Preview for June

The month of June in Major League Baseball has started off hotter than an individual wearing a black shirt in the middle of July on a sunny day in Tempe, AZ. Especially is the black shirt had the Houston Astros logo on it, because man are they playing out of this world (get it? ;) ). Here's just a rundown of the events that occurred just on Saturday:

• There were 7 grand slams hit. That's right, SEVEN (7). It was definitely a Major League Record. Perhaps the most notable #PapiSlam was hit by Angels 1B Albert Pujols. It marked the 600th homer of his career! He is the only player to hit his 600th home run in the form of a grand slam (Ryan Spaeder). 

Iconic photo of Pujols admiring his 600th career home run

• Marlins veteran starter Edinson Volquez tossed the first no-hitter of 2017 against the Arizona Diamondbacks Saturday afternoon. He struck out 9, including striking out the side in the ninth to secure the no-hitter and a Marlins win. Edinson was former teammates with Yordano Ventura, who would have been 26 on Saturday. He never played with the late Jose Fernandez, however, he dedicated the performance to both Fernandez and Ventura. 
• The Los Angeles Dodgers capped a 6 run comeback against the Milwaukee Brewers by scoring 1 in the 8th and 5 in the 9th. The first game of the series took 12 innings to decide. NL Rookie of the Month of May Cody Bellinger hit the game-winning solo homer in the top of the 12th.

As we enter the third month of the year for Major League Baseball, things are starting to get a little more serious with the division race. We'll see if these unexpected teams at the top of their divisions such as the Twins, Brewers, Rockies, and Diamondbacks, will stay at the top for another month. 

Not only is this the same for teams, but also players who are at the top of the league in statistical categories. 10-year veteran Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals is perhaps having the best year of his career. His .372 average and 48 RBI's are the best in baseball. Yankees rookie OF Aaron Judge leads the league in homers with 18. Dallas Keuchel won the 2015 AL Cy Young Award, but the following year he went 9-12 with a 4.55 ERA. Hitters had a .259 average against him. This season, in 11 starts, he is 9-0 with 1.67 ERA, which is the best in the league. Hitters have just a .183 average when facing Keuchel. All-star closer Greg Holland, who missed all of last season due to Tommy John surgery, leads the league in saves with 21. He is a big part of the Rockies success this season. 

Holland dapping up C Tony Wolters after completing one of his 21 saves of the season.

So what's going to happen in June? Will these teams and players stay atop of their divisions/stat categories? Here's what I've got:

• The Minnesota Twins will not be leading the AL Central come July first. In fact, they will be in 3rd place. I expect the Indians and Tigers to have better months. The Indians will be the division leaders at the conclusion of this month.
• The Milwaukee Brewers will also lose their lead by the end of the month. Their bullpen was a huge question mark the start of the season, and it seems to be collapsing quickly. The Brew crew has had 29 opportunities for a save, and have only recorded 18 (worst in the league). The division race is so close between all of the teams, they could drop to last if their bullpen fiasco continues. The Cardinals and Cubs will be the only teams that surpass them.
• The Rockies and Diamondbacks will stay at the top of the NL West. Currently, the Rockies first and the Diamondbacks third, only 2.5 games behind. These teams are for real, and I expect Colorado to remain in first and Arizona to remain in third, only 3 games back at most.
• Ryan Zimmerman will remain at the top of the league in batting average but will lose his RBI lead to Paul Goldschmidt, who will capture the NL Player of the Month honor. 
• Aaron Judge has some competition below him for the lead in home runs, but I think he stays hot and will retain the lead. He will hit 10 home runs in June to keep his lead.

When you have your own cabinet

Here's some other events I've got for June:

• Charlie Blackmon will be the only player in June to hit for the cycle.
• Jake Arrieta, Dallas Keuchel, Chris Sale, and Andrew Triggs will all throw complete game shutouts in June.
• Not only will Arrieta throw a CG SO, he will also hit a dinger in June. Mike Foltynewicz will be the only other pitcher to go deep in June.
• The longest game will be between the Orioles and Indians. It will go 14 innings in the O's favor.
• The team with the best record in June will be the Washington Nationals. They were the best team in April, and I believe they will be the best team in June. Strasburg will help and will be the NL Pitcher of the Month.
• Chris Sale will win AL Pitcher of the Month and Jose Altuve will win AL Player of the Month.
• A team other than the Astros are going to get hot in June. I want to go on a limb and say Oakland, but I think that's too risky, however, their offense has been hot lately. Texas has the talent to do so, but I'm going with Seattle. I think they win 16 games in June (won 3 already). Plus King Felix is slated to come back pretty soon.
• I'm not sure if this trade will happen this month or next. but the Nats will acquire Kelvin Herrera from the Royals. Their bullpen is their weakest link, and are desperate for a veteran closer since they were unable to get one in the offseason.

We are another month closer to October. Can't wait to see what June has for us!