Milwaukee Brewers: Studs And Duds From A Bounce Back Month Of June
The Crew bounced back from an ugly May to have a winning record in June.
After stumbing in the month of May, the Milwaukee Brewers had a much needed bounce back month of June as they finished with a 14-13 record. A month prior they went 11-16 but had been set up nicely after an 18-10 first month of the season.
On the last day of June, the Brewers played their 82nd game of the season, which means that we are officially into the second half of the year. Entering July, Milwaukee has a 43-39 record and they trail the Cincinnati Reds by one game in the National League Central division race.
Let's take a look at some Brewers studs and duds from the month of June.
Brewers Stud from the month of June: OF Christian Yelich
It's now safe to say that as the weather has heated up, so has outfielder Christian Yelich. In fact, here are all the categories that Yelich led or tied for the Brewers lead in during the month of June: games (27), runs (19), hits (32), doubles (10), triples (1), walks (17), and stolen bases (6). He also posted a .311 batting average and .893 OPS.
Brewers Dud from the month of June: 3B Brian Anderson
Entering July, third baseman Brian Anderson is tied for the team lead in RBI's with 37. A hot start to the season that included several clutch hits helped put him in this position.
Unfortunately, he fell upon hard times at the plate in June. Anderson's slash line in June was .179/.263/.250 and he struck out a discouraging 33 times in 84 at-bats. Defensively, he has continued to flash the leather exceptionally well but he will have to fix the hole in his bat very quickly.
Brewers Stud from the month of June: RP Elvis Peguero
In the bullpen, Elvis Peguero led the Brewers in appearances with 16 games played in June. He covered 13.1 innings in the month, had a 2.03 ERA, recorded six holds, and also collected his first career MLB save. At this point in the season he is the clear choice to be the seventh inning high-leverage reliever with Joel Payamps often getting the eighth and Devin Williams the ninth.
Brewers Dud from the month of June: SS Willy Adames
The continuing trend of a slumping Willy Adames is starting to get concerning. In June, the Brewers' starting shortstop had just a .185 batting average, .280 on-base percentage, and he recorded just six extra base hits for a .333 slugging percentage. As the team's offensive catalyst, he needs to start producing for this lineup if they want to win more ball games.
Brewers Dud from the month of June: 1B Rowdy Tellez
Similar to Adames, Rowdy Tellez has been slumping. The power hitting first baseman did not hit a home run in the month of June and had just a .170/.215/.225 slash line. If he continues on this downward trend, Milwaukee could hit the panic button and be looking to upgrade at first base prior to the August 1st trade deadline.
Brewers Stud from the month of June: SP Julio Teheran
After signing with the Brewers in late May, few could have predicted what starting pitcher Julio Teheran would step in and produce. The veteran was Milwaukee's best starting pitcher in June as he covered 30 innings and had a 3.60 ERA. A blow up outing in his last appearance inflated his ERA from 1.53 to 2.85 on the season, but before that every outing had been a quality start.
July will be a big month for the Brewers. They play nine games against the Reds and four against the Cubs. The All-Star break will be much needed for their pitching staff, but the offense needs to start swinging the bats if they want to keep pace with the suddenly impressive Reds.