The second half of the BaseballGB Fantasy League is under way. Which teams are well rested after the All-Star break, and which wish the first half hadn’t ended? There is also a big trade to report.
| Team | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS | W | SV | K | HLD | ERA | WHIP | Score |
| Mighty Slugs | 61 | 26 | 58 | 10 | .277 | .949 | 3 | 5 | 96 | 2 | 3.57 | 1.21 | 10 |
| The Bath Bombers | 29 | 4 | 24 | 5 | .238 | .621 | 0 | 2 | 33 | 6 | 2.95 | 1.36 | 2 |
The Slugs were the big winners of the week, defeating the Bombers 10-2 thanks to an offensive sweep. Hanley hit five homers but was outdone by Turner (5 HR, 10 R, 14 RBI) and Story (6 HR, 13 R, 12 RBI). Five pitchers had double-digit strikeouts, led by MadBum with 15. Wilson had three holds for the Bombers while Syndergaard helped take ERA.
| Team | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS | W | SV | K | HLD | ERA | WHIP | Score |
| The Cheddar Chasers | 37 | 6 | 29 | 4 | .256 | .703 | 4 | 4 | 83 | 1 | 1.96 | 1.06* | 3 |
| Norwich No II | 41 | 13 | 41 | 5 | .239 | .732 | 7 | 5 | 72 | 6 | 3.23 | 1.06* | 9 |
Norwich halted the Chasers’ good run of form with a 9-3 win. Braun scored 12 times, Rizzo knocked in a dozen and Napoli homered four times. Carrasco and Duffy won twice while Estevez had four saves and Betances four holds. Bogaerts, Pedroia and Melky Cabrera helped the Chasers salvage average, while Kluber and McHugh each struck out 16 and helped take ERA
| Team | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS | W | SV | K | HLD | ERA | WHIP | Score |
| Orpington Isotopes | 44 | 14 | 39 | 8 | .246 | .758 | 5 | 5 | 87 | 3 | 3.01 | 1.11 | 8 |
| Becknam Lollygaggers | 35 | 6 | 29 | 15 | .259 | .679 | 7 | 3 | 72 | 1 | 2.59 | 1.14 | 4 |
My Isotopes stay second after defeating the Lollygaggers 8-4. Frazier hit three homers while Lindor, Trumbo and Beltran each hit a pair. Leake struck out 15 while Britton had five saves and Reed three holds. Billy Hamilton hit .359 for Becknam, stealing ten bases. Kazmir and Hamels each won twice, striking out 11
| Team | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS | W | SV | K | HLD | ERA | WHIP | Score |
| Batteries Essential | 23 | 6 | 34 | 4 | .263 | .717 | 2 | 5 | 44 | 3 | 2.80 | 1.23 | 4 |
| Weston-Super-Sox | 43 | 17 | 45 | 0 | .269 | .843 | 6 | 3 | 73 | 0 | 3.19 | 1.15 | 8 |
The cellar-dwelling Sox started the second half of the season by defeating Batteries Essential 8-4. Kemp slugged six homers and knocked in nine while CarGo led the team with seven runs. Barraclough had two wins out of the pen while Hellickson and Liriano each struck out 13 and helped take WHIP. Tanaka helped salvage ERA for Batteroese Essential, while Familia had four saves and Brach had three holds.
| Team | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS | W | SV | K | HLD | ERA | WHIP | Score |
| Cheshunt Maltsters | 36 | 7 | 27 | 10 | .279 | .759 | 6 | 2 | 77 | 1 | 4.65 | 1.24 | 4 |
| Iron Men | 37 | 12 | 48 | 6 | .257 | .755 | 5 | 2 | 78 | 6 | 1.90 | 0.77 | 7 |
Iron Men just got the better of the Maltsters 7-4 in a matchup with a number of very close categories. Pujols led the club with six runs, four homers and 12 RBIs while Verlander struck out 19 and joined Sanchez, Scherzer and Iwakuma in taking ERA and WHIP. Feliz had four holds. The Maltsters had seven different players swipe a base, including Murphy (.455). Wright picked up two wins.
| Team | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS | W | SV | K | HLD | ERA | WHIP | Score |
| NorthEast Riverkings | 42 | 12 | 47 | 3 | .260 | .802 | 2 | 0 | 70 | 8 | 2.09 | 1.05 | 6 |
| Jesmond Dennings | 39 | 14 | 36 | 12 | .276 | .846 | 2 | 6 | 34 | 0 | 2.55 | 1.13 | 5 |
The Riverkings did just enough to get past Jesmond 6-5. Yelich scored 10 runs and Bruce knocked in 10 while Darvish struck out 20, Gausman helped take ERA and WHIP and Watson had five holds. For Jesmond, Votto hit .517 and joined Dozier and Longoria in hitting three homers. Villar stole five base and Ramos had four saves.
| Team | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS | W | SV | K | HLD | ERA | WHIP | Score |
| Newcastle Knights | 44 | 17 | 41 | 8 | .262 | .803 | 6 | 6 | 62 | 4 | 4.80 | 1.34 | 6 |
| Richie’s RBI’s | 37 | 9 | 29 | 3 | .272 | .751 | 7 | 7 | 67 | 1 | 3.11 | 1.08 | 6 |
Finally, the Knights and RBIs could not be separated, finishing in a 6-6 tie. Ortiz drove in nine while Kinsler scored nine times and hit four homers. Eight different players stole a base and Strop had three holds. The RBIs had the better of the pitching, as Tillman won twice, teaming with Arrieta and happ to take ERA and WHIP. Pineda struck out 14. Madson had four saves.
Trade blockbuster!
There is a trade to report as the Riverkings traded Kershaw for King Felix – a blockbuster. Kershaw is still injured but Batteries Essential are picking up an elite pitcher for the stretch run, while the Riverkings are sacrificing a top pitcher for another very good one who is healthy now. A risk for both teams, but I like it.
The week 16 matchups
Knights (1st) v Isotopes (2nd)
Norwich (3rd) v Maltsters (7th)
Iron Men (4th) v Bombers (13th)
Riverkings (5th) v Sox (14th)
Slugs (6th) v Lollygaggers (11th)
Chasers (8th) v Jesmond (10th)
Batteries Essential (9th) v RBIs (12th)
