Weekly Matchups - Week 2

Week 2's installment of the DDWPIPOTCFFBE (Diamond Dynasty Weekly Preview In Pursuit Of The Chalice For Fantasy Baseball Excellence)

Last week – After a long, snowy winter the first week is in the books.  Tightly contested battles all around (only one team with 7 wins!) as no one wanted to start off on the wrong foot.

Sleepy's® "Snoozer of the Week" - James (T-4th) vs Jarrett (9th)

It's early in the season and none of these games really count as snoozers but we can't afford to pass up the sponsor funding.  Last week, Mams battled the 2 time defending champ to a tie behind great performances from Michael Morse (5 HR's) and Troy Tulowitzki (.421 avg).  It's doubtful Morse will be able to repeat his big week so he'll need someone else to step up to Jarrett's potent outfield.   Jarrett had a tough offensive week last week, losing all 5 categories to Alex (and none were all that close).  He did however get the all-pitching-category-no-closer-shutout which netted him 4 wins.  Kershaw and Bumgarner were magnificient, posting 3 wins and a 0.00 ERA.  His team ERA was a paltry 1.30 and his WHIP was under 1.  

(season series 0-0)

Dell's® "Dull Duel" - Drew (T-4th) vs Adrian (3rd)

This is one of two matchups that features two .500-or-better squads.  Adrian took care of business last week against Colin, beating him 5-4 behind Todd Frazier (3/9/.480) and first overall pick Cliff Lee (W, 8 K's, 0.00 ERA).  Fun fact - my girlfriend's mom's coworker is Todd Frazier's aunt!  Drew went up against Richie last week and tied him 5-5 thanks to 7 HR's and 16 RBI's on Sunday.  Leading the charge was Will Middlebrooks (3 bombs on Sunday, 4 on the week) who has quickly become this writers' least-favorite-yet-still-favorite Red Sox prospect.  Surprisingly, Drew's staff got knocked around this week to the tune of a 4.82 ERA and 1.52 WHIP, but the strikeouts were still there (94).

(season series 0-0)

The Average Match of the Week presented by Not Your Average Joe's - Ben (10th) vs Alex (2nd)

Alex was one of the few teams last week to post a win as he took out Jarrett 6-4 and taking all 5 batting categories.  The unlikely hero was Jed Lowrie, who teed off for 3 dingers and a .500 average.  He got expected production from his staff but Jarrett was too much to handle on the pitching end.  Gentilli will be squaring off again Ben, who could not keep up with TJ's strong offensive week despite Chris Davis's monster week (4/17/.455).  Dexter Fowler also had 4 home runs.  Ben's staff had some issues, with 3 players posting double-digit ERA's.  Ben certainly doesn't want to fall behind in the standings early but he's got a tough matchup this week as Alex is my early pick to hoist the trophy in September.

(season series 0-0)

The Post-It® "Noteworthy Match-up" - Richie (T-4th) vs TJ (1st)

TJ boasts the number one offense coming out of week one.  Justin Upton lead the way with 5 homers and 7 runs scored, but he got at least one round-tripper out of every one in his lineup except Jay Bruce and Ryan Howard (go figure).  Overall, his pitching wasn't record breaking (3 wins and 49 K's) but his ratio's were excellent (1.66 ERA and 0.85 WHIP).  He draws Richie this week, who is one of the four teams with a 5-5 mark.  Travers's squad struggled at the dish, hitting just .217 with 7 homers.  His pitching was slightly better, posting a mid 3 ERA and a WHIP just over 1.  If TJ puts up another week like last week, this matchup could be over by Friday.

(season series 0-0)

Diamond Strike Anywhere Matches® "Match-Up of the Week" - Kurt (T-4th) vs Colin (8th)

The back-to-back champion is once again in the spotlight as he takes on Colin's loaded squad.  Kurt squared off against James last week and played him to a 5-5 tie despite 8 home runs from his outfielders and 22 strikeouts from Jeff Samardzija.  Colin struggled against Adrian last week, dropping the matchup 4-5-1.  Mr. Lancey had the worst offensive week in the league, getting up on 5 homers, 18 RBI's, and a .199 team average.  Is it time to panic-trade Trout and Cabrera to Richie for Emilio Bonifacio? Yes, yes it is Colin.  Chris Davis almost did that by himself! 2 wins, 20 K's, and a near-perfect game from Yu Darvish helped to snag some of the pitching categories and even out the score.  Trade me Trout and Cabrera for Emilio Bonifacio.

(season series 0-0)