It may be the dog days of August, but in the BaseballGB Fantasy League the race for the playoffs is hotting up. Here’s how the teams got on in week 19.
| Team | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS | W | SV | K | HLD | ERA | WHIP | Score |
| Cheshunt Maltsters | 34 | 7 | 29 | 3 | .337 | .952 | 2 | 3 | 49 | 2 | 4.08 | 1.23 | 10 |
| Weston-Super-Sox | 22 | 3 | 19 | 7 | .261 | .694 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 1 | 4.21 | 1.36 | 2 |
The Maltsters are the first team to book their playoff place after a 10-2 victory against the Sox. Abreu hit .444 and homered three times while Bradley knocked in eight and Santana scored eight runs.
Sale led the staff with nine strikeouts, Pomeranz and Ryu did not allow any earned runs and Maeda made the difference in WHIP. Osuna had three saves. Myers and Gordon combined to steal seven bases for the Sox while Keuchel, Morton and Hill each picked up wins.
| Team | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS | W | SV | K | HLD | ERA | WHIP | Score |
| Orpington Isotopes | 34 | 11 | 38 | 1 | .252 | .828 | 1 | 2 | 52 | 2 | 3.74 | 1.45 | 2 |
| Mighty Slugs | 35 | 13 | 27 | 6 | .284 | .913 | 3 | 3 | 65 | 3 | 4.09 | 1.14 | 10 |
The Slugs were also among the big winners, defeating the Isotopes 10-2. Devers was the star hitter, batting .409 with eight runs, four homers and a steal while Berrios picked up a win with a miniscule WHIP and Archer and Godley struck out 10 each.
Colome and Yates took care of saves and holds. Gennett knocked in nine for the Isotopes and Wood helped take ERA but it was another lacklustre week for my team.
| Team | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS | W | SV | K | HLD | ERA | WHIP | Score |
| Batteries Essential | 36 | 8 | 20 | 10 | .251 | .768 | 7 | 4 | 61 | 1 | 2.18 | 1.24 | 10 |
| Jesmond Dennings | 21 | 6 | 16 | 1 | .317 | .927 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 6.50 | 1.50 | 2 |
Batteries Essential also enjoyed a 10-2 win against Jesmond, who once again failed to meet the 20-inning minimum limit, although their opponents would have won most of the pitching categories anyway. Blackmon scored nine runs and homered twice while Andrus knocked in eight and Kinsler stole four bases.
Bauer won twice and struck out 16 while Gonzalez did not allow an earned run and posted tiny WHIP stats. Bedrosian had a win, a save and a hold. Molina and Bregman helped Jesmond salvage average and OPS.
| Team | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS | W | SV | K | HLD | ERA | WHIP | Score |
| Newcastle Knights | 36 | 12 | 35 | 3 | .305 | .926 | 3 | 0 | 75 | 2 | 3.67 | 1.27 | 9 |
| The Cheddar Chasers | 32 | 12 | 32 | 1 | .273 | .862 | 5 | 3 | 40 | 1 | 7.09 | 1.73 | 2 |
The Knights enjoyed a 9-2 triumph against the Chasers as Stanton and Donaldson did most of the offensive damage. They each scored six runs and knocked in seven while Josh had the edge in homers four to three. Vazquez led the team with a .444 average and even swiped a base.
Verlander and Peacock struck out 17 each while McHugh did not allow an earned run. The Chasers had a four-homer week from Upton while Quintana won twice and Doolittle notched three saves.
| Team | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS | W | SV | K | HLD | ERA | WHIP | Score |
| Norwich No II | 43 | 15 | 44 | 7 | .312 | .964 | 3 | 5 | 52 | 5 | 4.76* | 1.35 | 9 |
| Richie’s RBI’s | 33 | 12 | 35 | 4 | .284 | .906 | 4 | 3 | 59 | 1 | 4.76* | 1.45 | 3 |
Norwich took a big step towards booking a playoff place with a 9-3 win against the RBIs. Odor scored 10 runs and stole three bases, joining Reynolds in having a three-homer week, while Sanchez belted four and drove in 10. Marte hit .563 to complete an offensive sweep.
Diaz and Hand had two saves each while Vincent had three holds and Fulmer made the difference in WHIP. Porcello won twice and struck out 10 for the RBIs while Severino made the difference in an ERA tiebreaker.
| Team | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS | W | SV | K | HLD | ERA | WHIP | Score |
| Beckenham A&E Dept | 29 | 9 | 39 | 6 | .305 | .844 | 2 | 6 | 39 | 1 | 4.93 | 1.56 | 7 |
| Iron Men | 26 | 11 | 28 | 1 | .304 | .992 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 3 | 6.75 | 1.35 | 4 |
Beckenham picked up a 7-4 win against Iron Men thanks to a big week from Rizzo, who knocked in 13 runs. Garcia hit .625(!) while Merrifield stole three bases. Greinke struck out 13, Rodon helped take WHIP and Iglesias had three saves. Encarnacion hit four homers for Iron Men while Kintzler had three holds and Martinez made the difference in WHIP.
| Team | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS | W | SV | K | HLD | ERA | WHIP | Score |
| Durham Riverkings | 27 | 13 | 32 | 5 | .236 | .760 | 4 | 4 | 40 | 1 | 3.47 | 1.22 | 6 |
| The Bath Bombers | 31 | 10 | 35 | 4 | .294 | .853 | 2 | 1 | 41 | 3 | 4.93 | 1.56 | 6 |
Finally, the Riverkings and Bombers ended in a 6-6 tie. Machado had a four-homer week for the Riverkings while Zimmer and Inciarte stole three bases each. Arrieta had a win and helped take ERA, Gray posted good WHIP stats and Betances had three saves. Phillips scored seven runs for the Bombers while Mazara drove in 11 while batting .429. Carrasco had nine strikeouts while Baez, Robertson and Warren had a hold each.
Three weeks to go
There isn’t too long to go until the fantasy playoffs start, and just 4.5 games separate the teams in 8th (the final playoff place) and 11th. Those managers who pay close attention in the next few weeks could be rewarded with a shot at the championship.
Week 20 matchups
Maltsters (1st) v Iron Men (13th)
Norwich (2nd) v Bombers (8th)
RBIs (3rd) v Sox (12th)
Slugs (4th) v Batteries Essential (10th)
Chasers (5th) v Riverkings (11th)
Isotopes (6th) v Knights (9th)
A&E Dept (7th) v Jesmond (14th)
