Master Standings are here. Here’s the update:
Last week’s co-leaders went in opposite directions this week. Random ItalicizedVoice (RCL 5) gained 2 points to 115 while Pesky Pole Dancers (Trippin Baseballs) lost 3 to fall to 110 points and dropped to 3rd place. Better Lucky Than Good (Partially Torn RCL) held steady at 111 points to move into 2nd place.
With Jose Bautista struggling (.235, 3 HR in the last 30 days), the Voice has needed others to step up. This week Shane Victorino (.429, 1 HR) and Carlos Gonzalez (3 HR, 7 RBI) led the way. Youngsters Brett Lawrie (.300, 5 RBI) and Desmond Jennings (.316, 2 steals) also provided meaningful contributions. On the pitching side, Jame Shields (shutout, 8 Ks) and Tim Hudson (2 ER over 7.1 innings with 7 Ks) offset poor performances from CC Sabathia and Brandon Morrow. Sergio Santos chipped in with 3 saves.
The only transaction for RIV this week was the waiver claim of Rafael Betancourt, dropping David Freese. Betancourt was foolishly dropped by some anonymous owner just before he became the Rockies’ closer. The Voice has 77 saves, and with teams at 78 and 81 saves in front of him, there is a chance for a 2-point gain.
Better Lucky has a chance to gain a point in the average category, where they trail the leader by .0003. They also have room to gain in strikeouts, but have to be careful not to ruin their ERA and WHIP. So far in August they have 113 Ks with an ERA of 4.43 and WHIP of 1.24. That is significantly worse than their June (2.52/1.10) and July (2.72/1.09) numbers.
There was a lot of discussion this week on league competitive index calculations, as it is looking like it could play a major role in determining the RCL champion. With RCL 5’s 103 index, Random ItalicizedVoice jumps from 111.5 to 115 points, while Partially Torn RCL’s 98 index knocks 3 points off of Better Lucky Than Good’s amazing 114 total. My feeling is the index is a necessary tool, but it doesn’t put enough emphasis on grit. It should be interesting the rest of the way, though.
The ECFBL and The Dread Pirate Rides Again continue to have the highest competitive index at 104.
Pin Sripes (RCL 3) gained 12 points this week to 68, and made the biggest jump in the standings, moving from 311th to 204th. The team of the week though is Colicky Fuddruckers (League if Razz and Balls). They moved into the top 20, increasing their point total from 94 to 98. The Fuddruckers hit .309 with 14 home runs and 55 RBI. They stole 7 bases and scored 50 runs. The Colicky pitchers picked up 8 wins and 2 saves with 77 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.61 and WHIP of 1.17. J.J. Hardy (4 HR/10RBI) and Melky Cabrera (.448, 2 HR/8 RBI/ 2 SB) were the offensive stars, while Johnny Cueto, Roy Halladay, and Wandy Rodriguez led the pitching staff.
That’s it for now. Check out the RCL forum for more throughout the week!
