only loss coming against the Lannisters.  Heather remains in last place, and must find more offense to compete.

Next Week

Week 06 features a few strong matches.  The surprising Thunderwolves will try to keep things rolling against the PhoeGnomes.  The Possums hope to rally against the Lasershow.  The Goofballs and Legion meet in an intriguing contest.  Kevin can challenge the Legion offensively, but what about pitching?  Finally, the Lannisters meet their long-time nemeses, the Armadillos.  The Possums and Armadillos frustrate the Lannisters more than any other team, but their strong pitching might give them the advantage this week.

Note on Week 03

I’m sorry for the lack of a League Update last week.  I moved to NYC and my computer and most of my stuff was either in transit or inaccessible.  I’ve got everything unpacked now, and this shouldn’t be an issue in the future.

CP Legion (2 – 1) vs.  RK Possums (2 – 1)

The week’s best match paired the Legion and Possums, two of last season’s top teams.  Both teams were off to a good start, but the Legion earned a dominant victory that saw him lead the league in many categories.  Chris’s standout performers were his pitchers.  They led the league in ERA and WHIP by a wide margin.  They tied for the lead in quality starts.  Chris Paddack had the best start of the week, allowing no earned runs and just one hit and walk along with nine strikeouts.  This effort, when paired with a dominant bullpen showing from Roberto Osuna, handed the Legion a tiny 0.59 WHIP.  This was easily the best number in the league and was less than half of some other team’s totals.  Trevor Williams and Caleb Smith also had strong performances.  Rick’s pitchers threw more innings than Chris’s team, and he easily won strikeouts.  Max Scherzer was especially strong.  The team was good enough to tie quality starts, but Rick was still well behind before counting offense.

The Legion managed a dominant offensive showing to go along with their pitching.  They had the second highest SLG, OBP, and home run numbers in the league.  They were tops in RBI and tied for the lead in steals.  Nolan Arenado and Cody Bellinger had three home runs each and totaled 17 RBI.  Seven other Legion players also added at least one home run.  The Possums weren’t able to keep pace.  Their offense suffered a down week and surrendered all three categories to the Legion.  This gave Chris a comfortable win against a marquee team.  He is now in first place with his only loss a close one to the Lannisters.  Rick falls back to 0.500, and the Possums will hope for a rebound and more consistency next week.

HP PhoeGnomes (1 – 2) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (1 – 2)

Although the Legion are the story of the week, Kevin made it back to 0.500 with a strong showing against the PhoeGnomes.  Kevin led the league in home runs and was second in RBI.  He was also near the top in steals and SLG.  Leading the way were Javier Baez, Juan Soto, and Freddie Freeman.  Each player had three home runs, and the group totaled 19 RBI.  Soto also added two steals.  Nine total Goofballs hit a home run, though the team’s OBP number was still low.  OBP aside, the Goofballs easily won four categories.  The PhoeGnomes had the second lowest home run and SLG totals in the league.  No PhoeGnome had multiple home runs.  Overall, the disappointing offensive showing left Heather in a tough position on the pitching side.

The Goofballs do a great job of finding quality matchups on the offensive side.  However, their pitching remains shaky despite the team deploying hordes of players on the mound.   Ten Goofballs players combined for the second worst ERA in the league.  Domingo German was a small bright spot in two starts, but the team struggled to record strikeouts over 51.0 IP.  The PhoeGnomes threw nine fewer innings and had five more strikeouts.  They also had a better ERA neither team had good WHIP or saves numbers.  They split the two categories, which was enough to secure victory for the Goofballs.  This improves Kevin’s record back to even, while the PhoeGnomes are stuck looking for answers.  Neither team’s pitching is good enough to contend right now, and both will need to search the waiver wires for more possible starters.

JK Lannisters (2 – 1) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (1 – 1 – 1)

The strangest match of the week paired the Lannisters and Thunderwolves.  After a series of injuries decimated his starting lineup, the Lannisters offered a putrid offensive effort.  The team had the lowest home run and SLG totals in the league.  The RBI and OBP numbers were also near the bottom.  Kyle capitalized with a nice offensive effort that easily won all but one category.  Eduardo Escobar and Rhys Hoskins each had three home runs and totaled 16 RBI.  Gleyber Torres had three stolen bases, despite the Lannisters’ winning the category.  Michael Brantley had two home runs, and Whit Merrifield and David Peralta each had SLG over 0.570.  The Thunderwolves picked up four categories with ease.

On pitching, the Lannisters had bizarre results.  They led the league in saves with seven.  They also tied for the lead in quality starts and were tied for second in strikeouts, one behind the leader.  However, they also had the worst ERA and WHIP in the league.  How did this happen?  Three of the eight starts for the Lannisters were horrible, and the rest were quite good.  Jake Arrieta, Carlos, Rodon, and Jacob deGrom gave up 21 earned runs for the week.  The rest of the staff gave up only seven.  By comparison, Kyle’s staff gave up just 22 earned runs total.  The trio of horrible starts doomed the Lannisters in the rate categories they desperately needed.  Kyle had fair pitching numbers, including an excellent week from J.A. Happ.  This was enough to earn a safe 6-4 win.  Both teams are now 2 – 2, and each needs to find some consistency and heath if they want to contend.

LK Armadillos (1 – 1 – 1) vs.  SM Lasershow (1 – 2)

The week’s final match was much closer than the final score indicates.  The Armadillos won a lopsided victory, but almost all of the categories were close.  Home runs, steals, SLG, strikeouts, quality starts, ERA, and WHIP were all in play on the last day of the week.  Sean didn’t have luck on his side this time.  Both teams had great pitching.  They tied in quality starts and split ERA and WHIP.  The Armadillos threw more innings and had a great week from Jack Flaherty.  The Lasershow countered with a nice effort from Marco Gonzales.  Mike Minor piled up strikeouts, but also gave up a few too many runs to have an excellent week.  The Lasershow bullpen struggled, and the Armadillos won the category without difficulty.  This gave Larry a 3-1-1 lead in a closely-fought battle.

On offense, there were even more close categories.  The Armadillos swept home runs, OBP, and SLG.  However, they won home runs but just one and SLG was only 0.032 apart.  Ozzie Albies had three home runs for the Armadillos.  Trevor Story added two more, and six other Armadillos had one each.  Sean countered with a great week from Travis Shaw, who had three home runs.  Christian Yelich had one home run and three steals.  Andrelton Simmons and a nice 0.636 SLG.  Despite this effort, the Armadillos were able to get just a little more production from their stars and took the week.  Both teams had a shot, and Sean can look to build on this balanced effort next week.

Next Week

The best match of Week 05 is probably the Armadillos and Goofballs.  The two teams are probably the most tactical pair in the league and always try to outmaneuver other teams.  The Legion are heavy favorites over the PhoeGnomes while the Lannisters and Possums will face strong opposition from the Lasershow and Thunderwolves respectively.

CP Legion (1 – 0) vs.  LK Armadillos (1 – 0)

The week’s only match of two winning teams paired the Armadillos and Legion.  The rivalry between these two teams is probably the most intense in the league.  In this early contest, the Legion won a decisive victory.  Chris led the league in four hitting categories:  home runs, steals, OBP, and SLG.  Yasmani Grandal led the Legion with three home runs, but nine total Legion players contributed at least one.  Cody Bellinger paid early dividends with two home runs and two steals.  Jesse Winker added a pair of home runs in part time duty.  The Armadillos had a nice three home run week from Pete Alonso, but it wasn’t enough to stay competitive.  Domingo Santana contributed eight RBI to help tie the category, but Chris captured a strong 4-0-1 advantage on offense.

Neither team had great pitching stats except for the Legion’s league-leading save total.  Roberto Osuna had five saves, more than any other team’s combined total.  The real story on pitching was the Armadillo’s struggles.  The team put up a terrible 7.20 ERA and 1.43 WHIP, easily the worst numbers in the league.  Larry suffered debacles from Carlos Carrasco (0.2 IP, 6 ER), Freddy Peralta (3.1 IP, 7 ER), and Masahiro Tanaka (4.0 IP, 5 ER).  The loss of these two categories paired with Chris’s dominant bullpen spelled triggered a rout of the defending champions.  The Legion are the league’s only unbeaten team and sit in first place.  The shocking loss leaves the Armadillos searching for answers on both sides of the ball.

KK Thunderwolves (0 – 1) vs.  SM Lasershow (0 – 1)

Although the Legion had the best statistical week of any team, the Thunderwolves had the most dominant victory.  Kyle secured a rare 10-0 victory of Sean’s squad.  Despite the lopsided score, the match was somewhat competitive when looking at individual categories.  On offense, each team put up respectable if unspectacular numbers.  Freddy Galvis and Tommy Pham each had two home runs for the Lasershow.  Andrelton Simmons added a home run and a solid SLG total.  However, Kyle was able to edge out all of the key categories thanks to a great week from Elvis Andrus and Rhys Hoskins.  Each had two home runs and Andrus slugged 1.260.  His two steals secured the final category for the Thunderwolves and they recorded a 5-0 sweep.

Like many other teams this week, neither squad had a good pitching rate stats.  However, the Thunderwolves recorded good strikeout, quality starts, and saves figures.  They tied for the league lead in the first two categories and were second in the third.  Zack Greinke had a vintage 15 strikeout week over two starts, and German Marquez added two solid outings as well.  Kirby Yates recorded all four of the team’s saves and secured the category.  Sean didn’t have an answer for the week.  David Price had a nice start but several of the team’s other starters imploded.  Overall, the Thunderwolves picked up a nice win despite not having their best on pitching.  They are now at 0.500 and possibly on the rise.  The Lasershow continue to slide, and things won’t get any easier against the Armadillos next week.

RK Possums (0 – 1) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (1 – 0)

Last year’s second place team faced off against the tough Goofballs squad and had the closest match of the week.  Rick was able to secure a narrow win and improve to 0.500, while the Goofballs tried their best to remain unbeaten.  The two teams easily had the best pitching numbers in the league.  Kevin had the better rate stats but Rick was able to earn more strikeouts and saves.  The teams tied in quality starts.  Rick had a productive week from Justin Verlander, who struck out 17 in two starts.  However, he gave up more runs than usual.  Max Scherzer and Trevor Bauer continued this pattern.  They pitched a lot of innings and piled up strikeouts.  However, they weren’t totally dominant and did allow some earned runs and walks.  Kevin took advantage and deployed twelve different pitchers who got innings.  Julio Teheran and Jon Gray were the best of the bunch.  Neither allowed an earned run.  The bullpen was strong, despite only earning two saves.  Ultimately, the two teams reached a stalemate and had a 2-2-1 tie before accounting for offense.

Both teams put up respectable offensive numbers.  Kevin had more home runs and RBI, but Rick easily won steals and OBP.  Rick’s top hitter was Khris Davis, who stayed red-hot with five more home runs and 10 RBI.  Ronald Acuna Jr. added three home runs of his own.  Tim Anderson contributed three stolen bases and Rick dominated the category.  The Goofballs countered with good weeks from multiple players.  Anthony Rendon had two home runs and eight RBI.  Ten different Goofballs had at least one home run.  Unfortunately for the Goofballs, Anthony Rizzo and Freddie Freeman struggled for the week.  This gave Rick a slight edge in SLG that carried through the final game on Sunday.  Kevin had a chance to flip the category, but he couldn’t quite get enough power to turn the result.  Rick won a narrow 5-4-1 match.  The Goofballs would have beaten many other teams in the league, and Kevin has to hope for better luck in future weeks.

HP PhoeGnomes (0 – 1) vs.  JK Lannisters (1 – 0)

The week’s final match saw the PhoeGnomes win against the Lannisters.  Both teams seemed to struggle to get into a rhythm but Heather’s crew did just enough to secure her first win of the year.  The week’s star was undoubtedly Jose Altuve.  He had six home runs and 10 RBI.  Dansby Swanson was strong as well with a home run, nine RBI, and a steal.  The Lannisters had a good week from Austin Meadows with three home runs.  However, the rest of the squad struggled to pick up RBI or steals.  Heather won a close SLG race and earned a 3-1-1 lead before pitching.

Neither team had strong pitching stats.  The Lannisters suffered multiple meltdowns from Jacob deGrom, Stephen Strasburg, and Walker Buehler.  Luis Castillo had a nice outing, as did Jake Arrieta.  The Lannisters won strikeouts with ease but only tied in quality starts.  Heather had slightly better rate stats thanks to Shane Bieber and Ross Strickling.  However, her stats weren’t great overall.  The PhoeGnomes had their share of meltdowns, they just weren’t as extreme as the Lannisters’ embarrassing performances.  In a final mark of shame for both teams, neither roster recorded a save.  Despite these poor metrics, the PhoeGnomes are thrilled to pick up their first win.  The Lannisters will need to reevaluate their pitching after one good week and one poor one.

Next Week

The week’s best match pairs the Legion and Lannisters.  This rivalry has less animosity than the Legion / Armadillos, but the matches are always competitive.  The Thunderwolves hope that the Armadillos continue to struggle in their first meeting.  The PhoeGnomes and Possums both hope to hold on to their winning momentum.  Finally, the expansion teams meet for the first time this year as the Goofballs face the Lasershow.