Griffleball Power Rankings Week Eight and Players of the Week

After an intense week eight, there was no movement in the standings. It was the first time in over a month that the GBL had a full slate of games scheduled. Each series ended in a split and the league had a bye week due to the NWLA Tournament (the tournament will have it's own podcast later this week). The first series nearly saw the Ducks on the Pond sweep the Bird Gang, but Luke Baker put on a show at the lawn chair. He ultimately had the game winning double in extra innings. Then, the Ducks responded with a great hitting performance led by Chris Diehl, who has turned many heads since joining the league in week seven. The next series between the Taka Drivers and Nighttime Ninjas evoked some controversy. In both games, there was a moment that a call could have went either way and both teams suffered. After a call didn't go Mike Kubacki's way in the first game, his pitching became erratic and allowed a close game to get out of hand. In the second game, Kubacki made a great play on a grounder heading to his left but, there were questions from Taka whether he kept both feet in front of the line. Needless to say, the calls may have affected the players on both sides and changes could be coming. In the nightcap, the Gashouse Gorillas found themselves without Jim Tucker and Ryan Galiher in a World Series rematch against the Stallionaires. The first game saw Stallionaire rookie, Cody Smith, dominate Gashouse until Jeremy Ratajczyk found a way to break a potential no-hitter with a game tying home run. In the final game of the day, Matt Kuna had 4 RBI's to go along with a excellent game on the mound. He only allowed one run in three innings after giving up the walk-off in the first game. At the end of the day, the GBL is still no closer to finding out where every team will be seeded and who would even make the playoffs. The last spot is still up fro grabs, but it is becoming clear who may be the favorite. It should be a exciting ending to an already great season.

Scoreboard

7/1/16 - Ducks on the Pond 3 Stallionaires 1 (W - Siokos, L - J. Ross, S - Duvnjak)

Deciding Moment -  Rookie Chris Diehl made his first career hit a two run double in the second. Josh Ross struggled with control in the second and Diehl made him pay.

7/1/16 - Ducks on the Pond 11 Stallionaires 0 F/4 (W - Diehl, L - J. Ross)

Deciding Moment  - The Ducks on the Pond took advantage of Ross' struggles to put together a 9 run second inning capped by a Shawn Siokos three run bomb. 

7/10/16 - Bird Gang 7 Ducks on the Pond 5 F/6 (W - C. Felde, L - Diehl)

Deciding Moment - After the Ducks stole moment with a game tying home run in the fifth, the Bird Gang responded with a Luke Baker double to win the game in extras. 

7/10/16 - Ducks on the Pond 7 Bird Gang 1 (W - Duvnjak, L - C. Felde)

Deciding Moment - Zack Duvnjak pitched three shutout innings and added a two run home run in the second. While rookie, Diehl, went 5 for 5 and hit his first career home run. 

7/10/16 - Taka Drivers 7 Nighttime Ninjas 0 (W - Buzea, L - Krucek, S - Voges) 

Deciding Moment - Already up 2-0, Ryan Voges added a three run homer to put the game out of reach. Also, Jackson Bueza/Ryan Voges pitched a one-hitter shutting down the Ninjas offense. 

7/10/16 - Nighttime Ninjas 5 Taka Drivers 0 (W - Kubacki, L - Bartley)

Deciding Moment - Sammy Krucek smashed a home run in the third to give the Ninjas a 3-0 lead and the Ninjas turned the tables on Taka to split the series. 

7/10/16 - Gashouse Gorillas 3 Stallionaires 2 (W - Ratajczyk, L - Kuna)

Deciding Moment - Jeremy Ratajczyk hit the game tying home run in the fourth to break up a no-hitter. Then, he barely cleared the tennis net in left for a walk-off homer for Gashouse.

7/10/16 - Stallionaires 4 Gashouse Gorillas 1 (W - Kuna, L - Bobowski, S - Smith)

Deciding Moment - Matt Kuna crushed a home run in the second and added two more on a double in the third to give the Stallionaires a 4-0 lead, and they would never look back. 

Standings

1. Gashouse Gorillas 12-4
2. Bird Gang             10-6
3. Taka Drivers           9-7
4. Nighttime Ninjas    5-9
5. Ducks on the Pond 5-9
6. Stallionaires          6-10

Players of the Week

HITTER OF THE WEEK

Luke Baker

2 GP 8 Hits 12 At-Bats 1 HR 5 RBI 1 BB

(Game winning walk off double)

PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Matt Kuna

4 GP 9 IP 1-1 7 HA 4 ER 10 K 0 BB

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Chris Diehl

4 GP 10 Hits 18 At-Bats 1 HR 8 RBI 4 BB

1-1 7 IP 8 HA 4 ER 5 K 5 BB

Power Rankings

1. Gashouse Gorillas 12-4 (Last Week #1)

No surprise here as the Gashouse Gorillas continue to stay atop the standings and the rankings. They crush the ball at the lawn chair with their 37 home runs and 100 RBI's. It also helps that they have Jim Tucker, who is possibly on his way to a second straight Cy Young. 

2. Bird Gang 10-6 (Last Week #2)

The Bird Gang are 6-2 since May 30th and barring any setbacks should make the playoffs. Their lineup has picked up the slack as of late and their pitching continues to impress. They should be a tough out when the playoffs start.

3, Taka Drivers 9-7 (Last Week #3)

The Taka Drivers are probably disappointed with their record as of late but, their pitching staff has the best team ERA in Griffleball. They are in every game and never get blown out. You can never count out the Taka Drivers and they may be getting reinforcements come playoff time. 

4. Ducks on the Pond 5-9 (Last Week #6)

With the addition of Chris Diehl, the Ducks have found new life. Since the last ranking, they are 3-1 and show no signs of slowing down. They continue to improve and their rookies play better every week. Their 0-7 start seems to be a thing of the past. 

5. Nighttime Ninjas 5-9 (Last Week #4)

The Ninjas found a way to grab another game from a team above them in the standings. They continue to crush the ball, especially Sammy Krucek. He is on pace to break his own batting average record. If this team can get hot at the right time, they may ruin some dreams heading into the last few weeks. 

6. Stallionaires 6-10 (Last Week #5)

The Stallionaires may have found the arm they needed in Cody Smith. On the other hand, Matt Kuna is a man possessed and is carrying his team week in and week out. They still have a chance at the playoffs and expect the Stallionaires to stay alive to the final week.

WIFFLE OUT!