WCW's Karl Koch has knuckled and buckled his way to the top of the pitching leaderboards.
At long last, all teams have kicked off their 2021 season and everyone has at least a one in the win column. It’s great to see Chicken'n'Wiffles out there again, it’s great that Wiffle House exists, and it’s great to play under the sun under somewhat normal circumstances.
Week four saw a wide array of blowouts and week five saw an instant classic between the Bilabial Stops and West Coast Washout that makes the top spot in this week's power rankings a coin flip. The scoop:
Power Rankings After Week Five
Tie - 1. Bilabial Stops (7-1)
Last Week: 1
The Bilabials avenged their only loss of the 2020 regular season in week four, walloping the Sheryl Crows 15-0 (3) and 11-2 (5). Greg Nyssen stayed hot, going 6 for 8 with with two home runs and Ben Burkhardt went 4 for 6 with two walks. Eddie Brown threw three hitless innings, striking out five and walking one in a mercy-shortened appearance.
After dropping the opener to WCW 8-4 in week five, Eddie Brown remained undefeated on the mound to push their record to 7-1. Nick Usoff homered in both games to take back the league lead with six. With many tough matchups out of the way early, we wonder who else might step up to challenge the defending champs in the regular season. They'll face Wiffle House in week six.
Tie - 1. West Coast Washout (5-1)
Last Week: 2
After a week four bye, WCW got at least some measure of revenge against the Stops in a week five split. Karl Koch became the first pitcher to beat the Stops in the regular season since Paul Rogers did it last August. Koch is now 3-0 with a league-leading 2.14 ERA and 1.43 WHIP.
With five players batting over .500, a league-leading team ERA of 3.86, and solid defense, WCW seems as well-rounded as any team in the league. On top of that, they’ve hardly tapped into their deep bullpen, which will have to step up with the impending departure of Dan Rish. The South Side Sliders await on the other side of yet another bye in week six.
3. RBI Steaks (3-1)
Last Week: 3
The Steaks smoked the South Side Sliders 18-1 in three innings as part of a narrow sweep on Sunday. Jim Froio worked out of trouble on the mound to collect his first victory of the season and homered twice in each game to climb the leaderboard with a total of five.
The nightcap was much closer, with the Sliders getting to Riley Brindle for 15 runs on 17 hits. But the Steaks’ offense was up to the task, with Brian Foster delivering a walk-off single to seal the win. Emerging rookie Quinn MacWatters went an eye-popping 10-11 on the day to push his average to .773. The Steaks play Chicken’n’Wiffles next Sunday. Expect the unexpected from both teams.
4. Mighty Knucks (3-1)
Last Week: 5
Joseph Marcoly and Alex Hatch each hit three home runs in Sunday's sweep of Wiffle House. The returns of Hatch and Barron Tanay, who also homered in both games, bode well for Brandon Williams' squad. On the mound, Brandon Wallach has quietly gotten off to a 2-0 start with a 4.50 ERA, good for fourth in the league. The Knuckledusters will next play Chicken'n'Wiffles on June 13th after a few weeks off.
5. Sheryl Crows (3-3)
Last Week: 6
It was a rough week four for the Crows as they dropped both games to the Bilabial Stops 15-0 (3) and 11-2 (5). Paul Rogers continues to give up few hits, but walks have been a problem as of late. The offense didn’t fare much better, only managing two runs on 8 hits for the series. The South Side Sliders await on the other side of a Memorial Day Weekend bye. A sweep of either team would be a significant blow to their playoff aspirations.
6. South Side Sliders (2-4)
Last Week: 4
Similar to the Crows, SSS' sweep at the hands of the RBI Steaks in week four puts their season at a crossroads. Rookie Connor Jones is off to a great start, but their overall performance has been inconsistent. Maybe team attendance is to blame? MacGowan and Co. had a bye in week five and next face the aforementioned Crows.
7. Chicken'n'Wiffles (2-2)
Last Week: 8
Liam Munro went 9-11 with three home runs and two doubles in a split with Wiffully Ignorant in week four. His productive return after an extended absence is a great early sign for CNW. On the mound Preston Sahabu (yes, that Preston Sahabu) turned in a solid outing, giving up just two runs in four innings while striking out three.
Matt Pearson got into the win column in week five against Wiffle House, as CNW managed another split to push their record to 2-2. Munro racked up several more hits and now leads the league in hitting with a gaudy .778 average.
Losses to two previously winless teams is less encouraging, but we'll give them the benefit of the doubt as they knock off the rust. They’ll play each of the next four weeks, beginning with the RBI Steaks on June 6.
8. 100% Real Juice (1-5)
Last Week: 7
Gabe Showalter's got a much-needed breather with two bye weeks in a row. They match up favorably against Wiffully Ignorant on June 6th, but face a long climb. We wonder whether they’ll will shake things up or stay the course … time will tell.
9. Wiffle House (1-3)
Last Week: 9
The mystery team exists! Eight players debuted in week four and showed flashes of promise both at the plate and in the field on Sunday in two losses to the Mighty Knucks. As with most new teams, pitching seems to be the major area needing improvement, but their athleticism figures to ease the learning curve in the weeks ahead.
They got their first win in a week five split with Chicken'n'Wiffles. Liam McFeely filled up the box score, going 9 for 11 with two home runs. This is certainly a team to watch in the coming weeks. They’ll have their hands full in week six against the Stops.
10. Wiffully Ignorant (1-7)
Last Week: 10
Noah Jaffe went 6 for 8 and won his first game on the mound as Wiffully Ignorant finally got off the schneid in a split with Chicken'n'Wiffles in week four. A five player lineup gave yielded 21 hits along with a lot of at bats and crucial experience for a team that has been on the wrong side of the mercy rule several times in the early going. The only team to play each of the first four weeks got a breather in week five. A tough matchup against 100% Real Juice awaits…
Looking ahead: Full slates await
Weeks six and seven feature four doubleheaders each! With that in mind, please do your part to start on time and keep games moving to ensure maximum wiffle.
