Hope in Beantown

[OmahaBaseball]

Nothing like a little 9th-inning heroics to pick up the win, as the Boston Red Sox (31-27) scored 2 runs to end the game over the visiting Detroit Tigers (31-26).

While he did not record a decision, Boston starter Garrett Whitlock had a solid game in which he permitted 2 earned runs on 6 hits while striking out 10 in 6 2/3 of play; Game Score 64. Ryne Stanek tossed 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief before turning the ball over to Liam Hendriks (3-3) who recorded the win for his 1 inning of scoreless play. The Red Sox were led on offense by Marcelo Mayer (2 for 3, Double, Run, RBI, Walk, Stolen Base), Pablo Reyes (2 for 4, Double), and Jarren Duran (1 for 4, Homerun, Run, RBI).

The Tigers squandered a fine start from Reese Olson who allowed just 1 earned run on 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6 in 7 innings of work; Game Score 64. Ty Adcock pitched a scoreless inning before turning the ball over to closer Jose Alvarez. While Alvarez (1-4) had been fairly solid as of late, he was tagged for 2 earned runs on 3 hits in 1/3 inning of play. Gio Urshela (2 for 4, Homerun, Run, 2 RBI) and Javier Baez (1 for 3, Stolen Base) played well in the loss.

Player of the Game: Garrett Whitlock (Season: #2)

AL East Standings: 3 GB, 2nd Place

[OmahaBaseball]

Baltimore Orioles ace Kyle Bradish was masterful in his start against the Tampa Bay Rays. Bradish (7-2) tossed a 1-hitter in which he struck out 12 while walking 1 in his 126-pitch victory; Game Score 96.

[OmahaBaseball]

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie sensation Jared Jones was named the National League Rookie of the Month. In picking up the award, Jones posted a 4-0 record and a 4.50 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 36 innings pitched while accumulating 0.6 WAR. This is the 2nd time Jones has been awarded with these honors.

[OmahaBaseball]

Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford was named the American League Rookie of the Month. In earning the honors, Langford went 26 for 97 (.268 average) with 3 Doubles, Triple, 5 Homeruns, 22 Runs, 16 RBI, and 13 Walks for a slashline of .268/.360/.474 that generated 1.0 WAR.

[OmahaBaseball]

San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for his outstanding performance in May. In picking up the award, Webb posted a 5-0 record with a 2.91 ERA, striking out 38 while walking just 7 in 46.1 innings which generated 1.5 WAR.

[OmahaBaseball]

Framber Valdez put together an outstanding month for his Houston Astros. In posting a 5-1 record with a 2.15 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 50 1/3 innings, Valdez was named the American League Pitcher of the Month. Valdez generated 1.3 WAR from his performance.

[OmahaBaseball]

Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. was named the National League Batter of the Month. In picking up the honors, Acuna Jr. batted .319 (30 for 94) with 5 Doubles, 8 Homeruns, 23 Runs, 20 RBI, 17 Walks, and 10 Stolen Bases. Acuna Jr. posted a slashline of .319/.441/.628 that led to 1.8 WAR.

[OmahaBaseball]

After a disastrous April that saw him post a slashline of .184/.254/.320 that adversely impacted his team with -0.2 WAR, Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. flipped the switch and smashed the ball during the month of May. In earning the American League Batter of the Month award, Guerrero Jr. batted .319 (29 for 91) with 6 Doubles, 7 Homeruns, 18 Runs, 24 RBI, 14 Walks, and 2 Stolen Bases with a slashline of .319/.427/.615 for 1.6 WAR.

[OmahaBaseball]

A snapshot of the American League standings.

[OmahaBaseball]

A look at how the National League standings are shoring up.

[OmahaBaseball]

With two full months now in, there are several outstanding hitting seasons taking shape. While Aaron Judge continues to smash the ball, Bobby Witt Jr. and Gunnar Henderson are doing something special. It will be fun to see how the season turns out.

[OmahaBaseball]

While there are several names on the American League pitching leader boards, I love seeing Jacob deGrom putting together an All-Star caliber season.

[OmahaBaseball]

The first two months of the season has been about Alec Bohm. The Philadelphia Phillies outfielder is currently making a run at the Triple-Crown.

[OmahaBaseball]

Love seeing the Padres tandem of Michael King and Dylan Cease having really exciting seasons.

[OmahaBaseball]

A look at how the month of May played out for the Boston Red Sox. A 5-game losing streak to start the month made things tricky, but the team bounced back nicely and finished with a 16-12 (.571%) record. They continue to play well at home (17-11), but the road record (14-16) and one-run games (8-10) has room for improvement. I love the 14-3 record against left-handed pitching.

[OmahaBaseball]

A look at how the team sits relative to their competition on the batting and pitching fronts. Some quick takeaways include: Puts the ball in play and scores runs, but lacks power; Outstanding bullpen, but starting pitching needs to do better; Defense is horrendous.

[OmahaBaseball]

Showing player batting stats for the month of May. The first image is sorted by At-Bats (AB), while the second image is sorted by Total Plate Appearances (TPA).

[OmahaBaseball]

May player pitching stats, with the first image sorted by Innings Pitched (IP), second image by Games (G), and final image by Fielding Independent Pitching Minus (FIP-).

[OmahaBaseball]

While I do not try to influence how the game handles transaction, award voting, etc..., I did want to get my All-Star voting in:

[OmahaBaseball]

A quick 5-runs in the bottom of the 1st inning set up Boston well, as they cruised to an easy victory. Officially, the Boston Red Sox (32-27) beat the visiting Detroit Tigers (31-27) by an 8 to 2 score.

Starter Brayan Bello (7-5) picked up the win for his 7 innings of work in which he permitted 2 earned runs on 4 hits, 6 walks, and 1 hit batsman while striking out 3; Game Score 58. Justin Slaten covered the final 2 innings in a scoreless appearance. Boston's offense was clicking today, led by Rafael Devers (3 for 3, Homerun, 2 Runs, 2 RBI, Walk), Jarren Duran (1 for 4, Homerun, Run, 3 RBI), and Marcelo Mayer (3 for 4, Run).

Detroit starter Tarik Skubal (7-5) was saddled with the loss after he served up 7 earned runs on 7 hits and 2 wild pitches in 3 innings of play; Game Score 19. Keider Montero was called upon to slow the damage and while he did better than his predecessor he still allowed 1 earned run on 5 hits and 1 walk in 2 1/3 innings before turning the ball over to Jason Foley who pitched a scoreless 2 2/3 innings. The Tigers offense was led by Javier Baez (1 for 3, RBI, Sacrifice Fly) and Riley Greene (2 for 5).

Player of the Game: Rafael Devers (Season: #6)

AL East Standings: 2 GB, 2nd Place