The final of the BaseballGB fantasy league is here as the Maltsters (1st) took on Norwich (2nd). There could only be one winner, so who would be crowned the 2017 champion?

The Maltsters were the cream of the crop during the regular season and have converted their top form into a championship title after defeating Norwich 6-5. Cheshunt’s hitters did most of the heavy lifting in the final as McCutchen scored six runs, hit two homers, knocked in nine and hit .500 for the week. Nicasio and Osuna had two saves each. Marte stole two bases for Norwich, who had the better of the pitching stats. Tomlin helped take ERA and WHIP while Gausman struck out 14 and Vincent had two holds. Norwich fell a win shy of taking the final into tiebreaker territory.

Both teams have been outstanding this year. I’m sure Norwich will be disappointed but they pushed a very good team very close right to the end. Massive congratulations to the Maltsters. It’s ridiculously hard to be good at H2H every week, but they managed it. The Maltsters lost in week one to the Bombers but then reeled off 24 straight victories – a streak so impressive that the Cleveland Indians would no doubt tip a cap in their direction. Well played.

In the 3rd place playoff it was the Chasers who emerged victorious, defeating the A&E Dept 7-4 thanks to an offensive sweep. Lucroy and Gyorko each hit .500 or better but it was Dozier who was the star, batting .615 for the week with an OPS over 2.000, seven runs, two homers and six RBIs. Upton swiped two bases.

On the mound, Kahnle picked up the lone hold. Lester and McHugh each won twice for the A&E Dept, with Jon posting great ERA and WHIP stats and Colin racking up 14 strikeouts. Both teams can be very pleased with their seasons, as top four places are some achievement in such a competitive league.

The Slugs ended the year with victory in the 5th place playoff, defeating Batteries Essential 9-3. Trout led the Slugs with five runs, four homers and six RBIs. Archer and Lackey each had a win and helped take ERA and WHIP while Treinen also picked up a victory and two saves. Paxton struck out 14 and Kela had the lone hold.

Batteries Essential fell an inning shy of the minimum limit, forfeiting all of the pitching categories. Blackmon hit .455 to help take average and OPS and he also stole a base.

The RBIs finished the season on a high with a thumping 10-2 win against the Isotopes to finish 7th. Unsurprisingly, Judge was the star man, scoring six runs, belting four homers and driving in nine. Harper stole two bases, so I guess that means his knee is fine.

Tanaka was the pick of the pitchers with a win, 15 strikeouts, no earned runs allowed and a miniscule WHIP. Chapman had two saves. The Isotopes salvaged average thanks to Arenado (.421) and Herrera had two holds but the patchwork pitching staff struggled once again.

WRAPPING UP

Thanks once again to you all for playing this season, I hoped you enjoyed it. We can all sit back and watch the playoffs without fretting about what our ERA is going to be at the end of the night. Special thanks go to Matt for posting the roundups on the site each week. I will be back in touch next year when Yahoo opens for the 2018 season.

The final week of the BaseballGB Fantasy League is here. But which teams have made the final? Read on to find out if the top seeds survived.

Norwich have booked their Championship final place after beating the Chasers 9-3. There were contributions across the roster as Stroman won twice, Nola and Giolito each struck out eight and Gausman helped take ERA and WHIP. Kimbrel and Hand had two saves each while Devenski picked up the lone hold to complete a pitching sweep.

Bellinger knocked in six runs and Reyes (.500) and Marte (.571) each had two steals. Dozier scored eight runs for the Chasers while Upton belted four homers and teamed with Fowler to take OPS.

The Maltsters continue their fine season as the top seeds made it through to the Championship final with an 8-3 win against the A&E Dept. Ozuna was the star hitter with six runs, three homers and seven RBIs. Kluber, Sale (13 strikeouts) and Rodriguez all piked up wins without allowing any earned runs and helped take WHIP.

Another Boston pitcher, Reed, had two holds.Anderson hit .375 for Beckenham while Merrifield stole three bases. Scherzer won twice and Rodney, Allen and Davis had a save each.

Batteries Essential are through to the consolation final after defeating the RBIs 8-3. Kinsler led the team with five runs, four homers and seven RBIs while Pollock and JD Martinez each hit three dingers. Neris notched three saves and struck out eight, as did Corbin.

Neshek had two holds and Richards made the difference in ERA and WHIP. Gardner stole three bases for the RBIs and Carpenter hit .467 while Judge had a five-homer week. Chapman had two holds.

Finally, the Slugs advanced to the 5th place playoff with a 6-5 win against the Isotopes. Souza Jr scored six runs and stole two bases for the Slugs, while Domingo Santana had a three-homer week. Berrios picked up a win and struck out 10, while Treinen and Yates took care of saves and holds. Cruz belted four homers for the Isotopes and joined Gennett in knocking in five. Realmuto hit .353 for the week. Teheran helped take ERA and WHIP.

Who will be crowned champions?

Just one week of the 2017 fantasy season remains and it is fitting that the top two teams will meet in the Championship final. The Maltsters and Norwich played once during the regular season, with Cheshunt taking that matchup 9-3 in week 12.But can the Maltsters do the business in the final?

Week 25 matchups:

Championship final:

Maltsters (1st) v Norwich (2nd)

3rd place game:

Chasers (3rd) v A&E Dep (4th)

Consolation playoffs:

5th place game:

Slugs (7th) v Batteries Essential (8th)

7th place game:

RBIs (5th) v Isotopes (6th)

The first round of the BaseballGB playoffs began last week. Would the top seeds make it through or would there be some early surprise results?

The Maltsters have been the team to beat all season long and they started their playoff campaign with a convincing 9-2 win against Batteries Essential. Jose Ramirez hit .593 for the week while Gregorius hit three homers and knocked in nine and McCutchen also went deep three times. Kluber was the star pitcher with two wins, 17 strikeouts, no earned runs allowed and a miniscule WHIP.

JD Martinez hit .435 with three homers and stole a base for Batteries Essential while Neshek had three holds. They may regret not starting Bauer what with the Indians’ long winning streak.

Norwich, who finished second in the standings, are also safely through to the semi-finals after beating the Slugs 7-3. Neither side hit for much average but there was plenty of power. Four Norwich hitters had multi-homer weeks, including Bryant (who scored nine runs and knocked in eight) and Bellinger, who helped take OPS.

Nola struck out 11 and helped take ERA and WHIP. Domingo Santana hit .400 for the Slugs while Colome had two saves and Kela notched the lone hold.

The A&E Dept’s championship hopes are still alive after a 7-4 win against the RBIs. CarGo and Todd Frazier each hit three homers while Garcia knocked in 10 while batting .500 for the week. Rizzo and Merrifield had two steals each. On the mound, Greinke struck out 14 while Rodney, Davis, Allen and Iglesias combined for seven saves.

The RBIs put up a good fight as Judge scored nine runs and Brach had two holds. Porcello didn’t allow an earned run and helped take WHIP in a strong week for the pitching staff.

Finally the Chasers are the final team to book a championship semi-final place after defeating the Isotopes 6-5. In a matchup of two halves, the Chasers swept the offensive categories as Lindor hit .393 for the week, stole a base and joined Seager (who homered three times and knocked in 10) in scoring seven runs. Doolittle’s strikeout of Austin Barnes in the Sunday night game snapped a tie in strikeouts and helped the Chasers progress.

Had the matchup ended 6-6, the Isotopes would have advanced due to their regular season win against the Chasers. But it all came down to that one strikeout. That’s head-to-head for you. The Isotopes took all the remaining pitching categories as Wood helped take ERA and WHIP and Teheran also picked up a win and struck out 12. Holland had a save and Hunter notched two holds.

Week 24 matchups:

Championship semi-finals:

Maltsters (1st) v A&E Dep (4th)

Norwich (2nd) v Chasers (3rd)

Consolation semi-finals:

RBIs (5th) v Batteries Essential (8th)

Isotopes (6th) v Slugs (7th)

The regular season is over in the BaseballGB Fantasy League. Four playoff places were still up for grabs at the start of week 22 but which teams made it through?

The Maltsters could have been forgiven for taking their foot off the gas, but instead they secured top spot in the standings with a 10-1 win against the Slugs. Abreu had a three-homer week for the Maltsters, while Santana hit .500 and Gregorius knocked in 10. Kluber had a win and 13 strikeouts while Sale helped take ERA and WHIP and Smith notched three holds.

Trout stole three bases for the Slugs and Colome had two saves. They won’t like the result, but at least the Slugs did enough to secure a playoff place.

The Chasers secured their playoff place in style, shooting up to third with a 10-2 win against the RBIs. Lindor was the star hitter with seven runs, three homers and four steals while Kyle Seager also hi three dingers. Ray was the star of the pitching sweep with two wins and 26 strikeouts while Quintana and Cole helped take ERA and WHIP. Reddick and Judge helped the RBIs salvage average and OPS.

Batteries Essential picked a good time for a big win, as the 9-2 victory against the Riverkings saw them finish eighth – in the final playoff place. JD Martinez was the pick of the hitters in a great offensive week, scoring seven runs, hitting six homers and knocking in nine. Blackmon scored eight runs and Kinsler launched three homers.

Bedrosian won twice out of the pen while Neshek had three holds. The rotation didn’t pitch much, but Gray and Gio Gonzalez helped take ERA and WHIP. Murphy hit .450 for the Riverkings and Betances struck out six but their playoff hopes are over.

Iron Men finished the regular season on a winning note, defeating Jesmond 9-3. Encarnacion hit two homers and Rendon and Cain helped take average and OPS. Carlos Martinez picked up a win, struck out 18 and helped take ERA and WHIP while Kintzler had two holds. Molina knocked in 10 for Jesmond while Desmond and Correa each had a steal and Knebel picked up two saves.

The A&E Dept ended the Knights’ bid for a playoff place with an 8-4 win. CarGo hit .526 with two homers and seven runs and Merrifield drove in six in an offensive sweep, while Nunez stole three bases. Greinke helped make the difference in ERA and Allen led the staff with three saves. For the Knights, Cobb won twice and struck out 12 while Peacock helped take WHIP and Bradley had two holds but they fell just short of the top eight.

The Bombers finish the year in 10th after defeating the Sox 8-4. Mazara and Salvador Perez each hit three homers, with Salvy leading the team with six RBIs. Turner also knocked in six and joined Kendrick in scoring seven runs. Strasburg was the star pitcher with two wins, 18 strikeouts and no earned runs allowed, while Wacha also won twice. Shaw had three holds. Dee Gordon and Myers helped take average for the Sox and also stole two bases each, while Madson had the lone save.

The Isotopes secured a playoff place with a 5-4 win against Norwich, who finish the regular season in second place. Khris Davis and Arenado each hit two homers, batted over .400 and knocked in nine and eight runs respectively. Luke Weaver picked up a win and helped take ERA and WHIP in what was a rough week for both pitching staffs. Hosmer scored six runs and joined Gary Sanchez and Beckham in hitting two homers for Norwich while Yelich swiped two bases. Nola struck out eight.

THE PLAYOFFS BEGIN

Here are the matchups for the first round. Will they go according to the standings or will some of the top seeds fall at the first hurdle?

Maltsters (1st) v Batteries Essential (8th)

Norwich (2nd) v Slugs (7th)

Chasers (3rd) v Isotopes (6th)

A&E Dept (4th) v RBIs (5th)

Two more teams have booked playoff places in the BaseballGB Fantasy League – but four places are still up for grabs with just one week of the regular season left.

The Maltsters continue their march to the playoff after defeating Jesmond 11-1. Once again, Jesmond failed to meet the 20-inning minimum limit, forfeiting all the pitching categories. Altuve scored eight runs while Castillo and Jose Ramirez (.538) each belted four homers. Kluber won twice, Sale struck out 17 and Reed had three holds. Bregman salvaged steals for Jesmond.

Iron Men picked up an 8-4 win against the Sox as Encarnacion scored seven runs, hit two homers and joined Rendon in driving in six. Giles had two saves, Lorenzen and Kintzler had a hold each and that Kershaw guy returned to help take ERA and WHIP. Gordon and Gurriel each hit .500 for the Sox while Betts swiped four bases. Morton had a win and struck out nine.

Norwich needed a pitching sweep to defeat the Chasers 7-5. Nola had a win and struck out 13 while Hand and Kimbrel had three saves each and Vincent notched a pair of holds. Gausman helped take ERA and WHIP. Bellinger and Freeman had multi-homer weeks.

Benintendi hit .360 and stole three bases for the Chasers, while Dozier scored nine runs and was one of three players to knock in five.

The A&E Dept had two reasons to celebrate – a 7-5 win against the Slugs and the confirmation of their playoff place. Posey hit .500 for the week while Rizzo scored nine times and drove in eight. Davis, Rodney and Allen each had two saves while Bundy did not allow an earned run and posted miniscule WHIP numbers.

Domingo Santana hit three homers for the Slugs while Trout stole two bases. Usually a .326 team average would be enough for a category win, but not this time. Godley won twice, Marquez struck out 19 and Yates had two holds.

The Riverkings hit their way to a 7-5 win against the Isotopes, as Baez scored six runs and stole three bases, Morales knocked in 10 and Inciarte batted .448. Vizcaino, Jansen and Swarzak took care of saves and holds. The Isotopes had power from Ramirez, who hit three homers, while Weaver won twice, struck out 19 and Teheran helped take ERA and WHIP.

Both teams will be happy with this score as the Bombers picked up a 6-5 win but the RBIs did enough to book their playoff place. The Turners got the job done for Bath as Trea stole three bases while Justin hit .391. Strasburg helped take ERA and WHIP while Britton had two saves and Shaw collected the lone hold.

Severino had a win and struck out 18 for the RBIs while Lamb scored four runs and Zunino and Villar each had two homers and helped take OPS.

Finally, the Knights are ahead of Batteries essential in the race for the final playoff place after a 6-5 win. Four Knights had multi-homer weeks, including Stanton (again). Marwin Gonzalez and Rosario each had two steals. McHugh helped take ERA and WHIP while Dickey struck out nine and Bradley had three holds.

Andrus scored seven runs and knocked in nine for Batteries Essential while Morrison hit double digits in RBIs. Blackmon hit .409 for the week and Neris had three saves.

The final playoff push

Four playoff places are still up for grabs with one week of the regular fantasy season left. It’ll be a nervy week for the teams in 5th to 11th.

Here are the matchups

Maltsters (1st) v Slugs (6th)

Norwich (2nd) v Isotopes (7th)

RBIs (3rd) v Chasers (5th)

A&E Dept (4th) v Knights (8th)

Batteries Essential (9th) v Riverkings (10th)

Bombers (11th) v Sox (12th)

Iron Men (13th) v Jesmond (14th)

Another team has secured their place in the BaseballGB Fantasy League playoffs. With just two weeks left of the regular season, six places are still up for grabs.

Norwich booked their playoff place in style, falling a steal shy of a clean sweep against the Bombers. Sanchez hit four homers, knocked in 10 and also hit Miggy Cabrera (although you don’t get any points for that in this league). Hosmer batted .450 and Yelich scored eight runs.

Gausman picked up a win without allowing an earned run and helped take WHIP, while Duffy struck out seven and Diaz and Devenski took care of saves and holds. Rosario was one of three players with a steal for the Bombers, who also had five homers and 13 RBIs from Hoskins, who looks like a great pickup.

The Maltsters booked their playoff place last week but showed no signs of slowing down, defeating Iron Men 9-2. Ozuna scored six runs, homered four times and drove in nine while Pomeranz won without allowing an earned run and made the difference in whip.

Kluber and Rodriguez each struck out 12 while Osuna had two saves and Nicasio collected a pair of holds. Avila and Rendon (who also stole two bases) helped salvage average for Iron men while Giles and Greene had two saves each.

Batteries Essential needed a big win to boost their playoff hopes and got just that against the Slugs. Six players had multi-homer weeks, including four from JD Martinez, who also scored five runs and knocked in eight. Dickerson hit .500 for the week.

Corbin picked up a win without allowing an earned run, Fiers helped take WHIP and Neshek had two holds. Archer struck out 18 for the Slugs, while Nelson and Lackey also had double-digit Ks. Colome and Treinen had three saves each while Trout and Souza swiped two bases each.

Beckenham enjoyed a 9-3 success against Jesmond, who once again failed to reach the 20-inning minimum limit and forfeited the pitching categories. Buxton’s monster Sunday rounded off a great week which saw him score nine runs, hit five homers and drive in 10. Rodney had five saves while Rodon struck out 13. Cespedes was hitting .727 for the week until his injury, which helped Jesmond salvage average and OPS while Bregman was one of three players with a steal.

The Knights defeated the Isotopes 8-3 thanks to an offensive sweep. Once again, that man Stanton was a one-man wrecking crew, batting .448 with eight runs, five homers and 11 RBIs. Roark struck out nine and Givens and Bradley had two holds each. Walker was one of five pitchers with a win and also helped take ERA and WHIP.

The Sox caused an upset by defeating the RBIs 7-4. Dee Gordon scored seven runs and stole three bases, McCann knocked in five and Jones hit a pair of homers. Davies and Hill each racked up double-digit strikeouts and helped take ERA and WHIP, which is no surprise considering Hill’s agonising defeat against the Pirates. Reddick hit .522 for the week and helped take OPS while Tanaka won twice and Rivero and Dyson each collected a pair of saves.

Finally, the Riverkings upset the form book with a 6-5 win against the Chasers. Machado, Calhoun and Weiters each scored five runs while Inciarte and Baez helped take average. Arrieta and Mad Bum helped take ERA and WHIP while Gray struck out 13 and Jansen was one of three relievers with a save. Lindor smacked four homers for the Chasers while Goldschmidt knocked in eight and Dozier stole three bases. Doolittle and Kahnle had a hold each.

Two weeks to go

There are just a pair of regular season matchups to go until the playoffs begin, and there are a number of contests between teams next to each other in the standings this week. It could be a big week.

Week 21 matchups

Malsters (1st) v Jesmond (14th)

Norwich (2nd) v Chasers (4th)

RBIs (3rd) v Bombers (11th)

A&E Dept (5th) v Slugs (6th)

Isotopes (7th) v Riverkings (10th)

Batteries Essential (8th) v Knights (9th)

Sox (12) v Iron Men (13th)

It may be the dog days of August, but in the BaseballGB Fantasy League the race for the playoffs is hotting up. Here’s how the teams got on in week 19.

The Maltsters are the first team to book their playoff place after a 10-2 victory against the Sox. Abreu hit .444 and homered three times while Bradley knocked in eight and Santana scored eight runs.

Sale led the staff with nine strikeouts, Pomeranz and Ryu did not allow any earned runs and Maeda made the difference in WHIP. Osuna had three saves. Myers and Gordon combined to steal seven bases for the Sox while Keuchel, Morton and Hill each picked up wins.

The Slugs were also among the big winners, defeating the Isotopes 10-2. Devers was the star hitter, batting .409 with eight runs, four homers and a steal while Berrios picked up a win with a miniscule WHIP and Archer and Godley struck out 10 each.

Colome and Yates took care of saves and holds. Gennett knocked in nine for the Isotopes and Wood helped take ERA but it was another lacklustre week for my team.

Batteries Essential also enjoyed a 10-2 win against Jesmond, who once again failed to meet the 20-inning minimum limit, although their opponents would have won most of the pitching categories anyway. Blackmon scored nine runs and homered twice while Andrus knocked in eight and Kinsler stole four bases.

Bauer won twice and struck out 16 while Gonzalez did not allow an earned run and posted tiny WHIP stats. Bedrosian had a win, a save and a hold. Molina and Bregman helped Jesmond salvage average and OPS.

The Knights enjoyed a 9-2 triumph against the Chasers as Stanton and Donaldson did most of the offensive damage. They each scored six runs and knocked in seven while Josh had the edge in homers four to three. Vazquez led the team with a .444 average and even swiped a base.

Verlander and Peacock struck out 17 each while McHugh did not allow an earned run. The Chasers had a four-homer week from Upton while Quintana won twice and Doolittle notched three saves.

Norwich took a big step towards booking a playoff place with a 9-3 win against the RBIs. Odor scored 10 runs and stole three bases, joining Reynolds in having a three-homer week, while Sanchez belted four and drove in 10. Marte hit .563 to complete an offensive sweep.

Diaz and Hand had two saves each while Vincent had three holds and Fulmer made the difference in WHIP. Porcello won twice and struck out 10 for the RBIs while Severino made the difference in an ERA tiebreaker.

Beckenham picked up a 7-4 win against Iron Men thanks to a big week from Rizzo, who knocked in 13 runs. Garcia hit .625(!) while Merrifield stole three bases. Greinke struck out 13, Rodon helped take WHIP and Iglesias had three saves. Encarnacion hit four homers for Iron Men while Kintzler had three holds and Martinez made the difference in WHIP.

Finally, the Riverkings and Bombers ended in a 6-6 tie. Machado had a four-homer week for the Riverkings while Zimmer and Inciarte stole three bases each. Arrieta had a win and helped take ERA, Gray posted good WHIP stats and Betances had three saves. Phillips scored seven runs for the Bombers while Mazara drove in 11 while batting .429. Carrasco had nine strikeouts while Baez, Robertson and Warren had a hold each.

Three weeks to go

There isn’t too long to go until the fantasy playoffs start, and just 4.5 games separate the teams in 8th (the final playoff place) and 11th. Those managers who pay close attention in the next few weeks could be rewarded with a shot at the championship.

Week 20 matchups

Maltsters (1st) v Iron Men (13th)

Norwich (2nd) v Bombers (8th)

RBIs (3rd) v Sox (12th)

Slugs (4th) v Batteries Essential (10th)

Chasers (5th) v Riverkings (11th)

Isotopes (6th) v Knights (9th)

A&E Dept (7th) v Jesmond (14th)

There are just four week left of the regular fantasy season. Which BaseballGB teams are looking good are which are launching a late run for that all-important final place?

Norwich cut into the lead at the top with a 10-2 win against the Sox. Bellinger scored seven runs, had a steal and was one of three players with multi-homer weeks while Bryant hit a ridiculous .609 (no, that’s not a  typo) for the week to unsurprisingly make the difference in average and OPS. Nola had eight strikeouts and combined with Stroman to take ERA and WHIP.

Diaz and Devenski took care of saves and holds. Keuchel made the difference in wins for the Sox while Adam Jones knocked in eight runs.

The Chasers were the only other team to reach double digits, defeating the Slugs 10-2. An offensive sweep saw four players hit three homers, including Dozier (nine runs) and Benintendi (.455), who each knocked in nine. Cole picked up the lone win and helped take ERA and WHIP while Doolittle had three saves. Godley struck out 13 for the Slugs while Barnes had two holds.

The Maltsters picked up another win, defeating the A&E Dept 7-4. Gregorius scored five runs while Altuve hit two homers and helped take OPS. Kluber won twice and struck out 20 while Sale added 13 more as they also helped take WHIP. Smith had two holds. Merrifield drove in seven for Beckenham while Dyson hit .391. Allen had a pair of saves while Happ helped take ERA by 0.04.

The Isotopes took advantage of Jesmond’s failure to meet the 20-inning minimum limit with a 9-3 win. Moustakas scored seven runs while Cruz (10 RBIs) and Conforto each hit four homers. Wood was the pick of the pitchers in another rough week.

The RBIs edged past the Riverkings 6-5 in a tight contest. Suffering injuries to Contreras and Harper didn’t help, but Carpenter scored seven runs and knocked in six, Lamb homered twice and Segura helped take OPS and stole two bases. Bridwell and Porcello each picked up wins. Healy hit .350 for the Riverkings while Bumganer helped take ERA and WHIP, Santana struck out 12 and Jansen had four saves.

The Knights defeated the Bombers 6-5 as the hitters fell a steal shy of an offensive sweep. Donaldson hit three homers, drove in nine and hit .400 while Bautista scored eight runs and launched three homers.

But they were both outdone by Stanton, who belted six homers and knocked in 11 to go with his eight runs. Dickey, Verlander, Salazar and Peacock helped take ERA. Carrasco and Darvish each had a win and 10 strikeouts for the Bombers, while Rosenthal had three saves and Baez notched a trio of holds.

Finally, Iron Men got the better of Batteries Essential in the last of our 6-5 scores. It wasn’t a monster week for either offense, but Cain made the difference in average and OPS. Martinez won twice and helped take ERA and WHIP while Lorenzen had three holds. Kinsler scored six runs and knocked in four for Batteries Essential and Hamilton swiped five bases. Bauer struck out nine while Neris and Bedrosian had two saves each.

The stretch run

Just four regular season matchups to go and the race for a top eight place is still very much on. Gaining a couple of category wins a week could be enough to catch the team in 8th, so we’ll see which teams give it all they’ve got.

Week 19 matchups

Maltsters (1st) v Sox (12th)

Norwich (2nd) v RBIs (3rd)

Chasers (4th) v Knights (10th)

Isotopes (5th) v Slugs (6th)

A&E Dept (7th) v Iron Men (13th)

Bombers (8th) v Riverkings (9th)

Batteries Essential (11th) v Jesmond (14th)

After the madness of the trading deadline, which teams were the big winners in week 17 of the BaseballGB Fantasy League?

The Slugs fell a save shy of a clean sweep against the Bombers, winning 11-0. Chris Taylor scored nine runs and joined Trout, who hit .455, in launching three homers and driving in six. Archer and Berrios helped take WHIP while Nelson led the staff with 16 strikeouts and helped take ERA and wins. Rosenthal and Britton combined for three saves for Bath.

The Isotopes picked up a much-needed 11-1 win against Iron Men, although the score would have been a lot closer if their opponents had not failed to reach the 20-inning minimum limit. Cruz had a three-homer week and hit .375 while Arenado drove in seven. Samardzija led the staff with two wins and eight strikeouts. Cain stole four bases for Iron Men.

The Chasers also enjoyed an 11-1 win, this time against Jesmond who also fell short of the 20-inning minimum limit. Upton led the Chasers with five runs and four homers, joining Goldy in driving in 11 while Benintendi swiped three bases. Foltynewicz picked up a win and struck out 14 while Doolittle had two saves. Votto salvaged average for Jesmond.

The Maltsters stay top after a narrow win against Batteries Essential. The pitching staff did most of the work, as Kluber picked up a win and 11 strikeouts while helping t take ERA and WHIP. Phelps had two holds, Ozuna knocked in six runs and Altuve had three steals. Norris and Neris had two saves each for Batteries Essential, while Morrison, Franco and Dickerson each had two homers. Andrus hit .483 and Blackmon scored seven runs.

The RBIs got the better of the Knights – just, taking average on a tie break. That was thanks to Contreras, who hit .476 to go with his five-homer, 13 RBI week. Segura had three steals and Severino struck out 17. Chapman and Barnes took care of saves and holds. The Knights had 12 strikeouts from Salazar, who also helped take ERA and WHIP while Donaldson scored six runs and joined Stanton in posting a three-homer week.

The A&E Dept were involved in another close matchup, defeating the Sox 7-5. Nunez was the star hitter, being one of four players with a two-homer week, driving in nine and batting .393. Dyson stole four bases. Lester recorded 16 strikeouts while Rodney led the staff with three saves. Puig scored seven runs for the Sox while Davies collected a win without allowing an earned run and Madson had the lone hold.

Finally, Norwich squeezed past the Riverkings 6-5. Simmons led the team with seven runs and two steals while Bellinger launched four homers and knocked in six. Diaz posted four saves while Duffy (14 strikeouts) was one of three pitchers with double-digit Ks. Machado helped the Riverkings take average and OPS while Arrieta helped take ERA and WHIP and Swarzak had three holds.

The stretch run

There are just five regular season matchups left and with 8.5 games separating 12th from the final playoff place of 8th there is still plenty to play for. Please make sure you set your line-ups, use your DL spots and meet the 20-inning minimum limit so that we can have a really competitive final few weeks.

Week 18 matchups

Maltsters (1st) v A&E Dept (7th)

Norwich (2nd) v Sox (12th)

RBIs (3rd) v Riverkings (9th)

Slugs (4th) v Chasers (6th)

Isotopes (5th) v Jesmond (14th)

Bombers (8th) v Knights (10th)

Batteries Essential (11th) v Iron Men (13th)

The madness of the trade deadline is over, so let’s look back at how week 16 went in the BaseballGB Fantasy League.

The Chasers were the top team, completing a clean sweep over Iron Men, who forfeited the six pitching categories after failing to meet the 20 inning minimum limit. Goldschmidt hit .455 for the Chasers, Lindor swiped two bases and Duvall launched three homers and knocked in seven.

Cole won twice and struck out 12 while new Yankee Kahnle had two holds and new Cub Wilson notched a save, although he will now set up for Wade Davis. Iron Men must use the DL to boost their thin pitching staff, while Kintzler could get saves in Washington and it looks like Greene will close for Detroit.

The A&E Dept continue a good run of form with a 10-1 win against Batteries Essential. Schoop hit three homers in an offensive sweep as Posey hit .429, Nunez stole two bases and Bruce knocked in seven. Davis had two saves, Rodon struck out 20 and Greinke and Scherzer helped take ERA and WHIP. Neris won twice for Batteries Essential while Neshek had the lone hold.

The Maltsters remain top after a big win against the Isotopes. McCutchen (five homers, seven runs) led an offensive sweep while Ozuna knocked in 10, Altve hit .500 and Santana launched four homers. Sale had a win and helped take ERA and WHIP by a wide margin and was also one of four pitchers with double-digit strikeouts. Herrera and Rogers took saves and holds, but it was an otherwise miserable week for Orpington. Four players had multi-homer weeks.

The Slugs closed the gap on the RBIs by defeating them 8-1. Zimmerman hit four homers, knocked in nine and helped take OPS while Beltre’s 3,000th hit capped a .478 week. Paxton won twice, struck out 18 and did not allow an earned run while Colome had two saves. A trio of Yankees did the business for the RBIs as Gardner scored five runs, Chapman won twice and Severino made the difference in WHIP.

Norwich picked up a 7-4 win against the Knights. Yelich hit three homers, drove in eight and was one of six players with a steal while Odor also hit three dingers. Hand had three saves and Nola helped take ERA and WHIP. The Knights had the edge in runs thanks to nine from Stanton while Corey Seager also chipped in to hit .440 and help take OPS. Verlander struck out 15 to nick the K category.

The Bombers and Jesmond finished in a 6-with the Bombers denied winning average on a tiebreaker. Votto hit .400 and helped take OPS for Jesmond, while Miller had two holds and De Grom struck out 18 and helped take ERA and WHIP for a thin pitching staff. Rosenthal had a win and two saves for the Bombers, while Mazara scored six runs and drove in seven. Phillips swiped two bases and Perez hit .444.

Finally, the Riverkings and Sox played out a 6-6 tie. Morales hit three homers for Durham, while Shaw joined him in driving in four and making the difference in OPS. Gray struck out 14, Jansen had three saves and a trio of relievers had a hold each. Gordon scored nine times and stole three bases for the Sox while Puig hit .400. Davies, Hill and Morton each picked up a win and helped take ERA and WHIP.

Week 17 matchups

Maltsters (1st) v Batteries Essential (11th)

Norwich (2nd) v Riverkings (9th)

RBIs (3rd) v Knights (10th)

Slugs (4th) v Bombers (8th)

A&E Dept (5th) v Sox (12th)

Isotopes (6th) v Iron Men (13th)

Chasers (7th) v Jesmond (14th)