Pinstripes Empire stumbled into old habits in week two, surrendering eight categories to Vlady’s Baddies in their first season meeting, losing 8-2. Last season, Brooklyn Bron gave up eight runs on six occasions, with a season-high of nine in week 16. Even though they are 1-1 at this point, it’s the second consecutive campaign they lost week two by a blowout.

It was an evenly contested matchup, with each team getting 243 at-bats, with Pinstripe Empires collecting four more hits with an extra swing. However, those four hits didn’t generate much offense, as the club dropped all but one hitting category, winning only the batting title by 15 percentage points.

After picking up two pitching category wins in week one, Pinstripes Empire underperformed in most hurling categories, somehow securing a 2-1 victory in the wins category. It was a sloppy week as the ERA and WHIP were high, with the save and strikeout totals not up to par.

On Monday, Vladdy’s Baddies opened the matchup with a 7-1-1 lead, one they never relinquished for the remainder of the week. By Wednesday, they collected eight categories, stretching their lead to 9-0-1 on Thursday before rolling through the weekend without any challenge.

When it was over, Pinstripes Empire experienced their worst week of the early season, failing to lead the matchup at any point.

Bench management is one way to win or lose a matchup. In this matchup, there were a few categories lost by lineup decisions. According to statistics from players who didn’t make the lineup, Pinstripes Empire could have won the runs category 41-34 and home runs 10-8 had everyone had a chance to play.

With players combining for a .250 batting average, it wouldn’t have had much impact on the matchup totals, as they would have stayed at .250. However, with an additional two categories, the final score in week two could have been 6-4 instead of 8-2.

After two weeks, Pinstripes Empire is nowhere near being a top team in the league. Their best totals come in the form of RBIs, with 91, good enough for third in the league. Overall, the club only ranks in the top five in four categories: home runs, RBIs, batting average, and ERA.

In addition to those statistics, they rank near the bottom in stolen bases and strikeouts, two areas projected to be their weak points. Pinstripes Empire has not lost the batting average category; meanwhile, they remain winless in stolen bases, saves, and strikeouts.

Management was busy in week two, trying to salvage any matchup points they could, utilizing their four roster additions allowed in a series. First, with an empty spot to fill, Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Zach Littell joined the club. Next, after a lengthy slump to start the year, Vinnie Pasquantino (Kansas City) was sent to waivers, and Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) took his spot.

As injuries continued to affect the lineup, Pinstripes Empire parted ways with Kodai Senga (New York) in favor of Seth Lugo (Kansas City). Finally, the week’s final move occurred with another first baseman demoted, as Jeimer Candelario (Cincinnati) was cut to make room for catcher Elias Diaz from the Colorado Rockies.

After the 2-8 loss, Pinstripes Empire drops to 10th in the league standings. Before the expansion to 12 teams in 2024, they would have been ranked dead last (as usual) in the previous format. With two weeks in the books, half of the teams have reached double digits in wins, with just 1.5 games separating the top four teams.

Next up for Pinstripes Empire is Joe Buck Yourself, who are at the bottom of the standings with a 4-13-3 record.