Monday, April 21st, 2025

Week 3 is in the books, and let’s just say—if you thought the early season was all about offense, a few teams this week made it clear that pitching still runs the show. Except for the Donuts. The Donuts hit everything in sight, and somehow it still wasn’t enough.

Let’s get into it.

New Mexico Roadrunners 7 – Indy Integrals 3

In a matchup that felt like playoff baseball in mid-April, the Roadrunners rode their pitching to a 7–3 win. While Indy outpaced New Mexico in batting average and swiped four more bags, it wasn’t enough to overcome a 15-homer barrage—and a 1.06 WHIP from the Roadrunner arms. Brent Rooker led the way at the plate, hitting .360 with 2 homers and 4 RBIs, while Devin Williams locked down 3 saves. Hunter Brown tossed 6 scoreless innings and Zac Wheeler was nearly untouchable, earning a win with a 2.57 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, and an infinite K/BB that left the Integrals staring at an unsolvable function.

The Integrals leaned on their own rotation to keep things close, tallying 6 wins total—including two from Grant Holmes, who quietly turned in a 2.79 ERA and 0.90 WHIP across the week. Offensively, Shohei Ohtani did a little of everything: a .294 average, 6 runs, 2 homers, 3 RBIs, and a stolen base. Indy piled up 9 steals overall, but with a 6.24 team ERA and a thin week from the bullpen, they just couldn’t solve for X against the Roadrunners’ relentless pace.

Coastal Bend Oilers 8 – Oahu Rocketeers 3

The Oilers turned in another dominant all-around performance, improving to 22–10–1 and quietly becoming the team nobody wants to see on the schedule. They swept the offensive categories, outhit Oahu .283 to .235, and tacked on four more saves. Bryce Harper led the charge with a .320 average, 3 homers, and 9 RBIs, while Manny Machado added a .357 week and a homer of his own. The offense didn’t explode, it just showed up every day and did damage.

To their credit, Oahu’s pitching was excellent. Yusei Kikuchi tossed 11 innings with a 0.79 ERA, and Merrill Kelly was dominant over two starts—11.2 innings, a 1.54 ERA, a 0.60 WHIP, and a 7.00 K/BB—before exiting Sunday’s game early with cramping. The Rocketeers will monitor his status, but the bigger issue is that the arms are doing their part. The bats just haven’t arrived yet.

Doña Ana Chihuahuas 6 – Sinton Mullets 5

This one came down to margins—narrow enough that a few bullpen arms made all the difference. Doña Ana racked up 6 saves to Sinton’s zero, flipping a tight contest that could have gone either way. The Mullets held the edge in runs scored and team batting average, but the Chihuahuas’ speed (10 stolen bases) and late-inning execution proved decisive.

Kyle Tucker drove in five and added another homer, while Cam Smith chipped in with 2 bombs and 4 RBIs of his own. The biggest surprise, though, came from behind the plate—catcher William Contreras swiped 3 bags on the week, matching a third of his entire total from last season. Across the diamond, Sinton’s catcher Will Smith had a strong week of his own, batting .333 with a homer and six RBIs, and Tarik Skubal delivered on the mound with 11 innings of 1.50 ERA ball, a 1.00 WHIP, and a K/BB of 13.00.

Gallagher Gulch Fat Boys 6 – Rockport Redfish 2

The Fat Boys’ bullpen put on a clinic—9 saves, a 3.28 ERA, and a 1.11 WHIP—as they locked down a 6–2 win over Rockport. Emmanuel Clase and Kyle Finnegan split closing duties evenly with three saves apiece, and the rest of the staff did enough to keep the Redfish offense mostly in check. Offensively, Corbin Carroll came up big, batting .300 with 2 homers, 9 RBIs, and 3 steals—an all-category week if there ever was one. Kerry Carpenter chipped in with a scorching .444 average before leaving Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury. He’s scheduled for testing, and for now, the Fat Boys will be holding their breath.

Rhys Hoskins hit .450 for the Redfish, launching 3 homers and driving in 8. Aaron Judge wasn’t far behind, batting .462 with 5 RBIs. But the rest of the lineup struggled to contribute, and the Redfish couldn’t muster enough depth to match the Fat Boys’ steady advantage on the mound. Neither team batted over .235 collectively, making this a classic bullpen brawl—and in that kind of fight, the Fat Boys’ arms were simply sharper.

Michiana Cavemen 7 – Boerne Mutts 2

Don’t call it a comeback… but maybe do? The Cavemen erupted for 36 RBIs, 10 steals, and a pristine 0.95 ERA—anchored by a lockdown bullpen that posted 7 saves, including four from Tanner Scott, who didn’t allow a single earned run all week. Their WHIP came in under 1.0, their staff didn’t blink, and the Mutts were left swinging.

To be fair, Boerne wasn’t bad. In fact, they outhit Michiana with a blistering .301 team average, thanks in large part to Pete Alonso, who batted .400 with 2 homers. But this was one of those fantasy weeks that reminds you: batting average alone doesn’t win matchups. The Mutts couldn’t flip the script on the mound, and the Cavemen’s arms made sure of it.

Austin Armadillos 6 – Denver Donuts 4

The Donuts absolutely torched the ball this week—13 homers, 34 RBIs, a .290 team average—and somehow still lost. Why? Pitching. Despite a historically bad start from Tanner Houck (2.1 IP, 42.43 ERA), the Armadillos stacked 78 innings, posted a respectable 3.69 ERA, and racked up 4 saves—three of them courtesy of a resurgent Josh Hader. Call it quantity and quality. For the Armadillos, it’s a return to form after a Week 1 stumble and a Week 2 shutout win. For the Donuts, it’s the fantasy baseball version of hitting four doubles in an inning and getting stranded anyway.

Denver actually led this series 7–3 going into Sunday, and with the way the bats were rolling, it looked like they had it locked. Tatis went yard four times. Everyone in the lineup except Taylor Ward hit at least one homer. But the Sunday collapse stung—and then came the real gut punch. Luis Arraez, one of Denver’s steadiest bats, was involved in a scary collision at first base with Mauricio Dubón. Arraez remained down on the field for 11 minutes before being carted off and taken to Houston Methodist Hospital. The team announced late Sunday night that he was stable, conscious, responsive, and able to move his extremities. No matter who you root for, you never want to see that. Wishing Arraez a full and fast recovery.

Standings After Week 3

In the East, the Coastal Bend Oilers continue to lead the way at 22–10–1, but the Austin Armadillos are right on their heels after back-to-back wins, sitting just a game and a half back. The Integrals and Cavemen are both within striking distance, and even the Mullets and Redfish—separated by only a few games—are well within range this early in the season.

Out West, Doña Ana holds the top spot at 19–13–1, with the Roadrunners just a half-game behind. The Fat Boys are sitting even at .500, while the Donuts, Mutts, and Rocketeers all have plenty of time to make moves. With only week 4 coming up, no one’s out of the picture yet.

Week 4 Matchups

It’s shaping up to be Father-Son Weekend in the PCI, with two generational showdowns on the slate. The Austin Armadillos square off against the New Mexico Roadrunners, while the Coastal Bend Oilers take on the Denver Donuts.

Elsewhere, the surging Chihuahuas face the always-calculated Integrals in a top-five clash, and the Cavemen will try to keep swinging against a Fat Boys team that closes games like it’s October. The Rocketeers face the Redfish in a matchup with breakout potential, and the Mutts meet the Mullets in a big matchup for both teams.

This Week in Baseball History: King Nolan

On April 27, 1983, Nolan Ryan passed Walter Johnson to become MLB’s all-time strikeout king. Pitching for the Astros against the Expos, Ryan froze Brad Mills with a curveball in the eighth inning for career strikeout No. 3,509—and took his place atop the all-time leaderboard.