Playoffs Week 2: Saturday's report

Clayton Kershaw has been looking good lately.
(Just kidding. That's a Franklin Stubbs jersey.)

STUDS: Clayton Kershaw (SSS) had an RBI double and struck out 8 in 8 shutout innings as the Dodgers shut down Philadelphia. Martin Prado (AL) had a 3-run homer, 3 singles and 4 runs. Paul Goldschmidt (TB) had a 3-run homer, 2 singles and 2 runs. Jason Heyward (Rookies) hit a solo homer, then blasted a 2-run homer to tie the game in the ninth inning.

DUDS: If you were looking for a quality duel between Stephen Strasburg (Rookies) and Mike Minor (Muumuu), you surely were disappointed. Strasburg was ejected and allowed 2 runs with 1 strikeout in 1 inning, and Minor allowed 4 runs with 2 Ks in 1.2 innings. Justin Upton (SSS) went 0 for 6 with 5 strikeouts, also known as the Dave Kingman Special.

Head-to-head scores

Arbitration Losers 147, Testosteraun Braun 122 (AL leads by 60 entering the week)
Pitch You Blockhead 149, Lawyers, Guns & Money 129 (LGM leads by 39 entering the week)
Misfits 152, Going Going Gonzo 121
Rookies 168, Manwaring a Muumuu 145*
Consolation round bound: Silver State Sagebrushers (136), Fresh Fish (147)
*Clinched a spot in semifinals

Playoffs Week 2: Friday's report

Nathan Eovaldi allowed 11 runs, but at least only 9 of them
were earned.

STUDS: Jon Niese (Misfits) was the only pitcher to make a mark in the plus column on a remarkable day for hitters. Niese scored a run and struck out 9 while allowing 1 run in a 6-inning win. It was a great day for Giants hitters for a change. Hunter Pence (Braun) tripled, doubled twice, scored 3 runs and drove in 5. Brandon Belt (SSS) tripled, doubled, singled twice, scored 4 runs and drove in 1. Pablo Sandoval (PYB) had a double, 3 singles, 3 RBIs and a run. Alfonso Soriano (Rookies) continued his remarkable run with a 3-run homer, an RBI single, a plain-old single, 2 runs and a steal. Jonathan Lucroy (AL) hit the game-winning 2-run homer, singled twice, drove in 3 and scored twice. Jean Segura (Gonzo) tripled, singled twice, stole a base, scored twice and drove in a run. Todd Frazier (Fish) had a solo homer, a 2-run single and a 1-run single.

DUDS: Nathan Eovaldi (LGM) singled, scored and struck out 3 in 3 innings. (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT) He also took the loss and allowed 12 hits, 1 walk and 11 runs. Aroldis Chapman (AL) allowed a 2-run homer and took the loss without getting an out.

Head-to-head scores

Arbitration Losers 130, Testosteraun Braun 94 (AL leads by 60 entering the week)
Pitch You Blockhead 122, Lawyers, Guns & Money 98 (LGM leads by 39 entering the week)
Misfits 135, Going Going Gonzo 110
Rookies 151, Manwaring a Muumuu 118*
Consolation round bound: Silver State Sagebrushers (100), Fresh Fish (119)
*Clinched a spot in semifinals

Playoffs Week 2: Thursday's report

Tony Cingrani has 111 strikeouts in 94 innings this year.

STUDS: Tony Cingrani (Misfits) allowed 1 run and struck out 9 in a 6.1-inning victory. Matt Carpenter (PYB) tripled, doubled, singled twice, scored 2 runs and drove in 1.

DUDS: Rafael Soriano (Misfits) blew the save and took the loss; he allowed 3 runs with 1 K in 1 inning. Jeff Bianchi (free agent) singled twice in 3 at-bats but was caught stealing twice and committed an error.

TRANSACTION: LGM activates C Yadier Molina and moves Wilson Ramos to the bench.

Head-to-head scores

Arbitration Losers 103, Testosteraun Braun 65 (AL leads by 60 entering the week)
Pitch You Blockhead 96, Lawyers, Guns & Money 86 (LGM leads by 39 entering the week)
Misfits 101, Going Going Gonzo 69
Rookies 131, Manwaring a Muumuu 108*
Consolation round bound: Silver State Sagebrushers (82), Fresh Fish (82)
*Clinched a spot in semifinals

Playoffs Week 2: Wednesday's report

The Marlon on the left has 5 more homers than the
Marlin on the right.

STUDS: Angels pitching has been good to Alfonso Soriano (Rookies) One day after posting 14 points, Soriano erupted for 16 points by mashing a grand slam, a solo homer and a 2-run double. He also walked and scored. Francisco Liriano (Misfits) rebounded from a disastrous outing by throwing a complete game, getting the win and striking out 6 while allowing 1 run. Bronson Arroyo (Rookies) got the win and struck out 7 in 7 shutout innings. Marlon Byrd (Misfits) hit a 3-run homer, doubled and singled. Gerardo Parra (AL) had an RBI triple, a double and 2 runs. Todd Frazier (Fish) had a solo homer, an RBI double and 2 runs. Domonic Brown (Muumuu) hit a 2-run homer, doubled and singled.

DUDS: Tim Lincecum (PYB) was bad Lincecum in this outing, allowing 6 runs and striking out 3 in a 6-inning loss. Ryan Ludwick (Fish) might be showing signs of rust. He went 0 for 4 with 3 Ks.

Head-to-head scores

Arbitration Losers 87, Testosteraun Braun 57 (AL leads by 60 entering the week)
Lawyers, Guns & Money 73, Pitch You Blockhead 65 (LGM leads by 39 entering the week)
Misfits 80, Going Going Gonzo 65
Rookies 116, Manwaring a Muumuu 95*
Consolation round bound: Silver State Sagebrushers (71), Fresh Fish (74)
*Clinched a spot in semifinals

Playoffs Week 2: Tuesday's report

FBLG's top performer of the day doesn't even play in the
National League anymore.

STUDS: Alfonso Soriano (Rookies) hit a 3-run homer, a 2-run homer and an RBI single. He also scored 3 runs. Paul Goldschmidt (Braun) singled, tied the game in the ninth inning with a solo homer and won the game in the 11th inning with a solo homer.

DUDS: Eric Stults (Braun) had a classic "soft-tossing lefty blowup game." He lasted 4.2 innings and allowed 11 hits, 3 walks and 5 runs. He also failed to strike anyone out. Good thing he singled and scored in the no-decision. Matt Harvey (Muumuu) allowed 4 runs and struck out 3 in a 6-inning loss to the Dodgers. Carlos Gomez (Rookies) went 1 for 3 with an error. Starling Marte (PYB) went 0 for 4 with 3 Ks, a steal and a costly error. He dropped a fly ball in the ninth inning and the Pirates leading by 1. The runner ended up scoring, and the Pirates lost in 14 innings.

Head-to-head scores

Arbitration Losers 68, Testosteraun Braun 29 (AL leads by 60 entering the week)
Pitch You Blockhead 52, Lawyers, Guns & Money 42 (LGM leads by 39 entering the week)
Going Going Gonzo 48, Misfits 35
Manwaring a Muumuu 67*, Rookies 45
Consolation round bound: Silver State Sagebrushers (33), Fresh Fish (53)
*Clinched a spot in semifinals

Playoffs Week 2: Monday's report

Cole Hamels finally pitched like an ace for PYB.

STUDS: Cole Hamels (PYB) tripled, scored a run, struck out 9 and allowed 1 run in a complete-game win. Mat Latos (Muumuu) got the win and struck out 9 in 8 shutout innings. Jhoulys Chacin (Fish) had a sacrifice fly and allowed 1 run while striking out 6 in an 8-inning win. Dexter Fowler (SSS) had our only outstanding offensive performance, ripping a 2-run double, a 2-run single and another single. He also scored 2 runs and walked twice.

DUDS: Chase Headley (AL) went 0 for 3 with an error, and teammate Yonder Alonso (PYB) went 1 for 4 with an error.

Head-to-head scores

Arbitration Losers 29, Testosteraun Braun 8
Pitch You Blockhead 37, Lawyers, Guns & Money 6
Going Going Gonzo 20, Misfits 9
Manwaring a Muumuu 42*, Rookies 10
Consolation round bound: Silver State Sagebrushers (14), Fresh Fish (32)
*Clinched a spot in semifinals

Week 20 Transactions and Lineups

Players acquired

Lawyers, Guns & Money sign SP Nate Eovaldi (August move #2).

Fresh Fish sign 1B Logan Morrison (August move #2)

Players released

OF Delmon Young

SP Barry Zito

SP Scott Feldman

Lineup changes

Testosteraun Braun: Bench OF Logan Schafer; move Evan Gattis from C to OF; activate C Wellington Castillo.

Arbitration Losers: No changes.

Silver State Sagebrushers: No changes.

Going Going Gonzo: No changes.

Lawyers Guns and Money: Bench SP Jeff Locke; activate SP Nate Eovaldi.

Pitch You Blockhead: Bench SP Gerrit Cole; activate SP Travis Wood.

Rookies: No changes.

Manwaring a Muumuu: Place 3B Eric Chavez on DL; activate 3B Jedd Gyorko.

Misfits: Bench SP Wily Peralta; activate SP Jon Niese (from DL).

Fresh Fish: Bench SP Jacob Turner; place OF Cody Ross on DL; move Garrett Jones from 1B to OF; activate OF Ryan Ludwick (from DL), SP Jhoulys Chacin and 1B Logan Morrison; activate SP Ryan Vogelsong from DL and place on bench.

The Check Swing: Week 20

1. Manwaring a Muumuu (3,435 points, advanced to semifinals): The Muumuu crew held on for a victory against the Rookies despite a 1-point week from Buster Posey. The team also lost another third baseman, with Eric Chavez going on the disabled list, so the heat is on Jedd Gyorko — at least until Aramis Ramirez returns.

2. Misfits (3,193 points, battling to get to semifinals): That minus-10 outing from Francisco Liriano and a total of minus-4 from Chase Utley and Troy Tulowitzki on Sunday prevented the Misfits from securing a spot in the semifinals. Who would have figured Wily Peralta would be this team's bright spot for the week?

3. Lawyers, Guns & Money (3,162 points, battling to get to semifinals): Matt's team keeps moving closer to the No. 2 Misfits; the gap is down to 31 points. Early in the season, we poked fun at the right side of this team's infield. Now, we're looking at the left side. Remember when Jimmy Rollins was a strong fantasy contributor? Remember when Pedro Alvarez hit homers without making errors? OK, that never actually happened...

A few points from Dennis Quaid could have
made the difference for the Rookies.

4. Arbitration Losers (3,119 points, battling to get to semifinals): Does anyone want to play this team right now? With Matt Holliday and Allen Craig powering the offense and Wade Miley and Jose Fernandez pitching as well as anyone during the past couple of months, the Losers look poised to make a run at the FBLG title. The injured Matt Kemp and Angel Pagan are lurking, too.

5. Testosteraun Braun (3,033 points, battling to get to semifinals): It was a week to forget for the Braunies, who will have to overcome a 60-point deficit to defeat the Arbitration Losers and move into the semifinals. Madison Bumgarner and Jordan Zimmermann will have to do better than combine for 10 points for that to happen.

6. Pitch You Blockhead (2,902 points, battling to get to semifinals): All of a sudden, Matt Carpenter is the only consistent offensive threat for PYB. Also, what the heck happened to Pablo Sandoval? The career .295 hitter is 40 points below that this season. Regardless, the loss of Carlos Gonzalez could be too much of an obstacle for PYB to overcome.

7. Going Going Gonzo (2,900 points, battling to get to semifinals): Could Gonzo upset the top-seeded Misfits and get to the semifinals? It's certainly possible. The Dodgers' surge has been great for this team, which counts on Adrian Gonzalez for big points. Also, the Rockies playing in Denver was good news for Nolan Arenado and Wilin Rosario, both of whom had good weeks.

8. Rookies (2,827 points, sent to consolation round): Despite a 170-point week, the Rookies didn't quite have enough to topple the Muumuu crew. The loss of Everth Cabrera to a suspension has forced Zack Cozart into the lineup, and John Buck has done nothing since April. But with Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Gomez and the Washington aces, the Rookies can still make some noise in the consolation round.

9. Silver State Sagebrushers (2,804 points, in consolation round): With nothing to play for but their points total, the Sagebrushers put up a league-high 189 points. Not bad for a team missing Rickie Weeks and David Wright and relying on a closer who no longer has the closer's job in Arizona.


10. Fresh Fish (2,646 points, in consolation round): What can you say about the hard-luck Fish? Rick's team scored 115 points this week, and 34 of them came from Zack Greinke. Only 2 other players reached doubled digits. Delmon Young was designated for assignment, and Cody Ross dislocated his hip. Anything else?

Playoffs Week 1: Sunday's report

Stephen Strasburg's 24 point-outing wasn't even
the best FBLG performance of the day.

STUDS: Clayton Kershaw (SSS) struck out 8 and allowed 1 earned run in an 8-inning win as the Dodgers kept on rolling. He also had a 2-run single and scored twice. Stephen Strasburg (Rookies) threw his first complete game, striking out 10 while shutting out the Phillies. Mark Ellis (LGM) had a 2-run homer, an RBI single and a double. Freddie Freeman (Misfits) hit a 3-run homer, doubled and scored 2 runs. Aaron Hill (Muumuu) had a 3-run homer and an RBI double.

DUDS: Chase Utley (Misfits) went 0 for 3 with an error as Reid's middle infield let him down. Troy Tulowitzki (Misfits) went 0 for 2 with 2 walks and an error.

Head-to-head scores

Arbitration Losers 172, Testosteraun Braun 112
Lawyers, Guns & Money 174, Pitch You Blockhead 135
Going Going Gonzo 144, Misfits 132
Manwaring a Muumuu 185, Rookies 170
Consolation round bound: Silver State Sagebrushers (189), Fresh Fish (115)

Manwaring a Muumuu advances to the semifinals.
The winner of Gonzo/Misfits next week advances to the semifinals.
Arbitration Losers and Braun continue their 2-week duel with a 60-point gap.
LGM and PYB continue their 2-week duel with a 39-point gap.