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| Studs of the Week Justin Turner (32 points) and Cody Bellinger (37) had lots to smile about. |
1. Clemente’s Bucs (2276.3 points, 9-3, last week, 1): Every year Ray gets Clayton Kershaw, his team is at the top of the standings. We wonder if there's a correlation there. Ray's ace put up 34.3 in 2 starts to lead the Bucs to a win against Project Mayhem, even though the rest of the staff didn't do much. The offense was deep and balanced, led by the resurgent Andrew McCutchen (27), Adam Frazier (22.5) and Skinny Adams (21). With Kershaw, Stephen Strasburg and Kenley Jansen to go along with a balanced offense, this is a tough squad to beat.
2. Bodysuit Man (2210.7 points, 9-3, last week 2): Adam's team had a fine week, and it was plenty to take down Tim's Losers. Gerrit Cole (31) went 2-0 to lead the pitching staff, and Gio Gonzalez (17) and Chase Anderson (16) each had a strong start for a win. Freddy Galvis scored 19 to lead a balanced offense, as only Manny Pina (3) scored less than 10 points.
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| Everyone's favorite tenor Domingo Santana has been crushing the ball lately. |
3. The Rookies (2125.3 points, 7-5, last week 5): Henry's no-name offense mashed the ball, with Ian Happ (25.5), Domingo Santana (23) and Ender Inciarte (21) leading the way to a 120-point offensive showing. Inciarte wins this week's DJ LeMahieu Award for hitting 11 singles, a true testament to slapping the ball around. Jon Lester posted 24 points in 2 starts, and Alex Wood (17) and Max Scherzer (16) did what they've been doing all year. Addison Reed scored 1 point in 2 outings and then got cut, because LOL Mets.
4. Lawyers Guns and Money (2115.8 points, 8-4, last week 3): The Zevons got nothing from their pitching staff in a loss to the Rookies, who added insult to injury by also jumping LGM in the standings. Matt's offense put up 112 points, led by Marcell Ozuna's 19.5 and Bryce Harper's 17. But Zach Davies (11 in 2 starts) was the only starter to score more than 6, and even Corey "Evil" Knebel's pair of saves couldn't get the pitching staff over 40 points.
5. Pitch! You Blockhead (2095.8 points, 5-7, last week 5): Sometimes the Blockheads pitch and sometimes they don't. This was a rough week in a loss to the Fish. Jacob deGrom (19) was phenomenal in his lone start and Robbie Ray (14.3) was also strong. But Jeff Smarkdiajmasdzia (12) was stung by playing for a horrible team and Jaime Garcia (1.3) and Jim Johnson (8, but 3 earned runs and a blown save) were stung by just not being very good at baseball. Among the hitters, Christian Yelich (6.5), Hunter Renfroe (5.5), Eric Thames' Beard (4.5) and Tony Wolters (4) didn't do much. Brandon Phillips and his Late Career Resurgence (TM) scored 24.5 to lead the offense.
6. Quirkin’ For a Livin’ (2049.5 points, 4-8, last week 7): The commishes continued to climb up the standings, putting up a league-high 214 points to edge the Misfits. Cody Bellinger (37) continued to be a monster, hitting 5 homers and driving in 12 runs for the week. Corey Seager (27.5) and Trea Turner (21.5) looked like the top picks they were. The beleaguered pitching staff had a good week, with Mike Foltynewicz (18) and Zack Godley (17) notching big wins to offset Lance Lynn's (-1.3) stinker. And now ace Jon Gray is off the DL. Will the Fightin' Hueys be a playoff spoiler?
7. Fresh Fish (1982.2 points, 6-6, last week 8): Rick's Nationals and pitching staff led the way in a win against the Blockheads. Daniel Murphy (22.5) and Anthony Rendon (20) led the hitting, and Matt Moore, Jake Arrieta and Edinson Volquez each earned wins on the hill. Fernando Rodney barely pitched, notching a strikeout in a scoreless inning. We know he's actually been pretty good this year, but sometimes it's best for your team if Fernando Rodney doesn't pitch.
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| Dud of the Week Julio Teheran managed to post negative numbers despite 2 starts. |
8. Arbitration Losers (1980.2 points, 7-5, last week 6): Tim's pitching staff resembled a pile of soggy noodles in a loss to Adam. Julio Teheran (-0.7 in 2 starts) was the dregs, but Michael Wacha (5), Carlos Martinez (5) and Tanner Roark (0.7 in 2 starts) weren't a lot better. All told: 0-4, 26 earned runs in 29 innings, meaning 10 points in 6 starts. Paul Goldschmidt (30.5) and Keon Broxton (26) were monsters at the plate but it wasn't nearly enough.
9. Project Mayhem (1937.5 points, 5-7, last week 6): Bill's offense came up short in a loss to the league-leading Bucs. Kyle Schwarber managed 2 points before being demoted, and Matt Wieters (5.5), Jose Peraza (7) and Ian Desmond (9) were less than great. On the plus side, Ryan Freaking Zimmerman (19.5), Kris Bryant (19.5) and Jedd Gyorko (18.5) were strong at the plate. Still, only 6 doubles and 3 homers as a team, that's not going to cut it. Aaron Nola (19.3) had a stellar start and Johnny Cueto (15 in 2 starts) and Taijuan Walker (16) contributed as well. But Antonio Senzatela (-4) stunk the place up.
10. The Misfits (1697 points, 0-12, last week 10): Poor, poor Reid. It all came together on the offensive side, with a ridiculous 174 hitting points... and the Misfits still couldn't pull off the win against the Quirks. Justin Turner (32) and Michael Taylor (30.5) led the way and every hitter scored at least 15 points. 41 runs scored, 37 RBIs, 16 homers, 7 steals... it was a great overall week. And yet: Brandon McCarthy (16 in 2 starts) was the only pitcher to do anything, and Ty Blach (-7) was actively terrible. At least there are signs of life for Reid's squad.
Finally, let's all admire Adam Ottavino's pitch location here. Dude had thrown four run-scoring wild pitches at this point:
