It’s a week after the All-Star break, and once again the season is back at full throttle! What happened this week? Well, one game saw both teams go to extra innings, another game saw both teams allow one hit to the AI combined, and one conference saw its losing teams fail to win by more than two. In other words, business as unusual in the rBBL.

MATCHUP OF THE WEEK

Boston Cubs vs. Baltimore Orioles

Week 8’s MOTW was a Backyard matchup chosen to showcase two teams who often don’t score quite as much as the other teams in their conference. The big difference between the two is that while they both lag the conference in scoring, the Cubs have been able to make up for it with the Backyard’s best defense, while the Orioles have had no such respite. This is a big reason for their contrasting positions in the standings: the Orioles were tied for last coming into this game, while the Cubs were tied for first. As such, the Cubs were expected to win this one handily–but, with the lower scores each team typically dishes out, an upset wasn’t out of the question.

The game started out well for the Cubs as they loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the first; although they weren’t able to turn it into a huge rally when Orioles pitcher Marky Dubois found his groove and struck out two batters, they were still able to grab a run and the early lead. They kept this lead through the bottom of the first despite a close call on a ground rule double to left field, and then in the top of the second extended their lead to 2-0 (batting a runner in on an infield grounder after a similar ground rule double call, this time in right field). Baltimore got on the board in the bottom of the inning by scoring a run that could’ve been more were it not for another controversial ground rule double call in left field, and in the top of the third the Cubs were held scoreless, in large part because of poor baserunning from Jorge Garcia when he tried to turn a double into a triple. In the bottom of the inning, Baltimore tied the game at 2 with an inside-the-ballpark home run, and could’ve had the bases loaded with two outs had Mavfatha not chosen to send Cindy towards home where she was tagged out in a close play. In the top of the fourth the Cubs scored two when Baltimore bungled the ball on a Boston steal attempt where Boston ended up stealing home with both runners on base, but the Orioles caught up to them when Cheryl Reynolds hit a two-run homer. This would be all for the Orioles, however, as although the fourth inning ended with the game tied at 4-4, Baltimore would fail to score any further runs. This wasn’t the case for the Cubs, as they scored in the top of the fifth (this time in a sequence involving a noncontroversial ground rule double to center) and then put together a 4-run rally in the top of the sixth that included a 3-run inside-the-ballpark home run from Jorge Garcia to decisively seal the game. With the win, the Cubs now share the top spot in the Backyard Conference with the Wizard Wombats, while the Baltimore Orioles once again reclaim sole possession of last place.

Boston Cubs 9, Baltimore Orioles 4

Next week’s game: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Junior Athletics

The top two teams in the Frontyard Conference take each other on in a rematch for the ages! Last time, the Dodgers narrowly squeaked out a win against the Athletics at home in a 4-4 battle where neither team could buy a hit. With the game taking place at Dubois Diamond instead of Steele Stadium, things could be different. Will the Dodgers find their offense in this game? Or will the Athletics defense hold strong? And what about the Athletics offense, which has been putting up some pretty good results as of late? Can they take advantage of the weak-armed Gretchen Hasselhoff at AI catcher to snag some extra bases and extra runs? We’ll find out Saturday, August 21, at 8:30 PM Mountain Time on Sisu’s Twitch! Don’t miss it!

Player of the game: Kenny Kawaguchi was alright offensively for Boston, going 2-for-4 with a pair of singles, scoring once, and managing an RBI. But on the mound, he shone; although he only threw two strikeouts and ended up allowing four hits, he was very efficient, throwing 44 pitches to 21 batters and pitching a shutout.

FRONTYARD CONFERENCE

Los Angeles Dodgers 10, Little Giants 1

Talk about a long day! Both teams saw extra innings in this one, bringing in the lone mechanic that favors the away team. Since the away team can score infinite runs and still have to face the bottom of the inning, and the home team wins as soon as they score in extra innings, the home team can never win by more than four, providing an opportunity for the away team to snatch victory. That’s basically what happened here, as the Dodgers spent 10 innings only able to score a single run in what was a 1-1 game before exploding in the top of the 11th for 10. Something similar happened to the Giants, as they were likewise locked in a long tied game (9 innings) before finally getting another runner across the plate. While they could have scored more if they were given more time, the Giants game ended there (for obvious reasons), and the Dodgers ended up taking the win.

Player of the game: In a pair of games that lasted this long, how could it be anybody but the Frontyard Conference’s PITCHER OF THE WEEK, Ronny Dobbs of the Los Angeles Dodgers? He came in as a reliever and although he allowed a run, he didn’t allow any hits (don’t ask me how). But more impressive than just not allowing a single hit is that he faced down 14 batters and struck out a whopping 11! That’s right, only 3 batters managed to put the ball in play in just under 5 innings of pitching, and none of them got on base. After a day like this, I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out that the Dodgers have found their ace and Ronny sees more mound time (especially since this is the first time he’s been put up there).

New York Yankees 11, Florida Marlins 3

After a tough home loss to the Athletics in the last game before the All-Star Break, the Yankees bounced back on the road with a 12-0 performance fueled by 19 hits and 3 walks offensively and Tom Glass’s 3-hit, 6-strikeout, 5 and 2/3 inning pitching performance defensively. Meanwhile, the Marlins continued to skid, dropping another game as they only managed to get 7 hits and scored 3 runs in a 3-0 win at home. In the end, the Yankees took the game easily, and sit a game back of the conference lead in what’s promising to be a tight race down the stretch.

Player of the game: Vladimir Guerrero of the Yankees was on fire in this one, going 3-for-4 with a double and two home runs to bring in 4 RBIs and score twice. How good was his performance? So good, he was the Frontyard Conference’s BATTER OF THE WEEK! That’s right, folks, Vlad was bad. In, like, a good way. Not a bad way. Totally a good way.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays 15, Humongous Hornets 4

The first time these two teams met, they absolutely exploded for a ton of runs. This time, the story was similar…for one of these teams. Tampa Bay had an absolute monster of a game, scoring 13 runs off of 24 hits and a walk at home, while the Hornets once again fell short, only scoring seven runs off of 17 hits and a walk while allowing 3 runs defensively. The Hornets now have no possible path to the postseason, while the Devil Rays rise to 5-3 and a game back of the conference lead.

Player of the game: Grace Tipton of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays went 4-for-4 (all singles) and scored every time she came up to bat. She also stole a base and was totally ready to come up and pitch if called upon…but she wasn’t.

Junior Athletics 12, Minnesota Twins 6

The Athletics have a rough start to the second half, taking on the other four Frontyard teams above .500 in their first four games and taking on their two competitors for the top of the Conference in the first two games. This was one of them, as the 5-2 Athletics met the 5-2 twins at the infamously wonky Dirt Yards to open the second half of the season. For the Twins, the game was a bit of a letdown, as despite bashing three homers they were only able to score 8 runs on the day while giving up 3 defensively. No such problems plagued the Athletics, as they scored 18 despite a controversial non-call on an infield fly, and while they did end up giving up six runs (mostly fueled by a sixth-inning rally from the AI Twins, their run differential of 12 was still enough to keep them tied for the lead in the conference with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Player of the game: Ray Tran had an incredible outing for the Athletics, going 4-for-5 with a pair of singles and a pair of doubles (both of which were ground rule doubles that happened to hit the blue van; what’s the opposite of vehicular assault?). What else did he do? Well, he stole two bases, scored four times, and had 4 RBIs. Maybe Bruce Springsteen thinks she won’t take the train, but the Athletics will definitely take the Tran!

INDOOR CONFERENCE

Arizona Diamondbacks 26, Boston Reds 1

Arizona bounced back from their lone loss on the year in convincing fashion, absolutely slaughtering Boston to start the second half of the season. For the Diamondbacks, it was business as usual, as they set up plenty of runners and then waited for Jay Green and Ezra Travolta to knock them in offensively (scoring 22 runs off of 28 hits and a walk) and relied on Randy Johnson’s amazing pitching to hold things down defensively. Boston would’ve had a hard time keeping up on a good day; they didn’t have one of those, as they only scored 3 runs, only had 8 hits, and ended up giving up 2 runs defensively. In the end, the Diamondbacks soared to stay a game behind the conference-leading Texas Rangers, while the Boston Reds are now eliminated from playoff contention.

Player of the game: The Diamondbacks’ Ezra Travolta was amazing, going 4-for-4 with a single, a double, and 2 homers that gave her 8 RBIs and allowed her to score thrice. But she didn’t have the best performance.

The Diamondbacks Randy Johnson was amazing, throwing a one-strikeout perfect game–an accomplishment good enough to get him named the Indoor Conference’s PITCHER OF THE WEEK! Offensively he wasn’t too shabby either, going 3-for-4 (all singles) and scoring once. But he didn’t have the best performance of the game.

That’s right, once again it’s the Diamondbacks’ Jay Green, who once again won the Indoor Conference’s BATTER OF THE WEEK award! (At this point, it’s not really even that impressive anymore–that’s how spectacular Jay Green has been this season.) He went 5-for-5 with a single, a double, and 3–count ’em, 3–home runs, had 8 RBIs, and scored four times. Just another day for the Greenest of Jays.

Texas Rangers 12, Super-Duper Melonheads 2

Speaking of great teams, the Texas Rangers once again put up a win, staying undefeated 8 weeks into the season. This time, their victims were the hapless Super-Duper Melonheads, who were only able to notch 6 runs and 10 hits despite playing at the offense-friendly Dirt Yards. Still, that wasn’t the worst part of their day; the worst part was giving up 10 hits and 4 runs on defense, dropping their run differential to 2 on the day. Eclipsing this was easy for the Rangers, as Texas scored 15 runs off of 20 hits; even though they had a worse day defensively, allowing 11 hits and 5 runs, the Rangers still took the game easily. Texas remains on top of the division, while the Super-Duper Melonheads are now eliminated from playoff contention.

Player of the game: Texas Ranger Veronica Lee was on fire! Sure, she may have only gone 2-for-4, but those two were both home runs. She scored twice (obviously) and had 4 RBIs as an integral part of the Rangers’ offense. Also, she has the largest collection of Funko Pops in the entire league.

Seattle Fishes 8, Milwaukee Braves 2

The Fishes started slow this season, in what seems to be a trend for their coach, but they’ve picked up the pace; after starting 0-4, they’re now 3-1 over their past four games. That streak includes wins in their past two games, including this one against the Braves, where they scored 10 runs on 21 hits but also allowed 2 runs to score. This was enough to take down the Braves, though, as once again they put up a poor offensive showing, only scoring two runs despite getting 11 hits. Defensively the Braves were as solid as ever, but it didn’t end up mattering, as the Fishes (barely) keep their playoff hopes alive and the Braves are now eliminated from playoff contention.

Player of the game: In a game where almost everyone contributed, it’s hard to pick the best. But in this case, it’s probably Jane Davis, who went 4-for-4 with two singles and two doubles. She had 3 RBIs, scored twice, and has decided that Allosauruses are definitely her favorite dinosaur. For now, at least.

BACKYARD CONFERENCE

Red Phillies 19, Montana Floss 15

There were three teams sitting at 3-4 at the All-Star Break, and two of them met at Sandy Flats for this matchup. Coming out of the break, both pitchers were firing on all cylinders, as Esmarelda Heimann and Brad Radke combined to only give up one hit. As for hitting, both teams also did pretty well, with the Floss getting 26 hits and a walk and the Phillies getting 22 hits and four walks. The big difference? The Floss hit singles (25 in total), while the Phillies hit home runs (8 in total). This meant that while the Floss had more hits, they were only able to turn them into 13 runs, while the Phillies turned their 26 runners into 20 runs and won their game 20-1. With the win, the Phillies get back to .500 and are now frontrunners for the final playoff seed from the Backyard Conference, while the Floss are now a game back of the playoffs and not looking all that great.

Player of the game: Brad Radke of the Montana Floss pitched a perfect game and was named the Backyard Conference’s PITCHER OF THE WEEK! But that wasn’t enough to get his team over the hump. Who really got the Phillies over the hump was Sammy Sosa, who went 4-for-4 with a double and 3–count ’em, 3–home runs. He finished the day with 6 RBIs and scored thrice, and is once again proving that you should never let a power hitter go to crazyei8hts’s team.

Green Monsters 12, Junior Brewers 10

The Brewers have been up and down all season. This game was a downer for them, as they were held to 11 runs on 19 hits while giving up 3 runs of their own. Meanwhile, the Monsters also faltered a bit, but their 13 runs off of 21 hits and a walk was enough to push them past the Brewers, especially since they only gave up one run. The Monsters and Brewers are now tied at 3-5 and sit a game behind the Phillies for the last playoff spot from the Backyard.

Player of the game: Nobody had a great game in this one, but Parker Collum of the Brewers did his best to try and drag his team over the finish line, going 3-for-3 with a pair of singles and a home run. He finished with 4 RBIs and scored once.

Wizard Wombats 26, Purple Sox 24

There were three teams sitting at 5-2 at the All-Star Break, and two of them met at Steele Stadium for this matchup. Coming out of the break, both teams were firing on all cylinders, but the Wombats were running slightly hotter, as they scored 26 runs off of 34 hits and a walk in a shutout road win. (How’d the Purple Sox do? I don’t have a clue.) With the win, they’re now tied for first place in the Backyard Conference with the Boston Cubs, while the Purple Sox fall to third, a game ahead of the Red Phillies and a game behind the Boston Cubs and Wizard Wombats.

Player of the game: Wombats smasher Chico Pappas was named the Backyard Conference’s BATTER OF THE WEEK! Why? Well, he went 6-for-6 with two singles, a double, and 3–count ’em, 3–home runs. He ‘only’ had six RBIs, but he scored every time he came up to bat and was a big part of the offensive firepower the Wombats needed to take down the Purple Sox.

BATTLE OF THE SCABS

Baltimore Bombers vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Pink Angles Association

Speaking of unusual events, two different players had to bow out because of prior concerns this week–and they were playing each other! In the Bombers corner, making his debut in the league, we had Repub92! And in the Angels corner, as a last-minute substitution, we had…me.

And I sucked. It was a horrendous performance where I only got five hits and scored a lone two runs–with my only offense coming from Maria Luna, who went 3-for-3. (Other bright spot: Mr. Clanky was amazing at catcher, taking down three attempted steals of 2nd base. Also the Webber twins are effective enough pitchers.) As for Repub? He played solidly, winning his game 8-0, notching 16 hits, allowing 2, and striking out three. In the end, Repub92 wins the first game he coaches, and the Bombers and Angels are now tied at 5-3 and trailing the rest of the playoff field by two games. Sorry for sucking, Jomar!

Player of the game: Maria Luna was the sole bright spot on the Angels offense. But on an actually competent team, Sonja Hagen shone the brightest, going 3-for-3 with two singles and a home run as she drove in three and scored twice for the Bombers. After the game, she celebrated with her family by going out for Indian food and got the chicken korma, medium spice.

Baltimore Bombers 8, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Pink Angles Association 2

STANDINGS

Backyard Conference
Wizard Wombats [Wizard] (6-2)
Boston Cubs [KiiiiiiiiiiiiiS] (6-2)
Purple Sox [aesnop] (5-3)
Red Phillies [crazyei8hts] (4-4)
Junior Brewers [jibbodahibbo] (3-5)
Montana Floss [JorgesBankAccount] (3-5)
Green Monsters [Yurya] (3-5)
Baltimore Orioles [Mavfatha] (2-6)

Indoor Conference
Texas Rangers [Jyknight] (8-0)
Arizona Diamondbacks [Sisu] (7-1)
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Pink Angles Association [JOMAR] (5-3)
Baltimore Bombers [jlund] (5-3)
Seattle Fishes [elchrisblanco] (3-5)
Milwaukee Braves [Natetastic] (2-6)
Boston Reds [shrewsbury] (1-7)
Super-Duper Melonheads [Eauxps I. Fourgott] (1-7)

Frontyard Conference
Los Angeles Dodgers [hitace] (6-2)
Junior Athletics [MelloMathTeacher] (6-2)
Minnesota Twins [Toast] (5-3)
Tampa Bay Devil Rays [T-Boz] (5-3)
New York Yankees [Marco] (5-3)
Florida Marlins [skolgamingnetwork] (3-5)
Little Giants [SilverBullet102] (1-7)
Humongous Hornets [Vissery] (1-7)

PLAYOFF PICTURE

BACKYARD
#1 Boston Cubs [KiiiiiiiiiiiiiS] (6-2)
#2 Wizard Wombats [Wizard] (6-2)
#3 Purple Sox [aesnop] (5-3)
#4 Red Phillies [crazyei8hts] (4-4)

IN THE HUNT
#5 Junior Brewers [jibbodahibbo] (3-5)
#6 Montana Floss [JorgesBankAccount] (3-5)
#7 Green Monsters [Yurya] (3-5)
#8 Baltimore Orioles [Mavfatha] (2-6)

INDOOR
#1 Texas Rangers [Jyknight] (8-0)
#2 Arizona Diamondbacks [Sisu] (7-1)

IN THE HUNT
#3 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Pink Angles Association [JOMAR] (5-3)
#4 Baltimore Bombers [jlund] (5-3)

FRONTYARD
#1 Los Angeles Dodgers [hitace] (6-2)
#2 Junior Athletics [MelloMathTeacher] (6-2)

IN THE HUNT
#3 Tampa Bay Devil Rays [T-Boz] (5-3)
#4 Minnesota Twins [Toast] (5-3)
#5 New York Yankees [Marco] (5-3)

CURRENTLY ELIMINATED*
Little Giants [SilverBullet102] (Frontyard Conference)
Humongous Hornets [Vissery] (Frontyard Conference)
Milwaukee Braves [Natetastic] (Indoor Conference)
Super-Duper Melonheads [Eauxps I. Fourgott] (Indoor Conference)
Boston Reds [shrewsbury] (Indoor Conference)

*elimination calculations by Sports Club Stats

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“Both of Ray Tran’s doubles were Ground Rule Doubles that were just shy of home runs.” – MelloMathTeacher, Junior Athletics head coach, on Ray Tran’s performance

“He refused to leave the mound. Because I never let him on it.” – hitace, Los Angeles Dodgers head coach, on AI Bobby Bulgrien throwing 130+ pitches

“He’s got a nasty circle changeup.” – Yurya, Green Monsters head coach, on Mike Piazza’s possibilities as a pitcher

“How long are you gonna spend staring at my log?” – JorgesBankAccount, Montana Floss head coach, on crazyei8hts

“All matchups are becoming very important! The race to the end for Frontyard is thrilling.” – Marco, New York Yankees head coach, on the Frontyard Conference’s playoff race

“The stipulation was just ‘swing,’ not ‘try to make contact?'” – JorgesBankAccount, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Pink Angles Association substitute coach, proving the necessity of actually reading the rules

“What do I gotta do to stay in the running for MOTW #14?” – Yurya, Green Monsters head coach, on wanting to be a star

“Tin Can Alley is the true hell.” – Vissery, Humongous Hornets head coach, on how Tin Can Alley is the true hell

“I think I know what you want…string!” – Flapjack, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, on cats

“This would be the perfect time to have a snake in my yard.” – Marco, New York Yankees head coach, on every moment that has ever existed