Welcome to the Marvin Gaye edition of the FBLG weekly wrap-up. In essence, the theme is "What's Going On" with one week left before the playoffs.
1. Manwaring a Muumuu (3,070 points, 12-5, last week 1): The Muumuu crew lost to a blazing-hot LGM team but kept plugging along in the points race, pushing its lead over the Misfits to 214 points and seemingly locking down the regular-season championship. The Muumuu crew also has clinched a first-round bye in the playoffs — PYB could still tie for second in the standings but trails Muumuu by 420 points for the tiebreaker. What's Going On: Domonic Brown has a concussion, Carl Crawford is having hot flashes, Jedd Gyorko can't hit and Aramis Ramirez's status is unknown.
2. Misfits (2,856 points, 13-4, last week 2): Reid's boys have clinched a first-round bye in the playoffs, and the team's key players are all healthy at the right time. All that's left to fight for this week is second place in the regular season — and LGM is right on Reid's heels. What's Going On: Adam Wainwright, Tony Cingrani and Francisco Liriano look like three-quarters of a great rotation. How will Scott Feldman fare against the beasts of the AL East?
3. Lawyers, Guns & Money (2,792 points, 9-8, last week 4): Matt's team had a phenomenal week, posting 228 points with all but two players in double digits. Anthony Rendon scored minus-2 and looks like the only weak spot in the lineup. A deep playoff run looks like a certainty for this dangerous team. What's Going On: Tim Hudson's season-ending injury could be a blow to a team already dealing with Lance Lynn's sudden inconsistency.
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| The Fresh Fish haven't been as fresh as advertised. |
4. Arbitration Losers (2,756 points, 9-8, last week 5): Tim's team moved up to fourth place in the rankings thanks to the fall of the Braunies. The Arbitration Losers scored 213 points and are showing good balance with hitting and pitching. Neil Walker is healthy again, and Jonathan Lucroy has been mashing for the past few weeks. What's Going On: How will the outfield carousel look with Gerardo Parra struggling, Nate Schierholtz hitting, and David DeJesus, Matt Holliday and Matt Kemp getting healthy?
5. Testosteraun Braun (2,740 points, 10-7, last week 3): Ryan Braun gets suspended and Bill's team drops two places in the rankings. Coincidence? Probably not. The Braunies have had a rough month, but at least they lead FBLG in Mets on a roster (Murphy, Young, Hefner, Marcum and Duda). What's Going On: A season that began with so much promise has reached a point where Bill is using Logan Schafer and Eric Young Jr. in two of his outfield spots.
6. Pitch You Blockhead (2,650 points, 11-6, last week 6): Scott's team is sixth in points but third in the standings, which points to good timing on the schedule. This week, PYB managed to hold off the Sagebrushers despite getting only 26 points from the dynamic outfield trio of Shin-Soo Choo, Carlos Gonzalez and Starling Marte. What's Going On: How will Scott handle his 6-man rotation in the playoffs? Gerrit Cole, Travis Wood, Tim Lincecum, Cole Hamels, Kris Medlen and Dan Haren can be a potent staff if they actually have good games when they're in the lineup.
7. Going Going Gonzo (2,624 points, 5-12, last week 7): Jay Bruce's 32-point week wasn't enough for Gonzo in a close loss to Reid's Misfits. The slumping Rockies and Brewers have been tough on a squad that carries Nolan Arenado, Wilin Rosario, Nori Aoki and Jean Segura. What's Going On: Management seems to have taken the summer off. B.J. Upton and Trevor Cahill are injured, and poachers have emptied the Gonzo bench.
8. Rookies (2,539 points, 7-10, last week 8): Henry's team has struggled in recent weeks, but the Rookies still look like a team that can cause problems for opponents in the playoffs. Carlos Gomez just keeps on hitting, and stealing bases, and driving in runs, and scoring runs, and... What's Going On: Too many Rookies are having unimpressive seasons. Can Yovani Gallardo, David Freese, Adam LaRoche and Jason Heyward hit their stride in time for it to matter?
9. Silver State Sagebrushers (2,464 points, 6-11, last week 9): The Sagebrushers could have come away with a victory if Brandon Belt, Justin Upton and Dexter Fowler had combined for more than 8 points this week. Or if the Sagebrushers weren't playing Bullpen Roulette in Arizona. What's Going On: Is it really possible that the rotation of Clayton Kershaw, Jorge De La Rosa, Charlie Morton and Kyle Lohse is one of the best in FBLG?
10. Fresh Fish (2,401 points, 3-14, last week 10): The Fish are getting healthier, but it doesn't seem to matter. The hitting was pretty good this week — thanks to Giancarlo Stanton's 30 points, Todd Frazier's 24 and Hanley Ramirez's 23 — but the pitching fell flat. Also, Miguel Montero, Garrett Jones and Cody Ross continue to scuffle. What's Going On: Good luck counting on any consistency from Matt Cain, Barry Zito, Homer Bailey and Zack Greinke.
