Moonshiners Monitor, Vol. 2.2: May 1998 review

[lchronister]

After going 15-12 in April and battling for the Atlantic Division lead despite losing both corner outfielders to injury and having three members of the rotation post ERAs above 7.95, the Moonshiners weren't sure what to expect in May.

Improvement as the rotation regressed to the norm?

A downhill trend as the replacement hitters lived up to their replacement levels?

Well, it ended up being a third option: more of the same.

Greenville went 15-13 in May, thanks both to an improved pitching staff and a down tick in the hitting numbers.

Only three hitters had an OPS of .900 or better in May, compared to twice that number in April:

Dwight Smith: .317/.388/.654, 8 2BH, 9 HR, 24 RBI, 16 R, 13 K, 11 BB in 104 at-bats (earning the team's Hitter of the Month award and one JL Player of the Week award)
Jack See: .377/.424/.528, 2 2BH, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 7 R, 12 K, 5 BB in 53 at-bats
Jake Urban: .308/.347/.579, 1 2BH, 2 3BH, 8 HR, 20 RBI, 24 R, 13 K, 8 BB, 6 SB in 107 at-bats

However, only one with regular at-bats had an OPS below .700 -- Scott Cooper: .145/.261/.182 in 55 at-bats (losing any sort of hold he had left on a starting job)

The team lost Dan Manville to two more injuries in May. He came back from an April hamstring sprain on May 1 but was hurt in a collision on the base paths, suffering a torn thumb ligament and missing another three weeks. He came back for three more games before again being hurt while running, suffering a torn groin and going back onto the disabled list, this time for an expected three months.

On the mound, the rotation was the stronger point this month, with three starters putting up numbers that were more than respectable:

Jay Lee: 4-0, 1.31 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 54 K, 6 BB, 1 CG in 48 innings / 6 starts (earning the team's Starter of the Month award yet again)
Israel Martinez: 4-1, 3.38 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 37 K, 13 BB in 40 innings / 6 starts
Hipolito Pichardo: 2-3, 3.95 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 25 K, 12 BB, 7 HR in 41 innings / 6 starts

Corey Haim (1-2, 5.96, 1.44) and Ray Weighill (2-3, 5.76, 1.58) both struggled again, but both also improved their April ERAs by more than two runs.

McKinley Washington had a great record (1-1, 10 saves in 14 games) but struggled upon closer inspection (6.57 ERA, 1.62 WHIP).

Hank Davidson won the team's Reliever of the Month award almost by default. It's not that his stats -- 0-2, 2 saves, 3.27 ERA, 1.18 WHIP -- were all that bad (or all that great, admittedly) but more that the none of the rest of the relievers couldn't post an ERA below 4.15 (and most were even worse than Washington).

[recte44]

I've always thought "Harley" Davidson would make a great reliever.

[lchronister]

I've always thought "Harley" Davidson would make a great reliever.

He seems like he would, and sometimes he's great at it, but he keeps wanting to be a starter and I think that keeps him from pitching as well as his ratings would lead you to expect.