Season 7
July
Awards
Batter of the month AL: Al Simmons (1933 White Sox)
Batter of the month NL - Tris Speaker (1919 Indians)
Pitcher of the month AL - Huston Street (2006 Athletics)
Pitcher of the month NL - Bill Stoneman (1969 Expos)
Injuries
Bill Castro (1979 Brewers) - Forearm - 7 Weeks
Ted Hyndryx (1921 Red Sox) - Hamstring - 3 weeks
American League East
The 2006 Athletics are trying to position themselves for a strong finish as they extend their lead in the east byt 7.5 games. Huston Street has been on fire out of the Oakland pen while Rich Harden and Estaban Loaiza have been stellar. Old reliable Frank Thomas has drove in 62 runs and is looking like his old self in the middle of the order. The 1921 Red Sox have begun to fade and lost Tim Hendryx to injury. The offense has been on ice especially at the bottom of their order. Del Pratt simply can not do it all on his own with the bat. The 2003 Royals won only 9 games this month and were beaten bad by the Athletics. KC has not played well on the road even with Carlos Beltran with 23 home runs and Mike Sweeney playing well. Al Simmons was player of the month for the 1933 White Sox and the star outfielder has 98 RBI and an excellent season. The Sox however have played on hard luck blowing late leads and losing confidence throughout their pitching staff It looks like this is Oakland division to lose.
American League West
The dominance continues to grow in the AL West for the 1963 White Sox as they continue to force teams to take notice. First in every offensive category in the AL except for home runs, Chicago has also been lead by an excellent run by their staff. Every starter has 15 wins or more with the starting pitcher ERA 2.93. Trying in great vain to keep pace with the Sox are the 1974 Twins who had a winning month and have the talent to finish strong. Rod Carew is hitting a modest .311 while the power is there with a league leading 100 home runs for the team. The Twins have a chance to win 90 games and still go nowhere. Another team that suffered in July was the 2009 Orioles who lost 13 of 14 games and 9 in a row to bury any hope they may have had The pen was poor and the lack of length and a true ace to the staff sealed this team's fate in the long run. BABIP is last in the league and luck surely has not been on their side. Tommy LaSorda has the 1986 Dodgers playing better but their only fight is to avoid last place. Franklin Stubbs has 22 homers and the starting pitching remains very good leading the league in FIP. Pedro Guerrero has also gotten hot now hitting .308 and remaining one of the most underrated players in the game.
National League East
Tris Speaker hit .462 in his last 12 games and won player of the month honors as the 1919 Indians have already put this division away. Speaker remains the epitome of an all around talent and is still a doubles machine at the dish. The tribe is 19-8 in one run games and 35-15 in their home park. Their sites are solely on the post season right now and staying healthy will be key for the teams stars including ace Stan Coveleski. Coming back to earth were the 1967 Senators who lost 17 games in the month. Frank Howard had a big Allstar game and is having a nice year but the offense is last in getting on base and their pitching has been average at best. Trying to find a way to finish at .500 will be the ambition of this team. Phil Niekro is the only 1969 Braves pitcher with double digit wins as the trial of a season continues for a club that should have been better. Felix Millan is hitting .343 at the leadoff spot and Rico Carty has been supporting Henry Aaron well for what is a decent offense, however the breaks have not gone the way of this side and the season is a loss. For the 1969 Expos we didnt think things could be this bad. Thirty two wins going into August although they did improve to 11 wins for the colander month. Last in power, last in home runs, worst in ERA. Look hard and long to find any bright spots like Mack Jones or Rusty Staub.
National League West
Another White Sox team proving big point in a division that has the best and what seems like the only relevant race left. After winning 20 games in June, the Sox won 19 in July and lead by Dick Allen and his 80 RBI thirst for more. Tom Bradley and Wilbur Wood lead the rotation with 28 wins between them while Terry Forster now has 27 saves and is confident at the end of games. The 1975 Expos are riding the bull and remaining close as they look to make a legitimate run. Young Gary Carter is hitting .339 while Ellis Valentine has a .964 OPS for an offense that is fast and plays especially well on the turf. Steve Rogers and the the Montreal staff feel they can indeed catch the Sox and make something special happen. The 2005 Dodgers are only 5 game back with Brad Penny and his 15 wins making a case for Cy Young votes. The Dodger pen is the best in the league but it is the offense that needs to do better with men on base and in moments when it matters. Milton Bradley has been on fire of late and Hee Seop Choi has been a revelation with the bat and the glove. Sad days in Milwaukee as the Brewers have rolled over and died on everyone. The power is there with 123 home runs but the pitching and defense has not represented and a club that was suppose to compete now looks at a losing record and virtually no shot. It is hard to explain what happens sometimes throughout the course of a baseball season.