Greetings from beautiful Houston, Texas. The Rocketeers’ owner, James, and I made a last-second scouting trip to Daikin Park to catch the Astros take on the Red Sox. It turned out to be the biggest Monday crowd of the season, which isn’t surprising given that Christian Javier was making his first start after Tommy John surgery. Oh, and maybe Carlos Correa’s first home game back in an Astros uniform drew a few folks out on a work night. And just maybe the chance to see Alex Bregman share the field with Correa and Altuve again, even in a different uniform, helped fill a couple of seats. Speaking of that José Altuve kid… he’s pretty good. I think he has a real future in this sport. Despite a late rally by Boston, the Astros pulled out a 7–6 win. But enough about real baseball. Let’s move on to the fantasy realm. With just four weeks left in the regular season, every win, loss, and category point counts. Week 18 in the PCI saw some playoff hopefuls make a move, some contenders hold their ground, and a few teams learn that there’s no coasting into October September.

The Sinton Mullets handled the Denver Donuts 8–3, thanks to a balanced attack on both sides of the ball. Denver swiped nine bags to Sinton’s four and kept the walks to a minimum, but a .169 team batting average and a 4.03 ERA weren’t enough to keep pace with the Mullets’ seven homers, 26 RBIs, and 2.52 ERA.

The Boerne Mutts outslugged the Coastal Bend Oilers 5–3 in a close game. Both teams scored 25 runs and also tied in stolen bases and saves, but the Mutts doubled the Oilers’ home run total (10–5) and posted 35 RBIs to Coastal Bend’s 24. The Oilers had the better ERA, but Boerne’s offense carried the day.

Rockport’s Redfish swam past the Doña Ana Chihuahuas 6–4 despite being outscored 43–29 and out-homered 14–5. The difference came on the mound, where the Redfish turned in a 2.72 ERA and 1.09 WHIP against Doña Ana’s 5.06 and 1.58.

In a top four matchup, Austin’s Armadillos beat Gallagher Gulch 6–4. The Fat Boys drove in 30 runs to Austin’s 28, and racked up 7 saves, but the Armadillos’ 12 homers, five steals, and nine pitching wins proved too much.

In one of the week’s tightest matchups, the Oahu Rocketeers edged the Indy Integrals 6–5 despite being outhit (.303 to .261) and out-homered (14–6). The Rocketeers made up the difference with seven steals, sharper pitching ratios, and a bullpen that delivered three saves.

The New Mexico Roadrunners stayed hot with an 8–2 win over the Michiana Cavemen, leading in runs, homers, RBIs, ERA, and WHIP. Michiana’s only bright spots came in stolen bases and strikeout-to-walk ratio. They also managed to tie NM in saves. To be fair, though, the owners of both Indy and Michiana were off gallivanting around Costa Rica last week, probably more focused on waterfalls and cloud forests than fantasy baseball. Understandable.


PCI Week 19 Preview: Crunch Time

With only four weeks left in the regular season, Week 19 has the potential to shake up the playoff race in both divisions.

In the East, the second-place Austin Armadillos take on the Sinton Mullets, who are fresh off a big Week 18 win but still sitting at the bottom of the standings. The Mullets will need another hot week to play spoiler, while Austin looks to put some distance between themselves and the four-team traffic jam right behind them in the PCI East pennant race.

Michiana and Indy meet in a husband-wife battle of mid-pack hopefuls. Since both teams are from Indiana, I like to picture them playing in a Field of Dreams–style ballpark carved out of a cornfield. Both clubs are trying to climb back over .500. Indy currently sits in sixth and will try to fend off a Michiana team looking to work its way back into the playoff picture.

Coastal Bend and Rockport square off in a Gulf Coast showdown between two clubs within striking distance in the East standings. A strong week could move either team up a slot and into better position for a late-season run.

Boerne faces Gallagher Gulch in what could be a playoff preview. Both teams are in the West’s top three, and every category win here could matter in seeding down the line.

Doña Ana gets Denver in a battle between two West teams trying to close strong. The Chihuahuas are in fifth, with a chance to climb higher, while the Donuts will try to play spoiler.

Finally, the Roadrunners meet the Rocketeers. New Mexico will look to hold its commanding lead in the West, while Oahu needs every category it can get to make a late push—and maybe steal a win over his gramps.

It’s now closing in on 1 a.m. Tuesday morning, and I should probably get some sleep before the drive back to Austin in a few hours. I’m not too worried, though. I may not drink anymore, but a 17-year-old can still serve as a designated driver for a tired, middle-aged fantasy sports reporter.

P.S. Thanks to Teri—aka Mom—for filling in last week, and to Mr. Lakey for doing the same a few weeks earlier. If any other owners want to take a crack at writing a recap one week, you’re more than welcome.