BaseballGB Fantasy League – Week Nineteen

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?

The BaseballGB trading deadline came and went without any deals being made, but which teams proved they don’t need reinforcements in the race for the title? 
 
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We begin with a battle at the top as JJ’s Beck ‘Nams used a great week from their batters to edge past Iron Men 6-5. Although Iron Men took HRs and RBIs, JJ’s hitters took every other offensive category, with Stewart, Cruz and Pujols helping to put up a .344 team average. Iron Men had nice weeks from A-Rod, Uggla and pitchers Wainwright and Liriano, while JJ picked up a ridiculously good seven saves from Cordero, Aardsma and Gregg.

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The Chasers couldn’t take advantage and close in on the top after suffering an 8-4 loss to the Angels. The two sides split the pitching categories, but it was the hitting of Michael Young, Gordon Beckham and Yadier Molina which made the difference. The Chasers did have plenty of speed from Reyes, McCutchen and Pence.

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My Isotopes are still very much in the playoff race after a 7-3 win over Steve’s Pretzel Vendors. The pitching of Haren, Hudson and Hellickson helped my staff take four pitching categories, while McGehee, Tulowitzki and Ethier were my top hitters. Steve had a four-homer week from Derrek Lee, while Holliday was also red-hot. Lilly, Dickey and Buchholz helped put up a ridiculously good WHIP of 0.97.

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The Stuff picked up a much-needed 9-2 win over Bonestalkers, who failed to pitch 20 innings but would have lost all the pitching categories anyway. Desmond, Castro, Adam Jones and Chris Johnson helped the Stuff win the offensive categories, while Montero had four homers for Bonestalkers.

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Last year’s champions were this week’s biggest winners, as SWAT thumped the Spaniards 10-1. Scott and Zimmerman led a sweep of offensive categories, while the deep pitching staff put up excellent ERA and WHIP numbers, highlighted by Slowey’s seven no-hit innings. Happ and Burnett had good weeks for the Spaniards.

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The Bats lost all six pitching categories by failing to pitch 20 innings but almost rallied to tie the matchup against the Sox. Ludwick and Sandoval had big weeks for the Bats, but the Sox had great pitching from Jackson, Dempster and Soriano.

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The Waves beat Rip It, who failed to pitch 20 innings, 7-5 with perhaps the greatest week of pitching we have seen in the league this year. Boston’s staff put up an ERA of 0.40 and a WHIP of 0.97 thanks to Hernandez, Jurrjens, Lester and Bell. Rip It had nice weeks with the bats from Hamilton and Abreu.

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Rounding things up
 
The results mean Beck ‘Nams are now 11.5 games clear of the Chasers at the top, with Iron Men a game in front of my Isotopes in third. The Stuff move into fifth, a game in front of the Sox, while SWAT’s playoff hopes are very much alive in seventh. The Vendors, Angels and Waves will all be hoping for a late surge into the top six, but Rip It look too far back. The Spaniards, Bats and Bonestalkers will be hoping to play spoiler.
 
This week’s fixtures are as follows:
Beck ‘Nams v Rip It
Chasers v Iron Men
Isotopes v SWAT
Stuff v Angels
Sox v Spaniards
Vendors v Waves
Bats v Bonestalkers