The Check Swing: Week 18

This man, who scored 26 points on Fresh Fish's bench Saturday, won't pitch in the FBLG playoffs. Deja vu, eh Nationals?

It's the end of the FBLG regular season, and our first-round playoff matchups are set. As expected, the Fresh Fish will miss the fun. The Bryce is Right and Soler Eclipse finished in a tie for 8th in the standings, and Soler nabbed the final playoff spot by finishing 59 points ahead of Bryce. Here are the matchups for the first round, which lasts 2 weeks. For the 1/8 and 2/7 matchups, the lower seed must win both weeks to advance. For the 3/6 and 4/5 matchups, the team with the higher 2-week total advances.

1 Already Zaun - 8 Soler Eclipse

2 Retire 21 - 7 Rookies

3 PYB - 6 Misfits

4 Chateau Marmol - 5 Arbitration Losers

1. Already Zaun (15-3, 3,306 points, last week 1): A 270-point week? Save it for the playoffs, boys. Everyone except Carlos Martinez was in double figures, with Jake Arrieta leading the way with 41 points and Matt Carpenter adding 30. Kyle Schwarber has solved AZ's catching woes. 

2. Retire 21 (12-6, 3,161 points, last week 2): Ray's pitching folded in Week 18, and it led to another loss. The staff posted only 25 points, and Aaron Harang and Santiago Casilla were each at minus-1. On the other hand, Cesar Hernandez looks like a nice addition to the roster. 

3. Pitch You Blockhead (11-7, 3,061 points, last week 3): The Blockheads still look poised to make some noise in the playoffs, but Kolten Wong (7), Nolan Arenado (10) and Jonathan Lucroy (10) will have to perform better than they did in Week 18. 

4. Arbitration Losers (10-8, 3,022 points, last week 4): Tim's team lost by 117 points this week, so it's foolish to try to pick out one problem when the opponent goes berserk like that. But Wily Peralta should be able to do better than minus-1 in a pair of starts.  

5. Chateau Marmol (10-7-1, 2,955 points, last week 5): The only negative for Matt in a 192-point week was Matt Cain's 0 across a pair of outings. Odubel Herrera scored a 24 in his first week in FBLG. Welcome to the league, kid! 

6. Soler Eclipse (6-12, 2,889 points, last week 6): Adam's team took down the second-place Retire 21 and nailed down the final playoff spot. Hey, remember when Derek Norris was one of the top players in FBLG? Looks like he caught the Padre Flu. 

7. Rookies (7-10-1, 2,871 points, last week 7): The inconsistent Rookies lost a close one to Bryce and now face the tough pitching staff of R21. Which Jay Bruce and D.J. LeMahieu will show up for Henry's team in the playoffs? 

8. Misfits (8-10, 2,845 points, last week 9): Yoenis Cespedes posted 23 points in his first week as a National Leaguer, and Taylor Jungmann has pitched like an ace for Reid's team. Should Scott's PYB squad be on upset alert? 

9. The Bryce is Right (6-12, 2,830 points, last week 8): Bill's team got the win it needed to sneak into the playoffs but wasn't able to score enough points to pass Soler Eclipse. Todd Frazier's second-half cold streak is a big reason why. 

10. Fresh Fish (4-14, 2,613 points, last week 10): Freddie Freeman got hurt, the starting pitching was a disaster, Drew Storen imploded as a setup man and Stephen Strasburg scored about a thousand points on Rick's bench. Anything else? 

Week 18: Sunday roundup

Francisco Cervelli is baseball's best Italian catcher since Sal Fasano. 

Studs: Jake Arrieta (AZ) tripled, scored, got the win and fanned 6 in 7.2 shutout innings. Francisco Cervelli (Rookies) was a double short of a cycle, scored twice and drove in 3. Andrew McCutchen (Rookies) had a 2-run homer and a 2-run single and scored twice. Carlos Gonzalez (FF) hit 2 more solo homers. Think he misses having Troy Tulowitzki hitting in front of him?

Duds: Nolan Arenado (PYB) made 2 errors and singled. Drew Storen (FF) gave up 2 runs and took the loss in 1 inning. Maikel Franco (AL) and Martin Prado (Rookies) each went 0 for 4 with an error. Yasiel Puig (Bryce) came off the bench to single and make an error.

Scores

Already Zaun 270, Arbitration Losers 153
Bryce is Right 162, Rookies 160
Soler Eclipse 177, Retire 138
Misfits 185, Fresh Fish 116
Chateau Marmol 192, PYB 165

Week 18: Saturday roundup

More solo homers for the Mets. Imagine that.

Studs: Jaime Garcia (CM) got the win and struck out 5 in 7 shutout innings. Curtis Granderson (Misfits) blasted a pair of solo homers.

Duds: Matt Cain (CM) allowed 5 runs in a 4-inning loss. Santiago Casilla (R21) gave up 3 runs in 0.1 inning. Aramis Ramirez (SE) went 1 for 4 with an error.

Scores

Already Zaun 226, Arbitration Losers 142
Bryce is Right 154, Rookies 131
Soler Eclipse 143, Retire 112
Misfits 159, Fresh Fish 99
PYB 158, Chateau Marmol 150

Week 18: Friday roundup

Poor Rick. His own outfielder stuck his "closer" with a minus-5.

Studs: Carlos Gonzalez (FF) hit a grand slam and singled. Kyle Schwarber (AZ) singled, doubled, stole a base, scored twice and drove in 2. Dexter Fowler (Bryce) stole a base, was a triple short of a cycle, scored twice and drove in a run. Justin Upton (R21) had a 2-run triple, singled, scored and stole a base. Lance Lynn (PYB) got the win and fanned 7 in 6 shutout innings.

Dud: Drew Storen (FF) allowed 4 runs on Cargo's grand slam and took the loss.

Scores

Already Zaun 188, Arbitration Losers 115
Bryce is Right 131 Rookies 111
Soler Eclipse 120, Retire 99
Misfits 122, Fresh Fish 86
PYB 148, Chateau Marmol 107

Week 18: Thursday roundup

Zack Greinke's ERA shot up to 1.71 because he allowed 6 runs, but he blasted a homer so we wouldn't notice.

Studs: Michael Wacha (AZ) improved to 13-4 by striking out 6 in 7 shutout innings. Adrian Gonzalez (AZ) hit a 3-run homer, singled and scored twice. Matt Garza (Bryce) allowed 1 run and fanned 5 in a 7-inning win. Adam Lind (Rookies) doubled, singled twice, drove in 3 and scored twice. Zack Greinke (PYB) hit a solo homer, singled twice and scored 3 runs. He also struck out 8 in a 6-inning win. We won't mention the error or the 6 runs he allowed.

Duds: None.

Scores

Already Zaun 159, Arbitration Losers 73
Bryce is Right 87, Rookies 79
Soler Eclipse 96, Retire 51
Misfits 100, Fresh Fish 73
Chateau Marmol 93, PYB 91

Week 18: Wednesday Roundup

We guess this guy is the ace of the Phillies staff now. Poor Phillies.

Studs: Taylor Jungmann (Misfits) allowed 2 earned runs and struck out 8 in a 7-inning win, adding a single at the plate. Matt Harvey (Soler) struck out 6 in 7 shutout innings, then watched in horror as his bullpen nearly blew an 8-0 lead in the 9th inning. Kyle Schwarber (AZ) homered, doubled, scored twice and drove in 2.

Duds: Joey Votto (R21) scored a run and made an error. Aaron Harang (R21) allowed 4 earned runs and struck out 1 in a 5-inning loss. Kris Bryant (CM) singled and made an error. David Phelps (FF) allowed 7 earned runs in a loss.

Scores

Already Zaun 111, Arbitration Losers 51
Bryce is Right 62, Rookies 55
Soler Eclipse 80, Retire 39
Misfits 86, Fresh Fish 61
Chateau Marmol 67, PYB 60

Week 18: Tuesday roundup

Jake Arrieta outpitched J.A. Happ on Tuesday. We know that's shocking.

Studs: Jake Arrieta (AZ) singled and got the win while striking out 5 in 7 shutout innings. Anthony Rizzo (CM) doubled twice, singled twice and scored twice. Matt Duffy (Bryce) went 4 for 5 with a double, a steal, a run and an RBI.

Duds: Ryan Howard (Misfits) went 0 for 4 with 3 Ks and an error. Aramis Ramirez (SE) went 0 for 4 with an error. Patrick Corbin (SE) gave up 3 runs and fanned 1 in 1.1 inning.

Scores

Already Zaun 73, Arbitration Losers 40
Bryce is Right 29, Rookies 19
Soler Eclipse 37, Retire 21
Misfits 44, Fresh Fish 31
Chateau Marmol 53, PYB 47

Week 18: Monday roundup

The Padres aren't known for their ability to make contact. Just look at these atrocious high-five attempts.

Studs: Yoenis Cespedes (Misfits) doubled 3 times, drove in 4 and scored twice. A.J. Pierzynski (Misfits) had a 2-run homer, 3 singles and 2 runs. Jace Peterson (SE) hit a 3-run homer, doubled, singled and scored twice. Yangervis Solarte (PYB) hit a 3-run homer and a solo homer. Charlie Blackmon (AL) had 2 doubles, 2 singles, an RBI and a run.

Duds: Wily Peralta (AL) allowed 6 runs and fanned 2 in a 3.1-inning loss. D.J. LeMahieu (Rookies) hilariously went 0 for 5 with 5 Ks. Santiago Casilla (R21) allowed 2 runs in 0.2 inning.

Note: The Cubs and Pirates were rained out. No makeup date was announced.

Scores

Already Zaun 23, Arbitration Losers 16
Rookies 8, Bryce is Right 5
Soler Eclipse 22, Retire 8
Misfits 38, Fresh Fish 10
PYB 26, Chateau Marmol 13

Week 18 Transactions and Lineups

An awful lot of fuss this week from owners wanting to sign a Mets hitter. That's a rarity in FBLG land.

Players acquired

• Misfits sign OF Yoenis Cespedes (August move #1).
• Soler Eclipse sign SS Jose Reyes (August move #1) and 3B Aramis Ramirez (August move #2).
• The Bryce is Right sign OF Dexter Fowler (August move #1).
• Chateau Marmol sign OF Odubel Herrera (August move #1) and 2B Addison Russell (August move #2).

Players released

• SP Jorge De La Rosa
• OF Michael Taylor
• SP Jake Peavy
• OF Tommy Pham
• OF Ben Revere (AL player, no longer FBLG-eligible)
• 3B Casey McGehee
• OF Michael Conforto
• OF/3B Cody Asche
• SP Tanner Roark
• OF Clint Robinson

Lineup changes

• Rookies: None.
• Retire 21: Bench C Nick Hundley, 3B Yasmany Tomas and SP Charlie Morton; activate C Travis d'Arnaud (from DL), 3B Cesar Hernandez and SP Aaron Harang (from DL).
• Misfits: Bench OF Ender Inciarte and SP Chris Heston; move SP Williams Perez from DL to bench; activate OF Yoenis Cespedes and SP Mike Fiers.
• Soler Eclipse: Bench SS Ian Desmond, SP Alex Wood and 2B Danny Espinosa; activate SS Jose Reyes, 3B Aramis Ramirez, 2B Jace Peterson and SP Patrick Corbin.
• Pitch You Blockhead: Bench 1B Yonder Alonso; OF Kelly Johnson and OF Joc Pederson; place SP AJ Burnett on DL; activate 1B Yangervis Solarte, OF Nori Aoki (from DL), OF Mark Trumbo and SP Jason Hammel.
• The Bryce is Right: Bench OF Billy Hamilton and SP Mike Bolsinger; activate OF Dexter Fowler and SP Aaron Nola.
• Chateau Marmol: Bench OF Christian Yelich and SP Brett Anderson; place 2B Joe Panik on DL; activate OF Odubel Herrera, SP Andrew Cashner and 2B Addison Russell.
• Arbitration Losers: Bench SP Madison Bumgarner and OF Angel Pagan; move 1B Ryan Zimmerman from DL to bench; activate SP Mike Leake, SP Wily Peralta and OF Jayson Werth.
• Already Zaun: Bench SP Robbie Ray; activate SP Tyson Ross.
• Fresh Fish: Bench SP Ryan Vogelsong; activate SP David Phelps.

The Check Swing: Week 17

Tim has another Giant on his team. Gee, what a surprise.

1. Already Zaun (14-3, 3,036 points, last week 1): With one week left in the regular season, the Zaunies have nailed down one of the top two playoff spots. Matt Carpenter led the way this week with a 25-point outburst.

2. Retire 21 (12-5, 3,023 points, last week 2): Ray's team is in prime position to seal up the other top playoff spot thanks to a big win driven, yet again, by his pitching staff. Jose Fernandez and Charlie Morton combined for 58 points in 4 starts.

3. Pitch You Blockhead (11-6, 2,896 points, last week 3): Maybe Scott should rename his team Hit You Blockhead. Joc Pederson went scoreless and Kelly Johnson posted a 3 in a 146-point week for PYB. 

4. Arbitration Losers (10-7, 2,869 points, last week 4): Well, it's "go time" for Tim's team. His four injured players are back, and he even added a Giants pitcher thanks to the trade of Mike Leake to San Francisco.  

5. Chateau Marmol (9-7-1, 2,763 points, last week 5): A 30-point week from Anthony Rizzo wasn't enough for Matt's team, which got only 11 points from the trio of Brett Anderson, Matt Cain and Jonathan Papelbon.

6. Soler Eclipse (5-12, 2,712 points, last week 7): Matt Holliday got hurt, Danny Espinosa lost his job and Casey McGehee was lousy again. What else do you need to know?

7. Rookies (7-9-1, 2,711 points, last week 6): D.J. LeMahieu has scored only 20 fewer points than Andrew McCutchen this season. I can't express how infuriating that is.

8. The Bryce is Right (5-12, 2,668 points, last week 8): Lucas Duda exploded for 33 points, but Chris Owings (6), Todd Frazier (4) and Wilson Ramos (2) were no-shows for Bill's team.

9. Misfits (7-10, 2,660 points, last week 9): Ryan Howard scored 26 points and Curtis Granderson had 21? What year is this? 

10. Fresh Fish (4-13, 2,497 points, last week 10): Finally, some good news for Rick: Carlos Gonzalez looks like his old self!