Master Standings are here.
The Pesky Pole Dancers (Trippin’ Baseballs) did not lose momentum during the break. They gained 3 points to 114, and now have a 5-point lead over Random ItalicizedVoice (RCL 5). Better Lucky Than Good (Partially Torn RCL) and THE VILLE AL KOHOLIC A (ECFBL) are another point back at 108. That’s a shame (The Dread Pirate Rides Again) rounds out the top 5 with 106 points.
The Dancers had to rely on Yunel Escobar, Neil Walker, and Ian Kinsler to lead the way this week while Jose Bautista rested his sprained ankle. I’m sure everybody here is hoping Jose will be back in the lineup tonight! The Dancers did not make any acquisitions during this short week. Room for improvement: As 9 is their lowest score in any category, obviously the Dancers can’t gain much. With a WHIP (9) of 1.189, compared to the leader’s 1.154, there are 3 points up for grabs. With 57 wins (9.5) in 112 starts, there are points to be gained (or lost). The team they are tied with has used 107 starts, while 2nd best has 58 wins in 116 starts. The leader has 66 wins and has used 128 starts. They are also within striking distance to gain a point in steals and ERA.
Joe Mauer led Random ItalicizedVoice, along with CC Sabathia, Tim Hudson, and Brandon Morrow. RIV picked up free agents Edwin Encarnacion and Roy Oswalt this week. Room for improvement: With 147 home runs (8.5), they are only 7 behind the leader, so 3.5 points could be gained there. Strikeouts (8) is another potential gold mine, as RIV has used fewer starts then those they are trailing.
Better Lucky Than Good had 9 home runs with 33 RBI, but hit only .227. Logan Morrison drove in 7 while hitting .190, and Corey Hart added a couple of home runs, but hit .158. BLTG added Zack Cozart this week, and grabbed Matt Harrison for his fine Sunday outing. Harrison has now been replaced by Rubby De La Rosa. Room for improvement: Strikeouts (5) is the category that could move BLTG up the standings. Having used only 95 starts, there is the potential for a big gain. With their lead in other categories, they have bats and closers that could be used in a deal for more pitching, if they can find a trading partner. They did acquire Jered Weaver and Justin Verlander in trades in May and June.
THE VILLE AL KOHOLIC A was led by the bats of Mike Stanton, Aramis Ramirez, and Matt Kemp, who totaled 18 RBI. Al’s big move of the week was trading Brandon Allen and Brett Lawrie to Simply Fred for Cory Luebke. He also picked up Florida RP Edward Mujica, who has 8 wins this season and could step into the closer role if Leo Nunez is traded.
Room for improvement: ERA (6) and WHIP (8) offer the best chances for gain, though of course they can be tough categories to improve. Their ERA of 3.389 is trailing 3.359, 3.294, 3.293, and 3.255. In WHIP ( 1.198) they are .02 away from gaining a couple of points.
The Ballbusters (RCL 34) were the big movers this week, scoring a 10-point gain to 88, jumping from 105th to 42nd in the standings. Their pitching carried them, led by CC Sabathia, Ubaldo Jimenez, Ryan Vogelsong, and Joe Nathan.
There were no fewer than 17 trades in the past 7 days as owners try to strengthen their team for the stretch run. I guess they are taking Grey’s final bit of advice from the Top 100 for Second Half to heart:
100. Whoever Wins You The Championship – It’s now or never, people! Make your move or lose.
The trade deadline is fast approaching: ALL trades must be accepted before Friday July 29, 2011 at 12 p.m. ET.
Also this week, we had the first team reach 180 Games Started on July 15. It is the earliest that limit has been reached in the RCL since records have been kept.
The Dread Pirate Rides Again continues to lead the Competitive Index at 104, so I thought I’d shine a light on this deserving league.
The teams in The Dread Pirate have averaged 70 roster moves, which is second to the ECFBL (an amazing 140). The average for all 456 RCL teams is 40. They have made 4 trades, which is about average. If you remove the ECFBL and their 44 trades, the average for the rest of the leagues is around 3. League leader That’s a shame has been involved in all 4 of those deals.
They have 1 team who has not done any lineup shuffling this month, but Team Use Responsibly was making changes until the end of June, so maybe the team has not been totally abandoned.
Keep up the good work! It really makes a difference in the overall standings.
