i didn't see any new viewer countries on my blog this month, but that's okay because heavy traffic continues to come through from some certain regulars.😉 in June, the United States, Germany, and Italy🥇🥈🥉 represented my top 3 visitors, specifically (with France, Brazil, and Spain very close behind!). thanks to all of you in those locations for stopping by and checking out my posts.👏 let know know you were here by leaving a comment! and if you aren't from one of the places listed, feel free to shout out your country in the comments, too.🌎 i'm sure my top audience will change over the course of the next month again, so be sure to come back at the end of July to find out which areas are reading about Brant the most! as always, you can share my posts on social media to increase your chances of being in the top and then recognized here.👍
reminder: if you haven't voted for Michael to go to the 2018 All Star Game yet, you've still got six days to cast 25 ballots.🗹 please help Brant get to his third career Midsummer Classic, and final as a Cleveland Indian.🙏 click here for details, tips, and tricks!
now let's get into Michael's June!
June Overview
after Michael had such a magnificent May, i have to tell ya, his June was the polar opposite. he came into the month batting .337 on the season and finished it batting .306 overall. it was frustrating to watch and if it was frustrating for me, then i'm sure it was frustrating for everyone. i can only imagine how he felt... this month brought about a somewhat sobering realization that Michael is only human, just because normally we're so used to seeing him play at such a high level. sorry to say, he did not play at a high level in June. really, you could say his entire month was a slump.😞
honestly, Michael hasn't had a month like this in quite a long time, at least not when he was fully healthy. this is the worst June he's had since his 2013 campaign and worst full month overall since August 2013. he had an atypical eight hitless games, almost a third of the games he played in, though he did reach base in five. he didn't have any go-ahead hits or RBI this month either. we also saw a lot of his streaks come to their conclusions and he even committed an error in left field, his first after accumulating 95 errorless games in a row.
maybe Michael's biggest achievement in June came in the form of his career high 25-game on-base streak at home. he came close to breaking his home hitting streak record, but ultimately fell short with a 16-game hitting streak at home, and also put together a 15-game on-base streak. other than that, there wasn't much else exciting that happened.
in Michael's first 13 games between June 1-16, he bat .245 (13-for-53) with one double, two home runs, four RBI, four runs, and three walks. in his last 12 games between June 17-30, he bat .255 (12-for-47) with five doubles, four RBI, six runs, five walks, three stolen bases (2nd), and seven strikeouts. he was lucky to get a hit in his final AB of June; prior to that he was on an 0-for-10 skid dating back to his third at bat on June 27. ouch.
overall, Michael had a June batting average of .250. on the season, Michael's 2018 batting average currently stands at .306, 31 points lower than it was at the end of May! that alone provides all the evidence needed to know he had some problems this month. lamentably, this underwhelming June performance could also be the main culprit if it turns out that he doesn't end up on the AL All Star team come July 17...
June began with three games against the Minnesota Twins, after playing the first game in the series at the end of May. the Indians lost all three and even worse, Michael was just 1-for-11 with one home run, which came in his final at bat. for whatever reason, after hitting in 19 straight games in May, this Minny series brought out a slump in his bat.
the schedule gave the Tribe a much needed off day on June 4 prior to their very quick two-game series at home versus the Milwaukee Brewers. Michael went 3-for-8 with one double, one RBI, and one run. his RBI single in the finale contest tied the game and began the club's rally to later take the lead and finish off the sweep of the Brewers.
following another day off on June 7, the team had seven games on the road, starting with three against the Detroit Tigers and then four against the Chicago White Sox. Michael began the Detroit series hitting well, but ended it hitless in five at bats, giving him a paltry 3-for-13 showing overall. he also played the last two games as the team's designated hitter while the usual DH Edwin Encarnacion got some time off to rest his sore right ankle. in Chicago, however, Michael performed much better, a 5-for-14 effort at the plate with one home run, one RBI, and two runs. he only played three games though, and got the fourth off against a lefty starter. Michael wrapped up the trip going 8-for-27.
the Indians next faced the Twins, White Sox, and Tigers again during a very long homestand, playing three games with each divisional team. versus the Twins, Michael had a tough time again. that team seemingly has his number this year. he compiled a 3-for-11 series line with one double, one walk, and one stolen base. things didn't improve when the White Sox came to town, as Michael was just 3-for-13 with one double, one home run, two RBI, one walk, one stolen base (2nd), and one caught stealing (3rd). the Tigers series began after an off day, though i'm not sure if that made any difference for Michael personally. he went 4-for-12 in those three games with two doubles, three RBI, one walk, and one stolen base (2nd). his three hits in the last game really upped his total numbers; otherwise, this was headed towards looking like another rough series. he also set and then re-set a new career high within this series by getting on base in his 24th and 25th straight games at Progressive Field. in all nine home games, Michael put up a 10-for-36 performance.
June ended on the road with three games against the St. Louis Cardinals and the first two of a three-game set against the Oakland Athletics. in the Interleague series, Michael endured his typical struggles, which i can understand since he'd never faced any of the starting pitchers before. in the end, he was 2-for-10 and had one double, two runs, and three walks. following an off day on the west coast in San Francisco, the team began their series with the A's. in two games, Michael managed one hit, going 1-for-8 with three strikeouts swinging. the home plate umps on both days had a very generous strike zone, which may have affected Michael's gameplan at the plate because of all three of his strikeouts (an abnormal amount in and of itself), he swung at balls low and outside the zone. it was sad to see, nonetheless. he finished his month on the road batting a measly 3-for-18.
a player is bound to go through peaks and valleys throughout the course of a season and after such an excellent May, June was tough to swallow. this was clearly not his best work and frankly, quite odd. it almost makes me wonder if maybe Michael's been playing with an injury that either he or the team aren't disclosing... except, after all his previous injuries, Michael has learned to be honest about how he feels so i don't believe that to be the case. i think it's more along the lines of opposing pitchers are starting to pitch differently to the Tribe lineup as a whole, which would explain not only Michael's troubles, but the troubles of the other Indians regulars as well. still, Michael is usually very good at making adjustments at the plate when a pitcher has adjusted to him. Michael has always been the consistent one regardless of if his teammates struggle. he's better than this so i believe he'll get things figured out and improve next month. here's hoping his July emulates his May more than his June...
what do you guys have to say about Michael's month and/or his regression with his bat? leave your theories and thoughts in the comments.
A Home In the 2 Hole?
Michael might now have a permanent spot in the lineup, after being moved to the 2 hole on May 11. from Jordan Bastian's Pregame Minutiae blog on bastian.mlblogs.com on June 2, Terry Francona informed, "i really like Brantley hitting second. the game doesn't speed up on him. i've told him, when guys are running, i don't want him to take. if it costs us a stolen base, in the long run we're going to make out way better. he hit a line drive double play [a couple games ago], but i love it. i had to remind him of that. shoot, more often than not, we're going to be in good shape."
considering the production coming out of the Top 4 spots in the order, i'd venture to guess Tito won't be putting Jason Kipnis back at #2 any time soon (even though he did admit he'd like to eventually). so for now, we've got Francisco Lindor, Michael Brantley, Jose Ramirez, and Edwin Encarnacion at 1, 2, 3, and 4 on most occasions. and typically, Yonder Alonso is the Tribe's 5th batter. but there have been exceptions.
when Encarnacion had to miss three days with an ankle sprain in June, the lineup changed. Lonnie Chisenhall replaced him for one game before Lindor bat cleanup in the next two games with Alonso behind him. Greg Allen (who's currently in Triple A Columbus) then took over the leadoff spot for Lindor.
more revisions came about when Alonso went on the Family Medical Emergency list for a few days. that's when Jason Kipnis got "promoted" if you will, to the 5th spot for two games.
so regarding the guys batting behind Michael, aka the ones responsible for driving him home after he gets on base, Ramirez was always 3rd (ensuring that Michael will never be intentionally walked this season), while 4 and 5 were usually Encarnacion and Alonso, as i just described. however, when a left-handed pitcher was starting, Brandon Guyer bat 5th in place of Alonso in two games and Rajai Davis bat 5th in one game.
during Interleague Play in a National League Park, Alonso was on the bench twice so Encarnacion could play 1st base and vice versa for another game. in those situations, Chiz bat 5th. so the 4 and 5 spots have seen quite a variation of batters this month.
how did all those guys do when Michael was on the basepaths ahead of them? let's see.
in June, Michael reached base a total of 36 times via hits, walks, throwing errors, fielding errors, and fielder's choices. he scored 10 runs when the month concluded, 2 of which came from his own home runs. so he was driven in by others 8 times and was left stranded 23 times. (he was caught stealing once, lifted for pinch runner once, and thrown out at 3rd base once, so i had to subtract three from the total count here.) as far as i'm concerned, that's still showing how the guys behind Michael are doing a poor job of driving him home.
what are your feelings about the current Top 5? is there anything you would change about it? sound off in a comment below!
Areas Of Concern
i won't sugarcoat it, there were a lot this month. he basically underperformed in practically every category except at home. let's dive into everything.
i hate having to write this, but his overall RISP hitting was not good in June. Michael is usually a clutch hitter, but he really couldn't buy a hit with runners in scoring position this month. RISP and 2 outs in particular remains a challenge for Michael. he was in an 0-for-7 slump before getting his first hit of the month on June 19, which was also his first since May 27!
to my dismay, his general performance with 2 outs in an inning took a huge hit this month. he had a lot of opportunities to bat in this situation but failed to continue the inning and reverted back to being an inning-ender.
Michael is struggling to hit left-handed pitching again. and the thing that exacerbates the problem is, the Indians don't face nearly as many lefties as they do righties, so there's no real way for Michael to try to get back on a roll against southpaws. all i can do is hope this somehow improves going forward.
normally Michael can hit just about anywhere, but his numbers on the road are significantly worse than his numbers at Progressive Field. that holds true for the team as a whole, but it's a trend i'd like to see Michael buck.
i also noticed Michael was even having difficulty hitting with runners on base, regardless of where they were on the basepaths. that's a real rarity and something i haven't seen in years.
do you agree with my concerns? let me know!
June Team Batting Winner
Michael had a rough month, as you already know if you read the previous sections. be that as it may, the rest of his teammates who played enough to be qualifying players didn't do all that well either. so surprisingly, Michael was very much in this race despite his low average and had he performed better in just a couple more games, he would have won it.
the player who had the highest June batting average out of all the qualifiers on the team was Jose Ramirez with his .267 BA. the next closest average was .266, owned by Jason Kipnis. Michael's .250 batting average ranked 3rd this month.
previous monthly batting average winners:
March/April - Jose Ramirez (.267)
May - Francisco Lindor (.373)
Team Leads & Career Highs
in June, Michael led the team with 17 singles. he was tied for the team lead with 25 hits. Michael also had the least amount of strikeouts among qualifying players with 11.
he was 2nd on the team with 100 at bats. he was tied for 2nd with 6 doubles and 1 sac fly.
in addition, he was 3rd with 109 plate appearances, 25 games played, and .250 batting average.
he led the outfielders with 183.0 innings and 22 games played. he was tied for 1st with 2 assists.
when i looked back at Michael's June stats throughout his career, i saw that Michael did not set any career highs for himself in June.
HR:RBI Ratio, LOB, K Rate, and Outs
Michael hit just 2 home runs in June. after hitting an atypically high 7 long balls in May, he got back to about his usual number for homers this month. considering his hitting as a whole wasn't great in June, the fact that he managed two home runs at all was nice to see, truthfully. Edwin Encarnacion, Francisco Lindor, and Jose Ramirez all led the team with 6 homers in June. Jason Kipnis had 4 home runs and Yan Gomes hit 3. Michael's 2 ranked 6th.
for the month, Michael acquired 8 RBI and left 34 men on base. let me start with the ribbies. that RBI total is a far cry from last month's 26. and as judging by the LOB stat, he had more than his share of opportunities to drive more runners in. but he really struggled with runners on base and runners in scoring position in June, which you will see shortly in the subsequent section of this blog. either way, i know Michael can do better than this and i hope he improves in July.
time for the June HR:RBI ratio. Michael's 2 home runs were solo. therefore, 25% of his 8 RBI in June came from his solo homers/all of his home runs. due to his low RBI total, this ratio is not a great representation of what it is regularly.
Michael's K rate in June was 10.1% (11 K/109 PA). he's presently striking out once every 9.9 plate appearances. his strikeout rate actually was under 10 until the final two games of June, when he struck out three times, which brought his percentage up. i also noticed he was swinging at pitches low and outside the zone, something he dealt with last year, but i simply chalked that up to him having been out for most of 2016 due to his shoulder and biceps woes. now, there shouldn't be an issue; however, it's possible that the home plate umpires' "strike" calls in that particular series affected Michael's decision to swing.
Jordan Bastian wrote after the game on June 24 that Michael had a 96.6% contact rate on pitches in the strike zone and that it was the highest in baseball. that's VERY good. JB further acknowledged on his bastian.mlblogs.com blog that Michael's overall 89.6% contact rate was second best in MLB.
as Bastian pointed out, Michael continues to make the majority of his outs from contact with the ball. in June he had 32 groundouts, 15 flyouts, 13 lineouts, and 4 pop outs. he's still grounding out and keeping the ball on the grass more than he flies out, however.
(reminder: the sortable player stats section on indians.com denotes outs differently from me in three distinctive ways. first, despite the site specifically stating that the flyouts total does NOT include line drives, it absolutely does. (it also includes pop outs.) second, when Michael grounds into a double play, that is counted as two groundouts on the site, due to two outs being recorded in an inning. however, in my personal documentation, i only count a GIDP as one out, because for Michael, it is only one out/one at bat/an 0-for-1 in his game line. and third, likewise with the GIDPs, i do not count sac flies as flyouts here. even though they are outs in a game and are even counted in a slump, they don't count against Michael in his game line because sac flies are considered plate appearances and not at bats.)
Streaks & Situational Statistics
Michael had a hit in 17 of the 25 games he played in June and reached base safely in 22 games. he had 8 hitless games, but still reached base in 5 of them. Michael had 6 multi-hit games, 2 three+ hit games, and 1 multi-RBI game. he had at least one RBI in 7 games. he also didn't have any go-ahead hits or go-ahead RBI this month. the Indians were 13-12 in games that Michael played in and 1-0 in the game he sat out.
Michael had a 16-game hitting streak at home, in which he bat .394 (28-for-71), between May 1 - June 6. it spanned over May 1-3 (including a doubleheader on May 3), May 11-13, May 24-30, and June 5-6.
Michael has an active career high 25-game on-base streak at home between May 1 - June 24. it spans over May 1-3 (including a doubleheader on May 3), May 11-13, May 24-30, June 5-6, June 15-20, and June 22-24.
Michael had a 15-game on-base streak between June 11-27. it spanned over June 11-13, June 15-20, and June 22-27.
in June, Michael bat .253 (22-for-87) against right-handed pitchers and .231 (3-for-13) against left-handed pitchers. these are both bad, especially the average against righties. i don't know what happened there. he really didn't face that many southpaws in June, but still, even one more hit would have made that BA look a lot better. both need to improve in July.
Michael bat .295 (13-for-44) with 5 RBI in all 11 of the 11 games at home. he hit safely in 8 of the 11 home games he played in and safely got on base in all 11 of them as well. he was hitless in 3 home games, but still reached base in all 3 of them. he had at least 1 RBI in 4 home games.
Michael bat .214 (12-for-56) with 3 RBI in 14 of 15 games away from Progressive Field. he hit safely in 9 of the 14 road games he played in and safely reached base in 11 of them. he was hitless in 5 road games, but still reached base in 2 of them. he had at least 1 RBI in 3 road games. so Michael couldn't hit on the road this month. a lot of players have that tendency, but Michael never has so this was disappointing to see.
Michael hit .200 (4-for-20) with runners in scoring position, producing 5 RBI in June. categorically, he hit .000 (0-for-4) with RISP and 0 outs, .333 (2-for-6) with RISP and 1 out, and .200 (2-for-10) with RISP and 2 outs. he did not do well in the 0 outs and 2 outs situations with RISP this month, and unfortunately, he had the most chances in the latter instance. normally considered a clutch hitter, Michael was anything but that this month.
with 2 outs in an inning, Michael bat .130 (3-for-23). he had 2 doubles, 3 RBI, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts swinging. i can only describe this as abysmal and i think Michael would agree. he did so well with 2 outs in May, i don't understand what changed here in June.
additionally, he bat .270 (10-for-37) with 6 RBI with runners on base and .000 (0-for-1) with no RBI with the bases loaded. this was the first time all year where Michael came to bat with the bases loaded and didn't get at least one run across.
Michael also bat .238 (15-for-63) with the bases empty. he hit 2 doubles and 2 home runs, giving him 2 RBI. he totaled 6 walks and 8 strikeouts (6 swinging, 2 looking) as well.
furthermore, Michael had a -0.2 fWAR (wins above replacement), a 82 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus--the ability to create runs compared to the league average), and a -0.4 BsR (baserunning runs above average with stolen bases and caught stealings) in June. his wRC+ and BsR ranked 10th, and his WAR ranked 11th among 13 total qualifying American League left fielders. [these stats all came courtesy of fangraphs.com.]
Versus AL Central Division Teams
vs. the Minnesota Twins, Michael bat .182 (4-for-22) in 6 games--3 on the road and 3 at home in June. the Indians went 1-5 in the games he played in. overall, Michael had 2 singles and 2 extra base hits, including 1 double and 1 home run, as well as 2 RBI, 1 sac fly, 2 runs, 2 walks, 1 stolen base (2nd), and 8 total bases. he also grounded into 1 double play and left 7 men on base. furthermore, he had a .240 OBP, .364 SLG, and .604 OPS. in left field, Michael recorded 11 putouts and acquired 1 assist while playing 41 innings, but only 4 complete games. he was subbed out defensively after 8 innings in 1 game because the Indians were losing. he was the DH for 1 game. Michael was held hitless in 3 of the 6 games, so clearly he had a really really rough time against the Twins this month.
vs. the Chicago White Sox, Michael bat .296 (8-for-27) in 6 of 7 games--3 of the 4 on the road and 3 at home in June. (he had 1 scheduled day off during the road series.) the Indians went 4-2 in the games he played in and won the game he did not play in. overall, Michael had 6 singles and 2 extra base hits, including 1 double and 1 home run, as well as 2 RBI, 4 runs, 1 walk, 1 stolen base (2nd), 1 caught stealing (3rd), 2 first at bat hits, and 12 total bases. he also reached base on 1 fielder's choice, reached base on 1 fielding error, grounded into 1 double play, had 4 strikeouts swinging, and left 18 men on base. furthermore, he had a .321 OBP, .444 SLG, and .765 OPS. in left field, Michael recorded 12 putouts while playing 50 innings, but only 5 complete games. he was lifted for a pinch runner in the bottom of the 7th inning in 1 game because the Indians were winning. the average looks good against this team, but truthfully, Michael could have done better considering the amount of runners he stranded.
vs. the Detroit Tigers, Michael bat .280 (7-for-25) in 6 games--3 on the road and 3 at home in June. the Indians went 5-1 in the games he played in. overall, Michael had 5 singles and 2 extra base hits--doubles, as well as 3 RBI, 1 run, 2 walks, 1 stolen base (2nd), 2 first at bat hits, and 9 total bases. he also had 2 strikeouts swinging and left 6 men on base. furthermore, he had a .333 OBP, .360 SLG, and .693 OPS. in left field, Michael recorded 8 putouts while playing 34 innings, but only 3 complete games. he was subbed out defensively after 7 innings in 1 game because he Indians were winning. he was the DH for 2 games. again, i feel Michael didn't perform to the best of his abilities here, especially when he normally dominates Tigers pitching. then again, with the changes going on with the team this year, it's possible he needs time to adjust to their rotation. same could be said for the other AL Central teams though...
the Indians did not face the Kansas City Royals in June.
Interleague Play
in June, Michael played five games against two National League opponents, going 5-for-18 and batting .278 overall. that's a results of excelling against one team vs. struggling against another.
vs. the Milwaukee Brewers at Progressive Field, Michael bat .375 (3-for-8) in 2 home games in June. the Indians went 2-0 in the games he played in. overall, Michael had 2 singles, 1 extra base hit--a double, 1 RBI, 1 run, 1 first at bat hit, and 4 total bases. he also reached base on 1 throwing error, had 1 strikeout looking, and left 1 man on base. furthermore, he had a .375 OBP, .500 SLG, and .875 OPS. in left field, Michael played 18 innings/2 complete games and recorded 5 putouts. i'm pleased with this output.
vs. the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium (no designated hitter allowed), Michael bat .200 (2-for-10) in 3 road games in June. the Indians went 1-2 in the games he played in. overall, Michael had 1 single, 1 extra base hit--a double, 2 runs, 3 walks, and 3 total bases. he also had 1 strikeout swinging and left 2 man on base. furthermore, he had a .385 OBP, .300 SLG, and .695 OPS. in left field, Michael played 24 innings, but only 2 complete games. he was subbed out defensively after 7 innings in 1 game because the Indians were losing a blowout. he recorded 4 putouts and committed 1 error as well. Michael hadn't faced any of the three starting pitchers in this series before in his career, and that's why i don't care much for Interleague play. i know the average isn't good, but he did manage to get on base in every game at least once, so his on-base percentage is decent and therefore i won't complain too much.
League Rankings
Michael didn't put up the best stats this month and that's very apparent when comparing his numbers with those among qualifying AL and MLB players. let's take a look to see what falls in the Top 10 (per mlb.mlb.com/stats):
among qualifying left fielders in the American League, Michael ranked tied for 2nd in doubles (6) and sac flies (1); 3rd in stolen bases (3); 4th in at bats (100); 5th in singles (17); 7th in hits (25) and plate appearances (109); 8th in total bases (37); tied for 8th in runs (10) and games played (25); 9th in walks (8) and batting average (.250); tied for 9th in extra base hits (8); and 10th in RBI (8), SLG (.370), and OPS (.673). Michael also ranked 13th out of 13 players in strikeouts (11), meaning he was the hardest left fielder to strike out in June.
among qualifying outfielders in the American League, Michael was tied for 5th in doubles and sac flies, and tied for 7th in stolen bases and at bats. plus, he was the hardest AL OF to K out of 35 players.
among qualifying players in the American League, Michael ranked tied for 92nd out of 95 players in strikeouts, or tied for the 4th toughest player to strike out in the AL.
among all qualifying left fielders in the Major Leagues, Michael was tied for 3rd in doubles and sac flies, tied for 4th in stolen bases, 7th in at bats, and 10th in plate appearances. he was also 35th out of 35 players in strikeouts, or the hardest to K among left fielders in MLB.
among all qualifying outfielders in the Major Leagues, Michael ranked tied for 79th out of 80 players in strikeouts, or tied for the 2nd toughest MLB outfielder to strike out.
among all qualifying players in the Major Leagues, Michael's strikeouts were tied for 183rd out of 191, making him tied for the 9th toughest player to K in all of baseball in the month of June.
June Standout Games, Spotlights, & Quotes
before the game against the Minnesota Twins on June 2, it was announced that Francisco Lindor had won the American League Player of the Month Award for May. however, Joe Noga revealed in his article on cleveland.com that Michael also received some votes for player of the month. he did lead the league with 26 RBI, not to mention several of his other stats ranked high in the AL, so it makes sense. congratulations, Michael!
June did not start very well for Michael until the game against the Twins on June 3. before his fourth AB of the game, he was in an 0-for-16 slump in his previous 20 plate appearances, dating back to May 31. it was his longest skid of 2018 thus far. but in the top of the 8th inning, the Indians were down, 5-4, with 1 out when he came to the plate against right-handed reliever Addison Reed, and after a 1-1 count, Michael hit a game-tying home run to right field! the pitch sequence went: called strike, ball, home run. not a bad first hit for the month of June! it also gave him 10 homers for the season which, according to Jordan Bastian, made the Indians the first MLB team with five players with 10 or more home runs.
per MLBBarrelAlert, Michael hit Reed's 91.2 mph four-seamer 381 feet at a launch angle of 25 degrees, 108.6 mph.
at this point, Michael had played on 13 straight days, his longest stretch of the year, so the June 4 off day was a welcome break for him, i'm sure.
when the Indians played their first home game of the month on June 5 versus the Milwaukee Brewers, Michael extended his home hitting streak. it happened in the bottom of the 5th inning with 2 outs and the Indians up, 3-1, when Michael hit a sharp line drive double to right field after a 1-0 count from righty Junior Guerra. that gave him a 15-game hitting streak at home (originating on May 1) as well as a 15-game on-base streak at home.
Michael got his first multi-hit game of the month versus the Brewers on June 6 when he went 2-for-4. single #1 came in the bottom of the 1st inning against right-handed pitcher Chase Anderson with 1 out in the scoreless game. after a 1-1 count, Michael sent a ground ball single into center field. that gave him a 16-game hitting streak at home and 16-game on-base streak at home.
then in the bottom of the 5th inning, the Tribe trailed, 1-0, but had Rajai Davis at 2nd base and Lindor at 1st with 1 out. following a 2-2 count from Anderson, Michael hit a ground ball that deflected off the glove of the shortstop and into left field for a game-tying RBI single! and that knocked Anderson out of the game. the pitch sequence went: ball, called strike, ball, pickoff attempt at 1st base, foul back, single.
here's the shift that the Brewers had on for Michael during his AB:
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| photo courtesy of @MLBastian on twitter |
he later scored on Yonder Alonso's bases-loaded walk.
when prompted, Terry Francona talked about the shift on Michael during his postgame presser. from a video on the cleveland.com youtube channel, he stated, "not a lot of teams shift like they did today, as deep as they, as they were. but, i mean in the first inning he hit a ball to the left side of 2nd for a hit. so, my guess is if they shift Brant, he'd be one of the hitters that will beat the shift more than he doesn't."
Bastian delved more into this topic in his postgame article for mlb.com/indians. he described how prior to Michael's at bat in the bottom of the 5th, Milwaukee third baseman Travis Shaw took a few steps to his left and shortstop Eric Sogard moved just to the left of second base. this was done because so far this year, Michael's been hitting to the opposite field at a lower rate than in the past. according to fangraphs, Michael hit to left field 25.3 percent of the time in 2017 compared to 19.1 percent in 2018 coming into this game. naturally, teams have been shifting more against Michael, 13.2 percent of the time this year versus only 7.1 percent last season, per Statcast. as for results, Michael had a .379 wOBA (weighted on-base average) with no shift and .365 wOBA with a shift.
after a 2-2 count, Anderson threw Michael a changeup that dropped just below the zone and Michael sliced the ball on the ground through the hole on the left side of the infield. Sogard tried to dive to his right, back to his usual spot to get to the ball, but he ended up deflecting it with his glove and the ball ended up bouncing onto the left field grass. that game-tying hit really got the offense going, as the Indians were able to later take the lead and go on to win the game. "really, the Brantley ball is the ball that got us in trouble," Brewers manager Craig Counsell explained. "he hits a squibbler, and hits it in the right place that it ends up we can't get an out."
"he's a professional hitter," Davis complimented. "he's one of the best hitters we have. obviously, he's been doing it for a while. he's an All-Star player. he just knows how to put the good part of the bat on the ball and hit it where they're not a lot of times."
on June 9, Paul Hoynes' latest Hey, Hoynsie came out on cleveland.com, and one person wrote in asking if the Indians have talked with Michael (among others) about a contract extension. Hoynsie responded, "i'm sure they talked about it in spring training, but the fact that we're already into June and nothing has been announced, leads me to believe that [Michael] will file for free agency at the end of the year. just following the history of the club, i'd say the next best chance to reach an agreement with one of them would be at the All-Star break. i just think it's tough to sign a player in his walk year, no matter how good the history is between the player and his current organization.
later, in the game against the Detroit Tigers, Michael went 2-for-4 as the designated hitter. his first hit came in his first AB in the top of the 1st inning with 1 out and no score. right-handed starter Mike Fiers was pitching for Detroit and Michael hit a ground ball single to right field on a 1-0 pitch.
with the game tied at 2 and 1 out in the top of the 8th inning, Michael faced right-hander Louis Coleman. he swung at the first pitch and sent a line drive single to right field.
Michael also led off the top of the 11th inning in his fifth plate appearance. the game remained tied at 2 and after a 3-2 count from righty Buck Farmer, he drew a walk. the pitch sequence went: ball, called strike (pitch was outside, should have been ball 2), ball, ball, foul to the left (would have been a ball had he taken it), ball.
on June 11, the Indians' twitter released a campaign video to get fans to vote for Michael for the 2018 All Star Game. it features Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees "stealing" candy from kids while Michael gives them king size candy bars, and was criticized by many people online.😕 Michael of course did the voice-over saying, "the Cleveland Indians approve this message." lol
later in the game against the Chicago White Sox, Michael hit his 11th home run of the season. it came in the top of the 5th inning with 1 out and the Tribe on top, 3-0. he faced right-hander Lucas Giolito, whom he hit a homer off of back on May 29, and after a 2-1 count, he smacked a line drive into the stands in right field! the pitch sequence went: called strike, ball, ball, home run.
per MLBBarrelAlert, Michael hit a 92.3 mph four-seamer 393 feet, and he hit it 104.9 mph at 25 degrees.
on June 13, Michael hit three singles against the White Sox, giving him his first three-hit game of the month. in the top of the 1st inning, with no score and 1 out, he faced right-hander Dylan Covey. after a 1-1 count, he hit a fly ball bloop single to left field. the pitch sequence went: ball, foul back, single.
Michael later led off the top of the 6th inning with the Indians behind, 2-0, and after an 0-1 count (which really should have been ball 1), he hit a ground ball single to short, which deflected off Covey's glove.
his third hit of the night came in the top of the 8th inning with Lindor at 1st base, no outs, and the Tribe down, 3-0. after a 1-2 count from Covey, Michael hit a sharp ground ball single to right field. ChiSox right fielder Trayce Thompson threw the ball to 3rd base, which enabled Michael to advance to 2nd. and that knocked Covey out of the game. the pitch sequence went: ball, foul 1st base dugout, foul right side, single.
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| photo courtesy of @SportsTimeOhio on twitter |
Michael later scored on Yonder Alonso's double to right field.
on June 15, the cleveland.com youtube channel uploaded a video that was taken in spring training during media day on February 21, featuring some of the guys wishing their dad a Happy Father's Day. at the tail end, Michael said, "Happy Father's Day, pops. uh, i couldn't do it without you. you're my support. i appreciate it so much. thank you."
in the game versus the Twins, Michael went 0-for-3 with a walk, ending his home hitting streak at 16 (three shy of his career high from 2014), but giving him a 17-game on-base streak at home. the walk came in his first at bat with 1 out and the Indians down, 1-0, after a full count from righty Kyle Gibson. the pitch sequence went: called strike (was outside though and looked like a ball), ball, foul off his foot, ball, ball, ball. oddly enough, Michael's 19-game hitting streak also ended in a game against the Twins on May 31...🙁
ahead of the game on Father's Day, June 17, versus the Twins, T.J. Zuppe shared an article he wrote for theathletic.com. it's a subscription site only, but from what i can see, the Brantley family has a special way to let their kids know when Michael is coming home from road trips. "it's a daddy-come-home calendar," Michael described. "so, they can mark it and actually see when the airplane is coming back home. it's kind of cute."
additionally, a video was posted on mlb.com/indians featuring Michael and his father, Mickey. (i think it was actually recorded on June 16, however.) "he's a good dad," Mickey acknowledged. "you know, i've always put my kids first and he's learned to put his kids first. i think we have a lot of similarities in there. i have my great, beautiful grandkids. they bad, now don't get it wrong, they bad. but i enjoy 'em, i love 'em, and i'm very, very proud of 'em."
"just to have him as my support, just knowing that he's there, to play in front of him," Michael said. "um, as a kid, that he traveled a lot, he was in Major League Baseball, he wasn't always at, you know, the little league games or, you know, high school game, so when he was there, it was always special. and it's the same way now, he gets to see a lot more games, which i'm a very much appreciative of and uh, anytime he's there it's just a little more extra special for me."
"oh, i whoop his butt in fishing," Mickey boasted. "there's no question about that. he'll tell you that. but but we, we, we talk baseball, we talk pretty much every day. just kinda reinforcing, just kinda... he gives me an idea of what he's thinking, where he's at, and i kinda confirm yes or no, and we work from there."
when told his father considers himself the better fisherman, Michael smirked, "he always say he's a better fisherman. we allllways say he's a better fisherman. he been a better fisherman the last few years cause i haven't been able to fish like i like to, cause i had a couple operations. but uh, nah, he's a very good fisherman. i never tell him that to his face so i put it on camera, but he's a very good fisherman as well."
during the game, in which Michael was the designated hitter, he extended his home on-base streak to 19 games. he led off the bottom of the 3rd inning with the Indians and Twins tied at 1, and on the first pitch from righty Jake Odorizzi, he hit a sharp line drive double to right field. he later scored on Yan Gomes' 3-run double to center field.
he got one more hit in the bottom of the 7th inning with 1 out and the Tribe up, 4-1. left-hander Taylor Rogers was pitching and after an 0-1 count, Michael hit a ground ball single to the pitcher, deflected by the 2nd baseman. that marked his first hit off a lefty in June, and first since May 29 after going 0-for-6 prior against southpaws.
during Ramirez's at bat, Michael stole 2nd base on the 9th pitch of a 3-2 count. Ramirez struck out swinging, but because the runner (Michael) was going on the pitch, he was credited with a steal.
following the Indians' win, Gomes revealed that he and the other guys in the bottom part of the lineup frequently communicate with Michael during games in the dugout and in the clubhouse. from Noga's article on cleveland.com, Gomes shared, "we try to talk as much as we can when things are going well, just to sit down with him. we try to simplify as much as we can, and by talking to him you're able to make adjustments throughout the game."
in the game versus the White Sox on June 18, Michael got his second straight multi-hit game, going 2-for-5. in his first at bat against righty Dylan Covey in the bottom of the 1st inning with 1 out and no score, he hit a sharp ground ball single to center field, deflected by the shortstop, after a 3-1 count. the pitch sequence went: ball, ball, ball, strike called, single. now that strike actually should have been ball 4, and Tom Hamilton said on the WTAM 1100 broadcast that Michael was ready to throw the bat away and head to 1st. but i guess it worked out that he got a hit instead.
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| photo courtesy of @IndiansUmp on twitter |
that gave Michael a 20-game on-base streak at home.
he later stole 2nd base on during Encarnacion's at bat. Michael ran on the 2-2 count, as ball 3 was thrown. the White Sox's catcher threw the ball to 2nd, but it sailed into center field, allowing Michael to move up to 3rd on the error. it marked Michael's second stolen base in as many days. he was left stranded, however.
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| photo courtesy of Chuck Crow via cleveland.com |
in the bottom of the 3rd, he came to bat with the bases loaded and 2 outs, but after a 2-1 count from Covey, Michael flew out to right field to end the inning. it was the first time this year that Michael didn't drive in at least one runner with the bases loaded in six total chances.
Michael got his second hit in the bottom of the 6th inning with Lindor at 1st base, no outs, and the Indians up, 5-0. left-hander Hector Santiago had just come on to pitch for the home half of the inning, and Michael hit a ground ball single to 3rd on the 5th pitch of a 1-2 count. the sequence went: called strike, foul 3rd base side, foul left side, pickoff attempt, pickoff attempt, ball, single.
after a 35-minute rain delay, Michael got a fifth AB in the bottom of the 7th inning and after hitting a grounder to 1st, he slipped and fell trying to run up the 1st baseline because the batter's box and infield were still very muddy and wet, according to Hammy. then he slowly walked back to the dugout. gotta admit, that had me nervous, but he continued to play out the rest of the game.
on June 19, the Indians posted another campaign video encouraging people to vote for Michael for the All Star Game, this time claiming that Mike Trout (of the Los Angeles Angels) is too nice, while Michael is the perfect amount of nice. lol Michael's tagline at the end, that the Cleveland Indians approve this message, was once again included.
in the game versus the White Sox, Michael went 1-for-4. surprisingly, he was in the starting lineup against lefty Carlos Rodon (though when Rodon pitched on June 14, Terry Francona gave Michael the day off) despite being just 2-for-14 lifetime against the southpaw. Michael was 0-for-3 in his first three ABs of the night, but after Rodon was taken out of the game, Michael got his one and only hit. with Davis at 3rd base, 2 outs, and the Tribe ahead, 4-1, Michael hit a sharp line drive double to center field, off the glove of Adam Engel, on the first pitch from right-hander Bruce Rondon. that scored Davis to give Michael an RBI double and a 21-game on-base streak at home.
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| photo courtesy of Chuck Crow via cleveland.com |
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| photo courtesy of @SportsTimeOhio on twitter |
what made this hit even more impressive is that it broke an 0-for-7 skid with runners in scoring position and 2 outs, as Michael hadn't gotten a hit in that situation since May 27!
he later scored a run on Encarnacion's single to left field.
Michael had a rough game on June 20 versus the White Sox, but still managed to extend his home on-base streak. in his first AB in the bottom of the 1st inning with Lindor at 1st base, no outs, and no score, Michael reached on fielding error by 2nd baseman, Yoan Moncada, when he hit a ground ball off right-hander Reynaldo Lopez on a 2-2 count. shortly after, he scored a run on Ramirez's 3-run home run to center field.
Michael led off the bottom of the 3rd inning and drew a walk after a full count from Lopez, but was later caught stealing. with 1 out, Michael at 2nd base, Encarnacion at 1st, and Alonso at the plate facing Reynaldo, both runners took off on the first pitch (a ball). White Sox catcher Omar Narvaez threw to 3rd baseman, Yolmer Sanchez, to try and get Michael, the lead runner. on what was initially called a double steal, Michael supposedly got under the tag at 3rd with a headfirst slide, and Encarnacion stole 2nd base behind Michael. but the White Sox challenged the safe call and after a very quick review, Michael was ruled out. that marked Michael's third caught stealing of the season, the most he's had since 2013 when he totaled four caught stealing. unfortunately for the Tribe, Michael ended the team's 23 consecutive stolen bases streak, the longest streak in club history since the caught stealing became an official stat in 1920, per Tribeinsider, via Elias Sports Bureau and Bob Waterman. and, according to Noga's postgame cleveland.com article, it was the first time an Indians player was thrown out since May 23--Michael's previous caught stealing prior to this game. sigh.
following the Tribe's win, Bastian posted a Q&A that Indians President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti did in the morning prior to the game on his blog on bastian.mlblogs.com. in it, a question was posed as to whether the Indians have had any discussions with their own potential free agents yet. "those are conversations we typically have during the offseason and spring training--not something we engage in during the season. not to say it's a hard-and-fast rule, but that's typically the way we've operated." Antonetti did acknowledge, however, that the Indians talked to all their potential free agents over the winter and during spring training about "where we were, where we were positioned and what the future could be moving forward." so don't expect Michael to sign an extension with the Tribe before the year ends.
when asked about the outfield, Antonetti praised Michael. "Michael Brantley has been impeccably consistent. he's been the Michael Brantley we're all accustomed to see when he's healthy, and for him to not only perform at a high level, but manage the amount of volume he's had this year and the amount of plate appearances and innings he's played in the outfield, has been a huge boost to our team."
on June 22 in the game versus the Tigers, Michael went 1-for-4 at the plate before being subbed out defensively after 7 innings because the Tribe was winning a blowout. prior to that, he came to bat in the bottom of the 5th inning with the Indians up, 3-0, Tyler Naquin at 1st base and 1 out. after a 1-0 count from right-hander Mike Fiers, Michael hit a sharp line drive to right field, good for an RBI double! that gave Michael a 23-game on-base streak at home, tying a career high, and 10-game on-base streak overall.
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| photo courtesy of @SportsTimeOhio on twitter |
Michael set a career high on June 23 during the game versus the White Sox. he drew a walk in his first plate appearance in the bottom of the 1st inning with no outs and Lindor at 1st base in the scoreless game. left-handed starter Francisco Liriano was behind in the count, 3-1, when he threw ball 4 to Michael, and that gave him a career high 24-game on-base streak at home. the pitch sequence went: ball, foul left side, ball, ball, ball. i of course wrote a separate blog with more details here.
Michael was later thrown out going to 3rd base on Ramirez's RBI single to center.
in the last home game of the month on June 24 versus the White Sox, Michael extended his on-base streak at home when he went 3-for-5. in the bottom of the 2nd inning, the Indians had a 2-0 lead with Kipnis at 3rd base, Davis at 1st, and 2 outs when Michael came to bat against left-hander Matthew Boyd. on a 1-0 count, Davis took off running and successfully stole 2nd base (after three straight pickoff attempts) as ball 2 was thrown. then, on the 2-0 count, Michael hit a line drive 2-run single into left field. that gave Michael a new career high 25-game on-base streak at home and a 12-game on-base streak overall! the pitch sequence went: ball, pickoff attempt at 1st, pickoff attempt, pickoff attempt, ball (Davis stolen base), single.
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| photo courtesy of Joshua Gunter via cleveland.com |
then, during Ramirez's at bat, Michael ran on an 0-1 pitch and stole 2nd base on ball 1 to Ramirez. that gave Michael his 5th stolen base of the year.
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| photos courtesy of Joshua Gunter via cleveland.com |
Michael got his second hit of the game in the bottom of the 4th inning. the Indians led 6-2 and righty Artie Lewicki had just come on to pitch for the Tigers. after an 0-1 count, Michael hit another line drive single, this time to center field.
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| photo courtesy of Joshua Gunter via cleveland.com |
the third hit occurred in the bottom of the 8th inning with 1 out, Lindor at 1st base, and the Tribe winning, 8-2. after a 1-0 count from Lewicki, Michael smacked his third line drive of the game, another one to left field, for a double. he later scored on Encarnacion's grand slam to right field.
on the contrary, Michael did not have a good night against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 25. he went 0-for-2, but did draw two walks at least. the first came in the top of the 3rd inning with 2 outs and no score. after running the count full on right-hander John Gant, who he's never faced before, Michael took ball 4. the pitch sequence went: foul into the right field seats, ball, swinging strike, ball, ball, ball. and that gave him a 13-game on-base streak.
his second walk took place in top of the 8th inning with 2 outs and the Tribe down, 3-0. righty reliever Jordan Hicks was on the mound for the Cards and after a 3-2 count, Michael drew another walk. this time, the pitch sequence went: ball, foul left side, ball, ball, foul, ball.
on June 26, Michael went 1-for-3 against the Cardinals. in the top of the 1st inning with Lindor at 1st base and no outs in the scoreless game, he drew a walk after a full count from righty Carlos Martinez, another pitcher he'd never previously faced in his career. the pitch sequence went: pickoff attempt, ball, ball, foul off his foot, pickoff, foul past 1st base coach Sandy Alomar, Jr., ball, ball. and so Michael quickly extended his streak to a 14-game on-base streak.
he later scored a run on Kipnis' RBI single to right field.
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| photo courtesy of Jeff Roberson via Associated Press |
Michael got an actual hit later when led off the top of the 3rd inning with the Tribe down, 6-2. after an 0-1 count, he hit a line drive single to center field off Martinez.
sadly, he did also commit an error in left field, which i've delved into in the In The Field section of this blog down below.
another campaign video came out on June 27 from the Indians, this time claiming Judge only orders deep dish pizza in New York, while Michael celebrates all types of pizza. "the Cleveland Indians approve this message," but the internet trolls were out and about again. i mean, i get trying to promote Michael and asking people to vote for him, but when you pit him against another MLB player and paint that person in an unflattering light, all that does is cause unnecessary backlash towards Michael.😕
during the game against the Cards, Michael got one hit in five at bats--an extra base hit--and a 15-game on-base streak. in the top of the 3rd inning, with Lindor at 1st base, no outs, and the Tribe up, 2-0, he sent right-hander Jack Flaherty's 1-2 pitch to right field for a line drive double, advancing Lindor to 3rd. the pitch sequence went: pickoff attempt, pickoff attempt, called strike, ball, foul off to the left, double. he also scored on Kip's RBI bloop single to center field.
regrettably, Michael's on-base streak came to an end on June 29 after he went 0-for-4 (with two strikeouts!) against the Oakland Athletics. following that performance, Michael had a season .307 batting average, which was his lowest average this year since he was batting .286 all the way back on April 12 (his sixth game of the season)! the struggle has certainly been real for Dr. Smooth in the month of June.
Michael broke an 0-for-10 slump on June 30 in the game against the Athletics after hitting a single in the top of the 9th inning. right-hander Santiago Casillas was pitching for the A's and the Tribe was down, 7-2. Michael came to the plate with 1 out and after a 3-1 count, hit a line drive single to center field. the sequence was three straight balls, a called strike, then the single.
also on this date, a video was uploaded to Taylor Ringold's youtube channel of an interview he conducted with Michael. however, based on the ".350 batting average" comment, this is definitely old. i'm guessing, since Ringold is an intern with the Twins, that this took place during the Twins series in mid-April, which happened to be in Puerto Rico. anyways, after recalling his 2014 MVP season, Ringold asks Michael how it feels to get back in that groove at the plate and being confident that he's gonna get a hit every game. "you know, i'm just happy to be healthy and back with this team. um, you know, there was a little uncertainty after last year if i was gonna be back here or not. uh, this is where i wanted to be. i wanna kinda complete what we set out to do the last couple years and uh, that's win a title so uh, i'm just really thankful and blessed to just be healthy and playing baseball again."
how has he mentally adapted to get over the injuries he's sustained in the last two years? "yeah, i have a great support system in, you know, my family. uh, i wanna thank them, first and foremost, for just keeping me positive when there were some dark days and some long nights and you don't know if you're ever gonna play again. uh, but at the same time you just gotta, you know, trust the process and rehab and, you know, the great doctors and medical staff that we have here to just get me back to this opportunity, i'm just very appreciative and, you know, i, i never take this for granted, playing in the major leagues. uh, i worked hard to get here and i want to stay here for a long time."
after having to if Michael's last surgery was on his right foot, and Michael correcting him by saying "right ankle," Ringold inquired what the rehab and physical therapy was to get back to his groove because that's his "plant foot." how did he come back to getting healthy? "a lot of rehab of just strengthening drills and balance work, uh, especially on one leg and, you know, developing your calf muscle again from being off it for almost six weeks. um, day in and day out just, you know, never, you know, taking a day off, just knowing that you're trying to get back to, you know, your team as quick as possible to be able to help out and, you know, i've been fortunate enough to, you know, come back from a few injuries and, you know, still play at a high level."
with the Indians not bringing back Carlos Santana, does Michael feel, with him playing at an MVP level, like he's an offseason acquisition for the team? "uh, i don't know. that's for more of the teammates, you know, to kinda, you know, figure out or comment on. um, for me personally, i'm just glad to be back with 'em. um, it's a lot of hard work that went into this offseason, you know, understanding that, you know, they believed in me working hard and, you know, getting back to my rehab and, you know, being back healthy to help this team, and that's why they picked up my option and that's why i'm here, so uh, i gotta give it my all each and every day and just, you know, just take it one day at a time and don't take nothing for granted."
In Indians History
when Michael hit his 10th home run of the season on June 3 (in his 48th game vs the Tribe's 58th), he became the fifth Indians player with double digit homers, joining Jose Ramirez (18), Edwin Encarnacion (16), Francisco Lindor (14), and Yonder Alonso (11). they all had at least 30 RBI as well, making them the first group of five to total at least 10 HR and 30 RBI since Eddie Murray, Manny Ramirez, Albert Belle, Paul Sorrento, and Jim Thome did it in 1995 in 58 games. (source: Chris Assenheimer's article on chroniclet.com.)
In The Field
while playing left field in June, Michael recorded 42 putouts, 2 assists, and 1 error in 45 total chances, resulting in a .978 fielding percentage.
Michael got his first outfield assist of the month and second on the year in the game against the Minnesota Twins on June 3. right-handed reliever Zach McAllister had just come on to pitch for the Tribe in the bottom of the 8th inning. the Twins had Ehire Adrianza at 1st base with 1 out when Ryan LaMarre swung at McAllister's first pitch and sent a ground ball past 3rd baseman Jose Ramirez and down the left field line. Michael got to the ball and threw it in to the cutoff man, shortstop Francisco Lindor, as Adrianza was waved home. Lindor turned and threw the ball to catcher Yan Gomes, who easily tagged out the runner.
in the game against the Chicago White Sox on June 11, Michael made a nice catch in the bottom of the 6th inning. Yolmer Sanchez was on 1st base after Indians starter Carlos Carrasco walked him. there was 1 out and the Indians led, 4-0. Jose Abreu was the next batter up and after an 0-2 count, Carlos Carrasco threw a wild pitch, on which Sanchez advanced to 2nd base. then Abreu sent a long fly ball to left field, but Michael ran back and caught it at the wall for the 2nd out in the inning.
following the Tribe's win, Terry Francona was asked about Michael's catch (and let's ignore the fact that the reporter made the mistake of calling him Melky Cabrera...). from a video on mlb.com, Tito commented, "i mean, Brant makes it look easy. you know, he just, he knows where he is all the time and he knows where the wall is and, you know, a lot of guys i think maybe make that play, but make it look spectacular. he makes it look kinda easy."
on June 26, Michael unfortunately committed his first error of the season in the game against the St. Louis Cardinals. it transpired in the bottom of the 6th inning with 2 outs, Matt Carpenter on 2nd base, and the Indians down, 9-2. Marcell Ozuna came to the plate and swung at Josh Tomlin's first pitch, sending a line drive single to left field. Carpenter was probably going to have to stop at 3rd, but when Michael ran in to make a play, he evidently didn't put his glove down far enough and the ball bounced off the end of it. because of the bobble, Carpenter was able to score safely. the official scorer initially awarded Ozuna with an RBI single before changing it to a single and no RBI and Michael was charged with the fielding error.
this marked Michael's first error since June 10, 2017, and it came after playing in 95 straight games in the outfield between June 11, 2017 and June 26, 2018. the last time Michael committed an error in a game, he followed it up with two outfield assists. not this time. additionally, before Michael's previous error in 2017, he'd gone 80 consecutive games without a defensive gaffe. so clearly, he doesn't make errors very often.
let me provide you with one more thing. this represented Michael's 598th career game in which he played in left field. he's played left in parts of 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and of course 2018. up until this error, Michael had played 5,077.1 innings in left. now, spanning all that time and all those innings, between his MLB debut in left on September 1, 2009, and this night, Michael has a grand total of just six errors, five being of the fielding variety and one being a throwing error. so try and tell me that Michael's not a good left fielder, cause that's not the case.
Michael obtained his second outfield assist of June and third on the year on June 30 during the game against the Oakland Athletics. it occurred in the bottom of the 6th inning with Dustin Fowler at 1st base, no outs, and the game tied at 2. after an 0-1 count from Tribe starter Adam Plutko and a pickoff attempt at 1st, Mark Canha hit a line drive double that hit the scoreboard in left field and then bounced upwards even higher. Michael caught the ball once it finally came down and threw the relay in to shortstop Lindor, but Fowler scored the go-ahead run. Canha, however, was caught in a rundown after Lindor threw the ball to home plate, but Yonder Alonso intercepted it and threw it to Jose Ramirez at 3rd base, who chased Canha and then tagged him out in a rundown between 2nd and 3rd. thus, Michael was awarded an assist.
now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his June #s, the 2nd spot #s, and the DH #s, as well as the left field #s, BOP + left field #s, and overall outfield #s.
June batting average: .250
OBP: .303
SLG: .370
OPS: .673
Michael played in 25 (of 26) games, 21 complete, in June.
he started and played left field in 22 games, completing 18 of those games, appearing in 22 total.
he was subbed out defensively in 3 games after playing a total of 22 innings; 2 games after playing a total of 15 innings (8 innings/7 innings per game) because the Indians were losing, and 1 game after 7 innings because the Indians were winning a blowout.
he was lifted for a PR in 1 game after playing a total of 7 innings, 1 game in the bottom of the 7th inning because the Indians were winning.
he was the DH in 3 games.
he got 1 scheduled game off.
Michael bat 2nd in 25 games.
Michael played left field in 22 games. (18 complete, 3 subbed out: 22 innings, 1 lifted for PR: 7 innings)
Michael was the DH in 3 games.
Michael played in 21 complete games.
in June, Michael had a total of 109 plate appearances and 100 at bats in 25 games. here is how he fared:
25 hits
8 extra base hits
17 singles
6 doubles
2 home runs
8 RBI
1 sac fly
10 runs
8 walks
3 stolen bases (2nd)
1 caught stealing (3rd)
1 reached on fielder's choice
1 reached on fielding error
1 reached on throwing error
2 GIDP
11 strikeouts (9 swinging, 2 looking)
5 first at bat hits
37 total bases
34 left on base
42 putouts
2 assists
1 error
183.0 innings, 25 games
(21 complete games)
June batting average: .250 (25-100) (25 games)
now let's break down his numbers based on where he hit in the lineup.
when Michael bat 2nd in June, he had a total of 109 plate appearances and 100 at bats in 25 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
25 hits
8 extra base hits
17 singles
6 doubles
2 home runs
8 RBI
1 sac fly
10 runs
8 walks
3 stolen bases (2nd)
1 caught stealing (3rd)
1 reached on fielder's choice
1 reached on fielding error
1 reached on throwing error
2 GIDP
11 strikeouts (9 swinging, 2 looking)
5 first at bat hits
37 total bases
34 left on base
42 putouts
2 assists
1 error
183.0 innings, 25 games
(21 complete games)
June batting average in the 2nd spot: .250 (25-100) (25 games)
when Michael bat 2nd and played left in June, he had a total of 95 plate appearances and 87 at bats in 22 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
21 hits
7 extra base hits
14 singles
5 doubles
2 home runs
8 RBI
1 sac fly
9 runs
7 walks
2 stolen bases (2nd)
1 caught stealing (3rd)
1 reached on fielder's choice
1 reached on fielding error
1 reached on throwing error
1 GIDP
10 strikeouts (8 swinging, 2 looking)
4 first at bat hits
32 total bases
31 left on base
42 putouts
2 assists
1 error
183.0 innings, 22 games
(18 complete games)
June batting average in the 2nd spot while playing left: .241 (21-87) (22 games)
when Michael bat 2nd and was the DH in June, he had a total of 14 plate appearances and 13 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
4 hits
1 extra base hit
3 singles
1 double
1 run
1 walk
1 stolen base (2nd)
1 GIDP
1 strikeout swinging
1 first at bat hit
5 total bases
3 left on base
(3 complete games)
June batting average in the 2nd spot as the DH: .308 (4-13) (3 games)
when Michael was the DH in June, he had a total of 14 plate appearances and 13 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
4 hits
1 extra base hit
3 singles
1 double
1 run
1 walk
1 stolen base (2nd)
1 GIDP
1 strikeout swinging
1 first at bat hit
5 total bases
3 left on base
(3 complete games)
June batting average as the DH: .308 (4-13) (3 games)
when Michael played the outfield in June, he had a total of 95 plate appearances and 87 at bats in 22 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
21 hits
7 extra base hits
14 singles
5 doubles
2 home runs
8 RBI
1 sac fly
9 runs
7 walks
2 stolen bases (2nd)
1 caught stealing (3rd)
1 reached on fielder's choice
1 reached on fielding error
1 reached on throwing error
1 GIDP
10 strikeouts (8 swinging, 2 looking)
4 first at bat hits
32 total bases
31 left on base
42 putouts
2 assists
1 error
183.0 innings, 22 games
(18 complete games)
June batting average while playing the outfield: .241 (21-87) (22 games)
now let's break down his numbers specific to where he played in the outfield.
when Michael played left field in June, he had a total of 95 plate appearances and 87 at bats in 22 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
21 hits
7 extra base hits
14 singles
5 doubles
2 home runs
8 RBI
1 sac fly
9 runs
7 walks
2 stolen bases (2nd)
1 caught stealing (3rd)
1 reached on fielder's choice
1 reached on fielding error
1 reached on throwing error
1 GIDP
10 strikeouts (8 swinging, 2 looking)
4 first at bat hits
32 total bases
31 left on base
42 putouts
2 assists
1 error
183.0 innings, 22 games
(18 complete games)
June batting average while playing left field: .241 (21-87) (22 games)
June #s while playing left field: 42 putouts, 2 assists, 1 error, .978 fielding percentage (183.0 innings, 22 games)
June #s while playing the outfield: 42 putouts, 2 assists, 1 error, .978 fielding percentage (183.0 innings, 22 games)
now here are my game-by-game numbers and notes.
**Michael's 21-game on-base streak and 11-game on-base streak on the road end**
Game 1 of 1/Game 46 of 56, June 1: 0-3, RBI sac fly. AVG: .332
[2nd/LF/CG8]
Game 2 of 2/Game 47 of 57, June 2: 0-4, walk. AVG: .325
[2nd/LF/CG8]
Game 3 of 3/Game 48 of 58, June 3: 1-4, home run, run. AVG: .323
[2nd/LF/CG8]
Game 4 of 4/Game 49 of 59, June 5: 1-4, double. AVG: .322
[2nd/LF/CG9]
Game 5 of 5/Game 50 of 60, June 6: 2-4, single (first at bat), RBI single, run, reached on throwing error. AVG: .325
[2nd/LF/CG9]
Game 6 of 6/Game 51 of 61, June 8: 1-4, single (first at bat). AVG: .324
[2nd/LF/CG9]
Game 7 of 7/Game 52 of 62, June 9: 2-4, single (first at bat), single, walk. AVG: .327
[2nd/DH/CG12]
Game 8 of 8/Game 53 of 63, June 10: 0-5. AVG: .319
[2nd/DH/CG]
Game 9 of 9/Game 54 of 64, June 11: 1-5, home run, run. AVG: .317
[2nd/LF/CG9]
Game 10 of 10/Game 55 of 65, June 12: 1-4, single. AVG: .316
[2nd/LF/CG8]
Game 11 of 11/Game 56 of 66, June 13: 3-5, single (first at bat), single, single, run. AVG: .322
[2nd/LF/CG8]
Game /12 & /67, June 14: scheduled day off.
**Michael's 16-game hitting streak at home ends**
Game 12 of 13/Game 57 of 68, June 15: 0-3, walk (first plate appearance). AVG: .318
[2nd/LF/CG9]
Game 13 of 14/Game 58 of 69, June 16: 1-4, single. AVG: .316
[2nd/LF/GS8]
Game 14 of 15/Game 59 of 70, June 17: 2-4, double, run, single, stolen base (2nd). AVG: .320
[2nd/DH/CG]
Game 15 of 16/Game 60 of 71, June 18: 2-5, single (first at bat), stolen base (2nd), single. AVG: .321
[2nd/LF/CG9]
Game 16 of 17/Game 61 of 72, June 19: 1-4, RBI double, run. AVG: .320
[2nd/LF/CG9]
Game 17 of 18/Game 62 of 73, June 20: 0-4, reached on fielding error (first at bat), run, walk, caught stealing (3rd), reached on fielder's choice. AVG: .315
[2nd/LF/GS7]
^^Michael was lifted for a pinch runner in the bottom of the 7th inning after reaching on a fielder's choice.^^
Game 18 of 19/Game 63 of 74, June 22: 1-4, RBI double. AVG: .314
[2nd/LF/GS7]
Game 19 of 20/Game 64 of 75, June 23: 0-3, walk (first plate appearance). AVG: .310
[2nd/LF/CG9]
^^Michael sets new career high with 24-game on-base streak at home^^
Game 20 of 21/Game 65 of 76, June 24: 3-5, 2-run single, stolen base (2nd), single, double, run. AVG: .316
[2nd/LF/CG9]
Game 21 of 22/Game 66 of 77, June 25: 0-2, walk, walk. AVG: .313
[2nd/LF/CG8]
**Michael's 95 consecutive errorless games in the outfield streak ends**
Game 22 of 23/Game 67 of 78, June 26: 1-3, walk (first plate appearance), run, single. AVG: .314
[2nd/LF/GS7]
Game 23 of 24/Game 68 of 79, June 27: 1-5, double, run. AVG: .312
[2nd/LF/CG9]
**Michael's 15-game on-base streak ends**
Game 24 of 25/Game 69 of 80, June 29: 0-4. AVG: .307
[2nd/LF/CG8]
Game 25 of 26/Game 70 of 81, June 30: 1-4, single. AVG: .306
[2nd/LF/CG8]
~~Michael ends the month with an active 25-game on-base streak at home~~
so far in 2018, Michael has 310 plate appearances and 284 at bats in 70 games (545.1 innings). in total, he has 87 hits, 30 extra base hits, 57 singles, 18 doubles, 1 triple, 11 home runs (2 grand slams), 44 RBI, 3 sac flies, 41 runs, 21 walks, 2 hit by pitches, 5 stolen bases (2nd), 3 caught stealing (2 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd), 3 reached on fielder's choice, 1 reached on forceout, 1 reached on fielding error, 1 reached on throwing error, 8 GIDP, 29 strikeouts (22 swinging, 7 looking), 21 first at bat hits, 140 total bases, 102 left on base, 100 putouts, 3 assists, 1 error, and 1 double play.
2018 season batting average: .306 (87-284)
OBP: .355
SLG: .493
OPS: .848
for more details about Michael's 2018 #s so far, please refer to my Brantley's 2018 #s Through June blog.
don't forget, as of this post, there are still SIX DAYS LEFT to vote for Michael to go to the All Star Game on July 17. according to the last updates (on June 26) from MLB Communications, he's currently in 5th place, two spots behind the 3rd OF starter, Aaron Judge. every vote counts, so if you haven't cast your ballots yet, please do! read HERE for tips and tricks!😉
if you don't want to wait to see all this Brantley news at the end of every month, then follow me on twitter @clevelandgirl23 because i tweet a lot of what ends up in here as it happens, such as hitting streaks and career highs. in addition, i live tweet Michael's plate appearances and post links to his hits and interviews he does. i've also been #CelebratingMichaelBrantley this year. every Monday, i post one of his most memorable moments from his career with the Indians, which spans all the way back to 2009. on occasion, i'll tweet something on a different day of the week if it's a special anniversary date of a big milestone. so keep following me for that, or you can search the hashtag and look back through the thread to see what i've spotlighted so far. go ahead and add your own favorite Michael memories and benchmarks, too!🎉
are you a part of my subscription list? if not, you can sign up by entering your email address in the box underneath the Blog Archive sidebar on the upper right side of this page. then you'll get notifications whenever i post something new on my site!📧
in case you missed it, the blogger platform no longer offers an option to post polls on my blog. nevertheless, i encourage you to post your predictions for the following in the comments:
what do you think Michael's batting average for the month of July will be?
how many HR will he hit?
how many RBI will he obtain?
also, how many wins do you think the Indians will have in July?💭
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