Welcome to our weekly round-up of the BaseballGB Fantasy League competition.  This is a mixed Head-2-Head league involving BGB writers and readers. 

There are fourteen teams who pair up in different combinations each week, making for seven match-ups in any given week. The teams battle over twelve statistical categories, gaining one point for each category they win.  All the points are carried over into the season league table at the end of the weekly match-ups. The top six teams with the most points at the end of the fantasy season will go on to the playoffs during the last three weeks of September. 

SWAT were the victors in the inaugural BGB Fantasy League last year.  Will they retain their title in 2010, or will a new champion emerge?

 

There is a new team at the top of the BaseballGB fantasy league standings, but who is celebrating this week? 
 
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Â	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
The Cheddar Chasers	40	8	30	8	0.32	0.917	1	6	32	2	4.67	1.33	10
New Spaniards	23	5	17	1	0.253	0.761	1	0	22	4	5.73	1.59	1

 
In a week full of close matchups we begin with the most emphatic victory as Matt’s Chasers thumped the Spaniards 10-1, including a clean sweep of the offensive categories. Manny, Reyes, McCutchen and Adrian Gonzalez did most of the damage while Ubaldo (obviously!), Feliz and Dotel led the pitching staff. Posada, Cano and Thornton (three holds) were the pick of the Spaniards.

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Â	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
SWAT*	19	4	20	3	0.16	0.513	3	2	53	2	2.31	1.01	5
Beck ‘Nams (GB)	25	3	24	6	0.269	0.75	4	5	49	0	4.37	1.24	7

 
Beck’Nams picked up a tight 7-5 win over SWAT, taking five offensive categories thanks to Pujols, Pagan and Konerko. SWAT had some great pitching from pretty much the whole rotation, including 17 strikeouts from Kuroda.

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Â	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Iron Men	25	3	17	5	0.224	0.64	7	2	53	2	1.98	1.05	5
Orpington Isotopes	29	7	25	3	0.256	0.757	3	5	50	2	5.34	1.36	6

 
My Isotopes picked up a narrow 6-5 win over Iron Men thanks to my bats. Prado, Worth and Tulowitzki (now out six to eight weeks) were the pick of my hitters. Iron Men took four pitching categories thanks to Sabathia and Wainwright.

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Â	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
The Wright Stuff	34	6	40	4	0.276	0.778	3	7	41	1	5.56	1.32	8
Borders Bats	23	3	28	2	0.191	0.602	4	2	21	1	2.19	1.01	3

 
The Stuff had a clean sweep of offensive categories on the way to an 8-3 win over the Bats. Inspired pick-ups Carlos Santana and Corey Hart were the star hitters while seven saves from Valverde, Wagner and Kuo was going to be tough to beat. The Bats had some excellent pitching from Jered Weaver, but hit just .191 as a team.

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Â	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Weston-Super-Sox	25	7	28	0	0.254	0.681	3	0	41	1	3.38	1.22	4
Pretzel Vendors	31	9	25	1	0.254	0.758	5	1	77	0	3.73	1.39	7

 
The Vendors are back at .500 after a 7-4 win against the Sox in a very close matchup. Holliday and Braun gave the Vendors the edge while Price, Buchholz, Marcum and some guy called Strasburg helped rack up 77 strikeouts. Wolf, Vazquez and Floyd helped the Sox take ERA and WHIP.

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Â	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Bonestalkers	26	6	30	3	0.283	0.808	1	4	27	1	2.61	1	3
Grip it n Rip It	31	8	32	7	0.391	1.087	1	3	30	1	3.99	1.16	7

 
Rip It moved above .500 with a 7-3 win over Bonestalkers, with another clean sweep of offensive categories thanks to Howard, Hamilton, Chipper and Furcal. Danks and Jenks helped Bonestalkers take three pitching categories but neither team could pick up more than one win.

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Â	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
stevenston angels	35	7	34	7	0.28	0.796	4	1	38	2	4.44	1.44	4
Boston Rogue Waves	23	9	30	2	0.277	0.846	7	1	45	2	1.84	0.82	6

 
Last but not least, the Waves got the better of the Angels 6-4. Hanley, Ordonez, Hunter and Huff were all in good form for the Waves, while Felix, Lewis, Lester and Vargas helped the pitching staff put up stingy ERA and WHIP numbers.

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Rounding things up
 
The results mean the Chasers now top the standings, 1.5 games ahead of Beck ‘Nams. Iron Men are three games back in third, just ahead of the Stuff, while my Isotopes are five games back in fifth. The Sox are 7.5 out, followed by Rip It, while the Vendors and Waves are both exactly at .500. SWAT are two games ahead of the Angels, while Bonestalkers and the Spaniards are both 17.5 games off the lead. The Bats are last, 24.5 games out. It might be time for the bottom three to shake up their rosters and try to make a trade or two to address their weaknesses.
 
This week’s matchups see the Chasers take on my Isotopes while Beck ‘Nams take on the cellar-dwelling Bats. Iron Men face the in-form Waves, the Stuff take on the Spaniards and the Sox play SWAT. The Vendors take on Bonestalkers while Rip it are up against the Angels.