Season in Review: June

The month of June was a month full of struggles for the Indians. There were losing streaks of three, four and five games, and the Tribe win back-to-back games only once (a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates).  The offense simply wasn’t there as it had been in the first two months. They were shut out six times, and held to three or fewer runs 14 times.

Travis Hafner had to be used sparingly, role players like Jack Hannahan and Travis Buck who had excelled early on were nowhere to be found, and Grady Sizemore didn’t come anywhere close to playing like his usual self.

Record: 10- 17

Offensive MVP: I tried to look for someone else to call June’s MVP, but Asdrubal Cabrera‘s numbers were still too hard to overlook, especially given the club’s struggles. His average continued to hover right around .300, and his OPS continued to straddle the .800 mark. He notched a double and belted three more homers in June, but he also struck out 22 times. A team-wide slump can’t be placed on any one man’s shoulders, but Asdrubal hit like he thought he could carry the team singlehandedly.

Starting Pitchers

Lowest ERA: Carlos Carrasco (1.90)

Most Wins Recorded: Carrasco (4-2, 6 GS)

Best FIP: Carrasco (0.92)

June was possibly the best month of Carrasco’s young career. He was brilliant, to say the least, and even took a no-hitter six innings against the Pirates. At one point in June, Carlos had a scoreless streak of 21.1 innings, further showing just how dominant he was in the month. It’s no surprise he leads every pitching category listed above.

Relief Pitchers

Lowest ERA: Joe Smith (0.00, 11.2 IP)

Best WHIP: Vinnie Pestano (0.83)

Best K/9 Rate: Pestano (13.97)

Strikeouts/Walks Ratio: Pestano (7.5)

In the bullpen, Pestano and Smith were virtually unhittable. They provided Manny Acta the luxury of having two guys to go to late in the game who were in their respective grooves. Unfortunately, Acta didn’t have as many opportunites to do so as he would have liked.

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