Season 2
July
Awards
Batter of the month AL: Goose Goslin (1924 Senators)
Batter of the month NL - Jose Bautista (2012 Blue Jays)
Pitcher of the month AL - Clay Buchholz (2015 Red Sox)
Pitcher of the month NL - Steve Carlton (1983 Phillies)
Injuries
Steve Jeltz (1983 Phillies) - Hamate Bone (2-3 months)
Rudy Pemberton (1995 Tigers) - Knee (3-4 weeks)
Jackie Bradley Jr (2015 Red Sox) - Shoulder (2-3 weeks)
Thirty Game Hit Streak For Jones
American League West
1925 Philadelphia Athletics - A losing month has made the race alot tighter as the 1972 Braves have cut the lead to 3.5 games. Al Simmons has cooled off to .360 but Lefty Grove has remained on point, now with 190 strikeouts and 12 wins. Still the A's need to prepare themselves for a race to the finish.
1972 Atlanta Braves - George Stone went down with an injury and Jimmy Freeman has come into the rotation and looked good. Henry Aaron has hit 30 home runs and 90 RBI already with 2 months to play proving his resolve to lead the club. Phil Niekro needs to be better and if all goes well, the Braves feel they can win it.
1977 Chicago White Sox - Even as they hosted the All Star Game, the Sox managed only 9 wins in the month and are now 15 games back. The offense really fell apart as a .245 team average wont cut it. The Sox were swept in four games in Atlanta, really showing two teams going in opposite directions.
1995 Detroit Tigers - Also winning only 9 games, Sparky Anderson has not been able to get the most out of this team. David Wells continues to pitch well with a 1.06 ERA in his last two starts but Milt Cuyler and Danny Bautista are a combined 4 for 48 as the offense remains in the tank.
American League East
1924 Washington Senators - Finally the favorites are playing like it again as a hot July has taken them back to the top of the division. The month included a sweep of the Braves and more importantly one of the 1987 Phillies. Goose Goslin and Bucky Harris are on fire with Goslin going 20 for 36 with now a .314 average and 87 RBI. A tight pennant race with Boston awaits and the Senators appear ready.
2015 Boston Red Sox - Nineteen wins for Boston as they keep pace with Washington and make it a two team race. David Ortiz had a big month hitting over .400 while Dustin Pedroia is now hitting .351 and is at his very best. Clay Buchholz won pitcher of the month honors as he has turned his season around and now has 15 wins.
1987 Philadelphia Phillies - Sixty wins for the Phillies but that is still keeping them 7 games back. The Phils have yet to prove they can beat the big clubs and that will need to change if a late run is possible. Todd Frohwirth and Steve Bedrosian have established one if not the best pen in the game. Still the offense appears old and unable to sustain itself for the season.
1929 Boston Braves - The Braves unfortunately have been heading in the wrong direction with 7 wins in July. The offense has only gotten worse with George Harper the only bright spot as the first baseman has had a fine year with 19 HR and a .802 OPS. The Braves are 9-30 versus leftys and lead the league in being shutout.
National League East
2002 Los Angeles Dodgers - The Dodgers are fortunate to be in the weakest division in the league. Odalis Perez had a good month and emerged as the need third starter. Shawn Green is up to 24 homers while Adrian Beltre is hitting .320 for the club that leads the league in batting average. Still the club is slow and the defense average, but they may still be enough to win the division.
1942 Cincinnati Reds - A four game sweep at the hands of the Dodgers in LA was part of a broken down month where the Reds now sit 6 games under .500. All is not lost yet for the club but they need to turn the ship around fast. The offense just has shut down and the bottom of the order especially has produced nothing but automatic outs. Eddie Joost is hitting .210 and Damon Phillips is 3 for his last 22.
1912 St. Louis Cardinals - The Cardinals are only seven games back in this division despite their record. Slim Sallee has found his groove as one of the best control pitchers in the game and has won 10 games along with Pol Perritt. Rube Ellis has 74 RBI and Ed Konetchy another 71 for an offense that is a surprising second in scoring runs. The Cards have also stolen 210 bases to lead the league keeping their small ball reputation. Lee Magee has swiped 31 bases.
2012 Toronto Blue Jays - Jose Bautista won batter of the month honors and now has 80 RBI with 23 homers. The Jays are first with 111 home runs but the pitching just cant get things right. Ricky Romero has already lost 18 games and the club has allowed 605 runs and a FIP of 4.57. We have seen however, in this division, anything maybe possible.
National League West
1993 Philadelphia Phillies - The Phillies continue to be a wrecking ball in the West and are looking to end the race sooner then later. Steve Carlton is in a groove and took player of the month honors as he is sitting on 206 strikeouts for the season. Mike Schmidt has 33 home runs and is hoping to land around 50 while Bo Diaz has impressed with 72 RBI. The Phils are experienced and focused on a single goal, and they are making it look easy in the process.
1968 New York Mets - There is no wild card in the process so the Mets would truly need a miracle to make a run at the post season. Nolan Ryan is throwing hard and holds a 2.86 ERA in 17 starts while Tom Seaver threw two shutouts to end the month. Clean Jones is playing in another universe hitting .368 and coming off of a 30 game hitting streak. The Mets are an incredible 40-15 at home and will get the 83 Phillies three times at Shea in August. The Mets are tops in defensive efficiency at .734.
1931 Pittsburgh Pirates - The Bucs are now 17 games under .500 and may well be packing it in but they do have to fight the Americans for last place. The bullpen has been in shambles as Glenn Spencer was lit up for a 9.72 ERA in the month among others. The loss of Larry French hasn't helped the rotation putting the offense under pressure. Adam Comorosky has done his part leading the team with a .305 average but it is the hall of famers like the Waners and Pie Traynor that have been good but not great.
1907 Boston Americans - Last in runs and offense the Americans can pitch themselves to a win here and there. A .669 team OPS is just not good enough at this level and the strains of the modern game seem to have gotten the most of this club. The Americans played .500 baseball in May and look to have a winning month before the season is over.