Contest - week four.

Fueled by plenty of run support, starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy picked up the win for the Strat-O-Matic Rangers this week as they hosted the Phillies. McCarthy allowed only one run in five innings as Texas topped Philadelphia 6-2. One point if you predicted the Rangers to win in Strat-O-Matic.

The MLB Showdown game was much uglier. John Thomson allowed six runs in the same number of innings McCarthy pitched. The bullpen didn't get the bleeding stopped fast either as the Phils trounced the Rangers 9-5. One point if you predicted a Texas defeat in MLB Showdown.

For the first time in the contest the Strat-O-Matic Rangers won the scoring contest 6-5. One point if you predicted the Strat Rangers to outscore the Showdown team.

The more I play Strat-O-Matic the more I enjoy it. I like being able to score the games just as if I was watching them. The errors continue to be a realistic aspect. I am looking forward to stepping up to the advanced version sometime relatively soon.

Ok, the upcoming matchup. This week we see the Houston Astros coming into Arlington to take on the Rangers. Make sure to get your predictions in. How will the Showdown team do? The Strat team? Which will score the most runs? The contest is now half over but it is still possible to get in now and win a free Strat-O-Matic computer game. In fact, this week's scoring saw some major tightening in the points race. Just make sure to enter, you can't win if you don't.

For details on how this contest works please see this post.