It's Rivalry Week!

It's the return of Rivalry Week! After three weeks of playing outside of the division, the SFRRC Fantasy Baseball League will see each team face a division rival in Week 5. These are the most important series on the schedule. Teams can quickly lose or gain ground in the division pennant race.

Last week, the BaseballMonster.com computer had a difficult time with predictions, going 4-4. It failed to identify upsets by Twinkle Toes, the Menehunes, and the Vicious Fishes. Here are the BaseballMonster.com predictions for a very important Week 5.

This is the battle for the East Division lead. Twinkle Toes is coming off a stunning 6-5-1 upset of Los Coche Bomba while the Slammers were defeated by the Marin Menehunes, 8-3-1. This will be the sixth meeting of these rivals, with Twinkle Toes holding a narrow 3-2 series lead and 29-27-4 advantage in categories won. In their last meeting in Week 22 of 2011, Twinkle Toes won 8-4. Twinkle Toes will add second catcher Hector Sanchez to the roster while the Slammers add utility man Maicer Izturis. The Slammers enter the series with both catchers ailing. Joe Mauer is nursing a sore knee while Geovany Soto has a tight upper back and is mired in a deep slump, going 3-for-23 over his last seven games. Edwin Encarnacion continues to be the hottest offensive player for the Slammers, hitting four homers and driving in 11 RBI over his last 13 games. Evan Longoria has been rock solid for Twinkle Toes this year. He enters this series with three homers and 14 RBI over his last 13 games. Final Prediction: Twinkle Toes 6-6.

The Bulls are coming off a devastating 8-4 loss to last year's Wooden Spoon recipient, the Vicious Fishes. Bacon at Mile 11 fell 6-5-1 in a hard fought battle with the defending league champions, the Lower Haighters. In five previous meetings, Bacon has dominated the series with the Bulls, winning three meetings and tying one. It has a 31-23-6 advantage in categories won. When they last met in Week 22 of 2011, Bacon won 9-3. Bacon limps into this series. Ace Cliff Lee is still nursing a side injury while third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and setup man Jesse Crain were both placed on the DL. Chris Capuano is throwing well for the Bulls. He has given up just three runs over 19.2 innings while striking out 18 in three quality starts. Second baseman Dan Uggla is beginning to heat up for Bacon. Uggla has three homers, 11 RBI and nine runs scored in his last 13 games.  Final Prediction: Bacon at Mile 11 7-5.

All you need to know about this series can be summed up in their last meeting. It was Week 22 of last year. High Cheese was two weeks away from its first South Division pennant. That's when HUMA thumped them 9-1-2, sending High Cheese into a late-season tailspin that ended with them finishing a half-game behind HUMA for the pennant and out of the championship bracket of the playoffs. HUMA has won three of the five meetings between the two teams and tied another. It holds a 34-22-4 advantage in categories won. High Cheese will add two new setup men this week, Steve Cishek and Ryan Cook. HUMA dropped struggling shortstop Jhonny Peralta and added the red-hot Alex Gonzalez. Gio Gonzalez, Joe Saunders and Jered Weaver are on a roll for High Cheese entering Week 5. Over their last 63.2 innings combined, the three have earned nine quality starts and struck out 54 batters. They've given up just eight runs over those nine starts. HUMA has a new weapon in the bullpen. Kenley Jansen has taken over as closer in LA. He has four holds and two saves in his last eight appearances.  Final Prediction: High Cheese 7-5.

Those pesky Menehunes made short work of the East Division leaders last week, beating Scully's Slammers 8-4. That kept the team on top of the West Division. Now they face A-Rod's Mirrors, a team coming off its first series win and set to challenge for the top spot in the division. When they last met in Week 22 of 2011, the Mirrors ripped the Menehunes to pieces, 10-1-1. The Mirrors have dominated the series, winning four of the five meetings and forging a 37-19-4 advantage in categories won. The Menehunes were quiet in the free agent market this week while the Mirrors added starting pitcher Kevin Correia and setup man Josh Lindblom. Stephen Strasburg is quickly becoming the ace for the Mirrors. He's given up just three earned runs over his last 19 innings, earning three quality starts while striking out 20 batters. The Menehunes are winning without the star power. Pitchers Cory Luebke and Bartolo Colon have thrown a combined 44.1 innings, giving up just seven earned runs while earning six quality starts over the past two weeks.  Final Prediction: Marin Menehunes 8-4.

Home Run 101 enters this series in a tailspin. They've won just four categories over the past two weeks and face a division rival they've beaten just once in five meetings. It's early, but this could be a season-defining series for the team. While things look bleak, there is hope. The last time the two teams met they tied, 6-6, and Give it a Yankee holds a narrow 30-26-4 advantage in categories won in the five series played between the two teams. Home Run 101 added free agent catcher David Ross and shortstop Alicdes Escobar for this series. For the first time this year, Give it a Yankee will field a healthy roster. Drew Smiley has been added to the pitching staff while Chris Davis steps in as a utility man. Home Run 101 needs to keep pitching to win. Johnny Cueto and Colby Lewis have given up just seven runs over 40.1 innings, striking out 29 while earning a combined six quality starts. Third baseman David Wright is swinging a hot bat for Give it a Yankee. He's 15-for-47 with a .458 OBP and 10 runs scored over his last 13 games.  Final Prediction: Give it a Yankee 7-5.

The Jersey Boys are shooting blanks. They've won just six categories over the past two weeks and have fallen into the basement of the East Division. This is a proud franchise that has never missed the playoffs but they are up against it early in 2012. The defending East Division champion Machine is coming off an impressive 9-3 series win over the Cys and have climbed back into the pennant race. The teams have a history of tough-fought series, splitting their four meetings. When they last met, the Jersey Boys prevailed 8-4 in Week 22 of last year. Neither the Jersey Boys nor the Machine made any roster changes for this series. Freddie Freeman and Curtis Granderson are a roll for the Jersey Boys entering Week Five. They have combined for nine home runs and 26 RBI over their last 12 games. Veteran pitcher Jake Peavy has found his groove for the Machine. He has given up just two runs while striking out 20 batters in his last three quality starts.  Final Prediction: Jersey Boys 6-5-1.

Bomba is coming off a stunning loss to Twinkle Toes and is feeling the heat from its South Division rivals. It can't afford to trip up against the last place team in the division and a team it has beaten four out of five times. The last time these two teams met, Bomba won 7-4-1 in Week 22 of the 2011 season. Bomba has compiled a 33-21-6 record in categories won in the five meetings. The Cys have added Ruben Tejada and John Jay to the roster but have benched Elvis Andrus, a player that has a .423 OBP, four stolen bases, and seven runs scored over the past 11 game. Outfielder Michael Bourn has been wreaking havoc on the base paths for Bomba. He has five stolen bases and he's scored eight times in his last 13 games. The Cys will enter this series with their two top-rated players, Desmond Jennings and Andrus, on the bench. Pitcher Yu Darvish has two quality starts under his belt, giving up just one run while striking out 15 over his past 14.1 innings.  Final Prediction: Los Coche Bomba 9-3.

The days of the Wooden Spoon appear to be over for the Vicious Fishes. Under the guidance of General Manager Nikhil Dinesh, the team is competitive. It thumped the Bulls 8-4 last week and is firmly entrenched in the West Division pennant race. Now it faces an old nemesis, the Lower Haighters, a team it has beaten once in five tries. The defending champions are not the same dominant team they were in 2011. They are mired in the West Division cellar and have narrowly won two series. Still, they have a 34-23-3 advantage in categories won when facing the Fishes, including a 7-5 victory in their last meeting (Week 22 of 2011). The Vicious Fishes will add reliever Pedro Strop in an effort to generate some saves while the Lower Haighters added setup man Sean Burnett and outfielder Tony Campana in an effort to add speed on the base paths. For the past three years, when the Lower Haighters need a stop, they turn to Felix Hernandez. In his last two starts, King Felix has given up just one run while striking out 14 over 15 innings. Veteran slugger Paul Konerko has four homers and eight RBI over his last 13 games to lead a strong offensive attack for the Vicious Fishes. Final Prediction: Lower Haighters 8-4.