A month of two halves for the Bucs as they put together a string of good performances early to consolidate their lead, but then lose their way in the second half to come back to the pack a bit. In the end, they finish with a 13-12 June to sit at 44-28 overall.
While the bats continue to do well, I am worried that John Beckwith is a bit isolated as the club's only true source of power (19 of the team's 47 HR are his; Pie Traynor is next with 6). This is not only due to the loss of Ken Williams, but also through Curt Walker (260/364/380; 2 HR / 33 RBI / 94 OPS+ / 1.7 WAR) having come back to earth after his otherworldly 1926 campaign. Cobb returns, but Fothergill then goes down and will miss about a month.
Dave Brown is forced onto the IL for a stint with a sore elbow and that just throws the staff off-balance a bit. Foster, in particular, struggles with an 0-5 month after his star turn in May. Still, they lead the division in most stat cats and Streeter is looking better after a wonky first month.
So the Bucs' lead is now 4 from the Cards, with the Cubs close by as well. Across in the Junior Circuit, the Yanks are still on top, albeit narrowly, from the Tigers and A's. The BoSox have recovered after a dreadful start to the year and are now within reach as well, just 7 1/2 GB.
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