There might not be a better feeling in fantasy sports than when your team performs as you expect them to - or better. You enter the season with the confidence that you've done the research, selected the right players and you're eager to realize the fruits of your labor.
Which is why it feels so good when the players you showed confidence in perform well. All of your prognosticating and forecasting turned out to be correct. You've been validated.
Unless, of course, those performances don't come until late in the season when the cards are stacked against you and hope is all but lost. Then that feeling of satisfaction is muted.
And I'm pretty sure that's the mixed bag of emotions running through the Myrtle Beach Mermen after last week.
The Mermen have been a good team all season, but what they did in week 18 was off the charts. They certainly had to be pleased as punch with the effort their team delivered. In fact, defeating the Green Monstahs by nearly 260 runs, 426-169, was so over-the-top that it could present legal problems as that's considered assault and battery in some states.
If your bingo card had the Myrtle Beach Mermen scoring more runs that any other team in a single week, congratulations. The Mermen's 426 runs surpassed the Los Perros Locos's 414 back in week 7, and since the Mermen are only the 3rd team to score 400+ in a week this season, odds are pretty good that no one will top that in the final 2 weeks of play.
But for all the jubilation and glee that comes with a performance like that, the Mermen came up short this week by not fault of their own.
Last week I wrote about the need for the Tallahassee Tator Tots and Akes and Pain to struggle if the Mermen are to have a shot at being invited to the post-season party. While the Tots and Akes were both challenged in their games, giving the Mermen a momentary glimpse of hope, they ultimately battled through as quality teams do.
The Tots were tested last week in their battle with the Poke Bananas. Falling behind 42-17 after 1 inning, the Bananas team rallied and closed the gap to just 9 runs after 2 innings. And the game remained relatively close throughout the week with the Bananas even enjoying a short-lived lead by the middle of the 6th inning.
Maybe it was the Tots's penchant for winning or maybe it was the Bananas tendency to lose despite being one of the better scoring teams. Whichever it was, the Tots rallied late in the 6th inning before closing out the 7th frame to go on and win, 321-303.
Despite the Tots victory, the Mermen still had one other opportunity to gain ground - in Akes and Pain versus Isotopes contest.
The first 4 innings of that contest didn't surprise. Akes jumped out to an 85-4 lead after the first round and maintained their lead all the way through the 4th. However, things quickly went south for Akes when the 'Topes outscored them 112-21 in the 5th and 6th innings giving them a 46 run lead over Akes heading into the 7th.
With an Isotopes upset over Akes and Pain just on the horizon, hopes were high throughout the Mermen clubhouse. If the 'Topes could manage to hold on, the Mermen were looking at the possibility of cutting their deficit in the playoff race by more than half, from 3 games to just 1. Not only could Akes lose the contest, but the Isotopes would be likely to replace them as one of the top scoring teams, thus robbing them of a bonus win.
To close out the game, the Isotopes would call Clay Holmes to the mound. And why wouldn't they? Clay Holmes has been a decent, though not great, closer and he hadn't surrendered a run in nearly a month. But that's when the wheels fell off.
The Marlins offense came alive against Holmes, scoring 4 runs off 5 hits through 0.1 IP earning him -11 points and resulting in an 8-run loss for the 'Topes. And an Isotopes loss also meant a loss for the Mermen.
We're now into the final 2 weeks of the regular season and, despite their record-setting production last week, the Mermen remain 3 games out of the playoff race. That's not to say that it's impossible for them to make it up, but I'm sure they're looking back through some of their losses this season and wondering what might have been if they weren't late to the game.
Good luck in week 19.
-- Commish
POWER RANKINGS
This week saw more movement in the rankings than last week, but that's not saying much; only a handful of teams saw any change. On the back of their record game, the Mermen claimed the #4 spot away from You're Killing Me Smalls and, despite their loss, the Poke Bananas moved up to #7 from #8.
ALL-STAR LINEUP CHALLENGE
With two weeks of play left in this challenge, the Los Perros Locos are the only team with a chance to catch Akes and Pain. But trailing by 159 pts might be a little too much to overcome at this point in the contest barring an injury to one of Akes players and/or a serious increase in production for the Perros...one that would border on ridiculous.
BATTING CHAMPION & CY YOUNG CHALLENGES
The top 3 candidates in our Batting Champion contest - Ohtani, Olson, and Betts - remain unchanged while Freddie Freeman moves from #6 to #4. Playing at another level since the All-Star break, Austin Riley saw the greatest jump of all, moving from #52 to #13. I'm going to go out on a limb an suggest that if Ohtani slips, the winner of this contest will be from the Atlanta Braves.
Gerrit Cole has led the field in our Cy Young for much of the season. Sure, other pitchers have flirted with the lead here and there, but Cole has remained at, or near, the top. Rising from #16 to #4, it will be interesting to see if Justin Steele's hot streak can continue and possibly catapult him into the lead just as the contest ends.
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