You certainly couldn't call what is happening a resurgence, as we are still playing very inconsistently and remain well off the pace, but the lads really bear down and we close out the month with a 16-11 record that gets us back just one game under 500.
It's not that we aren't having moments / extended periods of individual excellence, as Cobb and Streeter winning the monthly awards shows, but more that we lack cohesion in the group and too often follow good performances with bad.
Most of this problem stems from the bottom third of our lineup, from whom we are getting little productivity. Charleston (251 / 2 HR / 18 RBI) and Moore (234 / 1 / 22) have been downright poor, while Marcell's pop is greatly offset by his continuing diminishment of contact (221 / 9 / 32). And we simply aren't getting enough men on base, with our 327 OBP 6th in the division.
The pitching has held things together for us, no doubt. Juanelo Mirabal has retained his spot in the spin after McDonald's return from injury, with the struggling Leblance into the pen. 56 has looked good since coming back, while Cooper has been better than average, if somewhat inconsistent. But it is Streeter who has excelled to this point, giving us 12-4 / 3.28 / 3.4 WAR. If he can get his WHIP down from its current 1.32 then he'll be even better than at present.
The Cards (me and my big mouth) go 20-7 for June to hit the lead in the NL, while the Sens seem to be relishing new skipper Pete Dowling's way of doing things and are making a fist of it in the AL, just 1 GB the Browns.
Awards, news, leaders.
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