Our travails continue, and yet somehow we once again manage to post a winning record for the month, albeit only just.
Things start promisingly when Carl Fischer throws an impressive 1-hitter in just his sixth career start. We get McCall back but my plans to give him a short rehab stint are derailed when Force is hurt again, out for about 6 more weeks. Then Ted Trent goes down for a month with forearm inflammation.
The middle part of the month sees us win one / lose one almost like clockwork for about two weeks, but then a late dose of the wobbles leaves us at 16-14 for July and cuts our lead to just a couple games.
With all of this going on among our pitching ranks, it is in fact our hitting that is letting us down. We put together one good game every so often but intersperse these with lacklustre performances with very little pop even when we do rack up a few hits, even when we get a close and low-scoring win. Our skinny +41 run diff is a good indication of just how hard we've had to fight for the record we've got.
We sit mid-rankings for most offensive metrics aside from HR, in which we are next-to-last with just 50. Wells with 10 is our only player into double-figures.
Still, I keep my second trade option in my pocket as the deadline passes. I just can't find the right piece for the right price, so it is up to the group as is to get the job done.
Our pitching is starting to show the wear and tear of all its exertions and tumult. Even Foster has just started to struggle a bit, posting a 4.45 ERA for the sectional. Trent is a week away and his return can't come soon enough. Force may well find himself at AAA as I really don't know if he is robust enough to see this through.
Entering the stretch it is all set up for big finishes in both divisions. The Yanks are the same distance ahead as we are, with just 5 1/2 games separating them from the 5th-place Indians. A late and as-yet-undiagnosed injury to Lou Gehrig may be the biggest news all season and, if serious, a key factor over the final two months.
Here's a look at the Top 20 players and pitchers by WAR to this point.
Awards, news, leaders.
S+ HOME
REPORTS HOME
PIRATES HOME