It's clobbering time.With a quick splash of warm weather returning to much of the country, slumbering lumber also began to arise from hibernation this week.
All The Wrongs Cub 405.5 @ The Darned Sox 334.5
It's an old maxim that offense wins games, but pitching wins championships. If that's the case, both of these teams will win more than a fair number of games but shouldn't start clearing any space on the mantel (or chimneypiece, if you prefer) for their trophies. TDS clubbed a league-high 14 HR to post 242 offensive points, and ATWC countered with a league-high 25 doubles of their own on the way to putting up 240 points. It was on the pitching rubber, however, where the game was won - or lost, depending on your perspective. With a 5.78 ERA and 1.84 WHIP on the week, ATWC didn't deserve to win, but TDS didn't make a case for themselves with their 5.77 ERA and 1.56 WHIP - which garned them only 92.5 points, and in the end it was a remarkably efficient 67.5 points from Jenks and Papelbon that allowed ATWC to take an early 2-1 record and first place in the division.
Naps 381.5 @ Not So Fragile Flowers 323
While not great in quantity, the Naps' pitching staff squeezed out the quality in Week 3, going 6-6 in QS with a sparkling 1.69 ERA and 0.92 WHIP - numbers achieved without the benefit of the Mark Buerhle no-hitter. NSFF were nearly about to put the nail in the coffin of the Naps on Thursday, but Sweaty Joe Borowski - the reigning TWIDCBA Pitcher of the Week - spit the bit. (In a non-save situation.) A positive sign for the NSFF, however, is the turnaround of Barry Zito, who appears to have finally acclimated hisself to the NL. The next thing you know, Alyssa Milano will be the NSFF's biggest fan.
The Consummate Bastards 318.5 @ Jackanapes 366
Employing the bold move of having Scott Kazmir matchup against and outperform 2 of the CoBa's starters at an eyepopping 6:1 ratio, the rest of the lineup was freed up to do their thing and allowed the Jackanapes to roll to an easy victory. Additionally, the one-man wrecking crew that goes by the human name Jim Thome put up an astounding .455/.741/1.273 line for the week, to complement the all-around game of SS/CF Bill E. Hall (44 pts). The CoBa's were unable to counter that assualt, as Howie Kendrick was injured, and the cornerstones of future Hall-of-Famers Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols have yet to hit their stride (or fastballs, curveballs, sliders, etc.) so far this year.
Da Infidels 257 @ Festivus Miracles 345
Infidels: I said slumbering lumber began to arise from hibernation this week. Did y'all miss that memo? Perhaps Juan Pierre, having possibly the best week he'll ever have, was disgruntled at being left on the bench and forgot to distribute it. Juan Pierre, high scorer; yes, you definitely did not get cc'd on that. Notwithstanding that, Jason Hirsh continues to impress, although being active on a staff with two pitchers not on an MLB roster and/or on the DL dulls a bit of the shine. While Jason Schmidt was out, the rest of the FM's staff were able to cover his loss by picking up a win apiece, including Freddy Garcia during his 2007 debut. Carlos Beltran, doing everything above-average but not one thing superlatively, carried the offense - and led the NL - with his 47 points.
Slipstream Starlings 332.5 @ Savage Sickos 318
Paul Konerko, Michael Young, Vernon Wells, Adam Dunn (50 points combined): Alex Rodriguez (50 points individually) would like some help. If 2 of you hit a 2-run homer while the other 2 manage a walk, your team has a victory. Ask Hawk Harrelson, he'll tell you what you need: balance. Or just look at your opponent, who had 7 hitters between 21-28 points. That enabled them to overcome a 5.07 ERA during the week and helped to minimize the fact that they only had 3 homeruns. Such balance has given the Starlings the longest winning streak in the league, a first-place ranking and a one-game lead over the SaSi's. To put it another way, it's time for the SaSi's to trade AlexRod for 5 mediocre players. Balance.
All The Wrongs Cub 405.5 @ The Darned Sox 334.5
It's an old maxim that offense wins games, but pitching wins championships. If that's the case, both of these teams will win more than a fair number of games but shouldn't start clearing any space on the mantel (or chimneypiece, if you prefer) for their trophies. TDS clubbed a league-high 14 HR to post 242 offensive points, and ATWC countered with a league-high 25 doubles of their own on the way to putting up 240 points. It was on the pitching rubber, however, where the game was won - or lost, depending on your perspective. With a 5.78 ERA and 1.84 WHIP on the week, ATWC didn't deserve to win, but TDS didn't make a case for themselves with their 5.77 ERA and 1.56 WHIP - which garned them only 92.5 points, and in the end it was a remarkably efficient 67.5 points from Jenks and Papelbon that allowed ATWC to take an early 2-1 record and first place in the division.
Naps 381.5 @ Not So Fragile Flowers 323
While not great in quantity, the Naps' pitching staff squeezed out the quality in Week 3, going 6-6 in QS with a sparkling 1.69 ERA and 0.92 WHIP - numbers achieved without the benefit of the Mark Buerhle no-hitter. NSFF were nearly about to put the nail in the coffin of the Naps on Thursday, but Sweaty Joe Borowski - the reigning TWIDCBA Pitcher of the Week - spit the bit. (In a non-save situation.) A positive sign for the NSFF, however, is the turnaround of Barry Zito, who appears to have finally acclimated hisself to the NL. The next thing you know, Alyssa Milano will be the NSFF's biggest fan.
The Consummate Bastards 318.5 @ Jackanapes 366
Employing the bold move of having Scott Kazmir matchup against and outperform 2 of the CoBa's starters at an eyepopping 6:1 ratio, the rest of the lineup was freed up to do their thing and allowed the Jackanapes to roll to an easy victory. Additionally, the one-man wrecking crew that goes by the human name Jim Thome put up an astounding .455/.741/1.273 line for the week, to complement the all-around game of SS/CF Bill E. Hall (44 pts). The CoBa's were unable to counter that assualt, as Howie Kendrick was injured, and the cornerstones of future Hall-of-Famers Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols have yet to hit their stride (or fastballs, curveballs, sliders, etc.) so far this year.
Da Infidels 257 @ Festivus Miracles 345
Infidels: I said slumbering lumber began to arise from hibernation this week. Did y'all miss that memo? Perhaps Juan Pierre, having possibly the best week he'll ever have, was disgruntled at being left on the bench and forgot to distribute it. Juan Pierre, high scorer; yes, you definitely did not get cc'd on that. Notwithstanding that, Jason Hirsh continues to impress, although being active on a staff with two pitchers not on an MLB roster and/or on the DL dulls a bit of the shine. While Jason Schmidt was out, the rest of the FM's staff were able to cover his loss by picking up a win apiece, including Freddy Garcia during his 2007 debut. Carlos Beltran, doing everything above-average but not one thing superlatively, carried the offense - and led the NL - with his 47 points.
Slipstream Starlings 332.5 @ Savage Sickos 318
Paul Konerko, Michael Young, Vernon Wells, Adam Dunn (50 points combined): Alex Rodriguez (50 points individually) would like some help. If 2 of you hit a 2-run homer while the other 2 manage a walk, your team has a victory. Ask Hawk Harrelson, he'll tell you what you need: balance. Or just look at your opponent, who had 7 hitters between 21-28 points. That enabled them to overcome a 5.07 ERA during the week and helped to minimize the fact that they only had 3 homeruns. Such balance has given the Starlings the longest winning streak in the league, a first-place ranking and a one-game lead over the SaSi's. To put it another way, it's time for the SaSi's to trade AlexRod for 5 mediocre players. Balance.
1 comment:
Damn. On the per-word plan, are we? I am shamed.
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