If you're looking back on week 9 and thinking "That was a low scoring week for my team", you're not alone. Not only was week 9 the lowest scoring week of the season, but 10 of 12 teams scored below their season average. The fans are not happy and you guys need to do better this week or you're going to see a ratings drop.
The lowest game on the board last week was the contest between the Green Monstahs and the Springfield Isotopes where the Monstahs left Duff Stadium with a rather unremarkable victory, 224-177. That the game was a sleeper should surprise no one. These two teams have been involved in 5 of the 8 lowest scoring games this season so, naturally, we're not expecting a lot of run production when they square off against each other.
For all the finger-pointing in the Topes locker room after the game, there was certainly one player that was not to blame: Corey Seager. The Monstahs pitching was no match for the SS as he went on to post his best game of the season, 41, bringing in 10 RBIs off 11 hits last week. Seager was the only one that showed up as he accounted for nearly 25% of the Isotopes total score.
If we're talking about quality hitting last week, we can't leave out the Tallahassee Tator Tots. And I'm not just talking about 1 or 2 of their hitters, I'm talking about their entire lineup. The Tots bats were piping hot last week with every one of them scoring in the double-digits.
But it wasn't just their hitting that led them to sink the Mermen. All but one of their pitchers scored in the double-digits too. With Stroman (69 pts) and Eovaldi (52 pts) leading the charge, the Tots pitching staff tallied 210 points. That is only the 3rd time a pitching staff has reached the 200+ level this season, and it was good for 2nd best falling short of Los Perros Locos' absurd 272-point pitching staff performance in week 7.
If you're trailing the Tots in the standings, take note: quality hitting and pitching wins games.
Speaking of Perros, did everyone enjoy watching them acquire Nestor Cortes on Saturday night anticipating he would get two starts this week just to find out on Sunday morning that he's going on IL? Seems a bit like dropping your new iPhone the day after you buy it. I hope they insured it.
There might not be another team in the league that better exemplifies the concept of "highs and lows" than Poke Bananas.
Over the course of the first 9 weeks, the 'Nanas are 2-7 and they're currently riding a 3-game losing streak. But if you're paying close attention, you'll notice that their season record is 9-9 which means that they are 7-2 in the bonus category. Basically, you can count on the Bananas to score just enough each week to put them among the top 6 highest scoring teams, but certainly not enough to defeat their opponent. I can't make sense of it either.
This week's loss for the Bananas is squarely on their hitters. I don't know if they were using wiffle ball bats or what, but their hitters scored only 65 points last week - the lowest hitting total for any team this season.
But, what if? What if the Bananas hitters would've just been average last week?
As a unit, their hitters were averaging 146.5 pts/gm before week 9. And if you add that to their pitching staff's 196-point performance, they would've totaled 343...still short of the 372 registered by Akes and Pain. Turns out the result doesn't change; they lose their contest but get the bonus win.
Have any of you noticed some of the significant streaks we have going on right now?
The Tallahassee Tator Tots have won 5 straight, while Los Perros Locos and You're Killing Me Smalls have both won 4 in a row. But those aren't the longest streaks.
Unfortunately, the longest current streak in our league is a losing streak by Team Whitmer - they've lost 6 straight and I'm not sure I see an end in sight. If I were managing that team, the first thing I'd do to try to turn things around is to go out and find a RP - any RP - to complete my pitching staff. Or, better yet, I'd go find another SP and move Sewald to my open RP slot.
After that, I'd probably run Benintendi out there and figure out how to get Estrada back in the lineup since he's due back from IL this week. But that's just me. Maybe you like Suzuki and Segura more than I do.
If vengeance is your thing, you're in for a treat over the next two weeks as teams will square off in double-headers against their opponents from week 1. There are, of course, some teams that are likely to face the same fate they did in the opening week: read Team Whitmer and Green Monstahs.
However, there are also some teams that look primed to exact their revenge.
For example, Team Prepas absolutely annihilated Perros in the opening week, 524-389. But a lot has changed since then and both are heading in very different directions than they were then. Are you really ready to put good money down on Prepas?
The Tallahassee Tator Tots have clearly become one of the best teams in the league, but they began their season with a tough 7-run loss to the Isotopes. The Tots might not take both games if the Topes can somehow return to their early-season form, but I could easily see the Tots finishing 3-1 in the double-header after the bonuses are awarded.
The Damn Yankees fell to Dude It Was Ringworm in week 1 and no one in their right mind could make the case that the Yankees are a powerhouse now. But, did you know that the Yankees are outscoring Ringworm by nearly 60 runs per game over the past 3 weeks? It's true, I didn't make it up. Or, did I?
And the Poke Bananas actually have a good opportunity to sneak away with a pair of wins plus the bonuses against the Myrtle Beach Mermen. "What?!? That's crazy, Commish!"
Hear me out; the Bananas have outscored the Mermen in 4 of the last 5 weeks - look it up if you don't believe me. Plus, as of this writing, Manoah has just finished his night after allowing 6 ER over 0.1 IP for a solid -18 points. Yes, that's a negative in front of the number.
Ever hear of the Thursday Night Football curse in fantasy football? It's real and the baseball equivalent is the Matchup Day 1 curse. If your starters blow it in the early stages of your contest, more often than not, the rest of your team will shine throughout the rest of the week.
OK, maybe I made that one up. Or, did I?
Good luck this week!
-- Commish
POWER RANKINGS
It's a tight race at the top of the list. The Tallahassee Tator Tots currently lead the pack with Los Perros Locos less than 10 points behind them. Sitting in the 3rd spot are Akes and Pain who some would argue is the best team in the league.
ALL-STAR LINEUP CHALLENGE
The Mermen continue to lead this contest but the Los Perros Locos appear ready to challenge our front-runner. The Perros claimed the #2 spot from Akes and Pain by the slimmest of margins; 4 points. Sitting in 4th place are the Tallahassee Tator Tots who might just be the only other legitimate contender at this point being that every team beyond them is about 300 points behind.
BATTING CHAMPION & CY YOUNG CHALLENGES
Tremendous week 9 performances have Shohei Ohtani and J.D. Martinez joining the top 20 rankings in our Batting Champion contest. Matt Olson continues to lead the field while Aaron Judge, Mookie Betts, and Marcus Semien all appear to be closing in.
Pete Alonso, Paul Goldschmidt and Jorge Soler all saw a significant drop in their rankings though they remain on the board. The most surprising name on the board a few weeks ago, Lourdes Gurriel, appears to be slowing down a bit as he continues his downward slide, coming in at #29.
The race is on in our Cy Young contest. Framber Valdez remains the leader but Zac Gallen moved up 10 spots, from #12 to #2, this week and is only 5 points off the lead. At #3 and #4 are Nathan Eovaldi and Gerritt Cole, both with 10 points of Valdez.
Merrill Kelly continues to shine, moving up from #31 last week to make his first appearance on our leader board at #14. Two players, Eduardo Rodriguez and Pablo Lopez, fell out of the top 20 this week.
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