Here are the standings and weekly results so far in Week 5 — with only tonight’s games left to play in Week 5.
Items of note:
- I set the number of games played this week for our teams at 4.8. It will be set at 6.0 after tonight’s games. There are 16 games on the MLB schedule today and this evening, with a double-header between Detroit and Oakland
- Our new format makes me extra sensitive to blowouts. For example, the Phillies torched the Mariners last night, 9 – 0. Mariners fans everywhere were dismayed. Right, Phil? RIght? I presume Phil would like to pass on benefitting from Mariner misery. I expect a petition any minute, offering to give up the 0.7 games in the standings the Pears gained from the Phillies’ Seattle stomp. I assume the petition will be approved, and the Pears will return from their unjust perch 0.5 games ahead of the Tornados to 0.2. games behind them. Everyone will be rooting for the Mariners tonight, of course.
- Also, right now the Dodgers are clobbering the Pirates 7 – 0 in the top of the 6th. If that score is the final, the Dodgers will finish the week scoring 28 runs and allowing 8. That’s a .925 winning percentage. The other Pittsburgh team, the one with more championships, the Alleghenys are playing the Dodgers, too. However, they shrewdly are running a .157 raw winning percentage, being outscored this week 33 – 14. When your team is going .157 on its own effort, and the other team (already sporting an .873 raw winning percentage) runs it up to .925, your projected wins drop from .13 to only 0.07. That .06 of a win, rounded up it might show up as 0.1 games in the standings. So, once again, the Wily Alleghenyan has discovered something none of the rest of us thought of. If you’re going to have a .157 week, have it against the Dodgers, so they can’t really hurt you.
- The Braves announcer in the Red Sox game just gave this call: “Fouled off to the right side, and ironically enough, a fan from Widener, Georgia caught that ball off the bat of Travis Demeritte.” Pathetic. If he wanted to steal an idea from Ernie Harwell he might as well do it right: “Fouled off to the right, and … CAUGHT by a fan from Widener!” All those extra words from the Ernie wannabe just spoil it.
- I am watching the Red Sox game because one second before I got it turned on, Rafael Devers blasted a grand slam to make the score 6 – 0 in the second inning. It looked like it was going to be a Red Sox blowout. This would be a wonderful thing for the league because it would put a dent in the breakaway being executed by the Boston’s current EFL opponent, the DC Balk. The Balk gained an entire game in the standings since Sunday morning, and opened play today 0.8 up on the Wolverines. If the Sox could win 6 – 0, that by itself would cut 0.2 games off the Balk’s lead. Everybody would like that! But alas, the Braves scored 3, so that’s kind of out.
- It’s 11 – 0 in Pittsburgh right now. But the Wily Alleghanyan doesn’t care. The Dodgers can’t hurt him.
- Earlier today the Tigers beat the Athletics 6 – 0. The Wolverines are playing the A’s this week. That pretty Tigers score would be enough to put the W’s back into a tie with the Balk. You probably noticed I said “would”. That 6 – 0 score was the first half of a double header. The Tigers lost 4 – 1 in the afternoon cap. That’s enough to put the W’s back 0.5 games out.
- It pays to be a nice guy. Perhaps the league’s nicest, Tom, is getting the most help from his MLB opponents: +.199 winning percentage. And the Drive are making good use of it, becoming the league’s fifth team above .500 since the last update Sunday. Their foe this week, the Padres, gave them a boost Monday by losing 6 – 0. We probably don’t have to worry that EVERY MLB team will be so kind to the Drive. But the Wizard of Whidbey is not just nice. He’s shrewd, as well. His team started slow this season, but this week the Drive have a 3.79 ERA with no replacement pitchers. And his hitters are creating 4.7 rc/g, although they are hampered by some replacement players (53 replacement AB), mostly in the OF and 1b. Those are the easiest places in the field to find talent. If the Drive plug those two holes (and they have Kyle Lewis and Michael Conforto), they will be a better team when the MLB charity stops. Keep an eye on Kaline.