Brantley's July 2018 #s

hey, Brantley fam! i hope you're all doing well! first, as always, i want to take a minute to thank everyone who read any or all of my previous stats blogs, including Brantley's June 2018 #s, Brantley's 2018 #s Through June, and Brantley's First Half 2018 #s.🕮

secondly, i have to acknowledge my Top 3 viewer countries from the last month, those being the United States, France, and Russia.🥇🥈🥉 thanks so much for coming here to get all your Michael Brantley news! i'm so grateful for your views! if i didn't shout out your location, leave it in a comment below and let me know you stopped by!🌎 make sure you're sharing my blogs with your friends, family, and other Dr. Smooth fans because that will definitely help your chances of getting in my top 3 audiences next month!😉 

okay, now it's time to dissect Michael's July!

July Overview

Michael achieved some big milestones in his career this month. he acquired his 500th career RBI, scored his 500th career run, played in his 1,000th Major League game, and set a new career high with
his 27-game on-base streak at home. in addition, he was selected to the American League All Star team for the second straight year/third time overall and collected his first All Star Game RBI!

that's the good news about July. the bad news circles around how much difficulty Michael is having in certain situational categories. aside from the fact that he's currently in an 0-for-13 slump at the plate, he's 0-for-11 in 11 straight at bats with runners in scoring position, and he's just 1-for-9 against lefties over his last nine at bats. oof.

in regards to his July numbers, it was a tale of two halves. in the first 14 games before the All Star Break, between July 1-15, Michael bat .316 (18-for-57) with seven doubles, one home run, 12 RBI, 14 runs, four walks, and one stolen base. but then after the break, in 11 games from July 20-31, he bat .200 (9-for-45) with one double, one triple, one RBI, four runs, two walks, and one sac bunt.

drastic difference, no? (maybe he could have used that All Star "Break" that he didn't actually get...)

overall, Michael had a July batting average of .265. average-wise, this is the worst July of Michael's career, minus the 2010 season when he didn't play a full month. on the season, Michael's 2018 batting average currently stands at .295, 11 points lower than it was at the end of June. he no longer leads the team in batting average either thanks to his paltry second half start. hits don't add as many points to the BA as they did early in the year, so it's going to be really hard for Michael to get back over the .300 mark and stay there if he continues to have such spotty hitting and unfortunate struggles...😟

the month began with four games on the road, starting with the finale game of a three-gamer against the Oakland Athletics and three against the Kansas City Royals. Michael did well in the A's game, going 2-for-5 with one double, two RBI, and two runs. when the team played the Royals, Michael compiled three hits in 12 at bats with one double, two RBI, two runs, and one walk. the second ribbie in the third game of the series represented Michael's 500th career RBI, btw. he concluded the July portion of the road trip 5-for-17.

following a day off, the Tribe had a long 10-day homestand before the All Star Break. on the schedule were three games versus the Athletics, three versus the Cincinnati Reds, and four versus the New York Yankees. Michael hit three doubles and got one RBI while playing the A's, going 4-for-13 total. then during the Interleague affair, Michael put together a strong effort of four hits in 12 at bats with one double, three RBI, three runs, and one walk. finally, in the four games with the Yanks, Michael went 5-for-15 with one double, one home run, four RBI, five runs, two walks, and one stolen base. he finished 13-for-40 altogether at home.

Michael went straight to Washington, D.C., for the All Star Game once the series with the Yankees ended. after a flight delay, he and his other All Star teammates got into the District of Columbia around 11 pm. when Michael played in the Midsummer Classic on July 17, he went 1-for-2 for the American League team with a single and RBI sac fly, giving him his first career RBI in an All Star Game.

coming out of the break, the Indians played three games on the road against the Texas Rangers. Michael had a really rough time, going 2-for-13 with one double, one RBI, two runs, and one walk. he also reached on a fielder's choice twice. maybe the saddest of all was how he lost the team lead in batting average after the July 21 game. point-blank, it was not a good way to start his second half.

a three-game set at home with the Pittsburgh Pirates came next, aka, Interleague Play. ahh, Michael's favorite (detect the sarcasm). those Pirates were on a roll, quieting most of the Tribe's bats for two of the three contests. Michael was just 2-for-9 at the plate, hitting a mere two singles and his first sacrifice bunt since 2013. though he did regain the team lead in batting average on July 23, this was not a successful series and the timing of it was extremely unfortunate considering he didn't do well in Texas prior to this either.

the Tribe got a day off before heading out on a six-game road trip, but only five were played in July. they first had a three-game series with the Detroit Tigers before playing the first of two against the Minnesota Twins. the second game against the Tigers marked Michael's 1,000th career game in the majors. he went 5-for-14 in the series with one triple and two runs. he also had several opportunities to get some RBI, but sadly could not deliver, however. things were disturbingly worse when Michael wrapped up July with an 0-for-9 effort with one walk (and 10 left on base!) against the Twins. this team knows how to cool Michael's bat, that's for sure and it's such bad luck that the Indians once again had to play them to close out the month because after two hitless games, he's now 0-for his last 13 at bats! ahead of the finale game, Michael is 5-for-23 on the road so far.

it's apparent that Michael isn't playing at his highest level right now. he did so well before the All Star Break, so is it a simple case of he played the wrong teams at the wrong time post-break--tough Texas team, Pittsburgh Interleague, and his Achilles heel Minnesota? or, like i briefly suspected and then dismissed last month, is he playing through something? (i have another interesting thought about this, which you will see when you scroll down after the Areas of Concern section of this blog.) i'm hopeful this was just a rough patch and that he will come out of it soon. with two months left this year, i really want him to thrive and do his absolute best. forget about July, let's have a hot August!🤞

what were your favorite moments from Michael's July and what are your thoughts on his month as a whole? let me know in the comment section below!

You're #2

apparently, Terry Francona has settled on keeping Michael in the 2 spot because he got another full month batting #2 for the Tribe. while i'd still prefer to see him back at 3rd, i am happy that he's now the beneficiary of some consistency in the lineup.

BUT, remember how after he was moved to this spot in May, i was concerned that Michael might start sac bunting, because that's what 2 hole hitters do sometimes? from my May blog, i wrote: "Michael is not a sac bunter, and a lot of times, the guy in the 2 hole sacrifices himself by laying down a bunt to advance a runner. i hoped Tito wasn't expecting Michael to sac bunt on the regular now. he only had 11 sac bunts in his career, with the last coming in 2013. so i didn't want to see Michael change anything about his approach at the plate."

well, in the game on July 24, Michael hit his first sac bunt of the year and first since September 3, 2013! it moved Francisco Lindor from 2nd to 3rd base, but honestly, Michael could have just as easily advanced Lindor with a groundout or potentially even gotten a hit and RBI. i admittedly found that weird at the time. although now, with his recent troubles at the plate in general, maybe bunting more would be a good thing for him...

now let's get back to the Tribe's batting order. on a regular day, the Top 5 consists of Francisco Lindor, Michael Brantley, Jose Ramirez, Edwin Encarnacion, and Yonder Alonso. this changes, however, when the club is facing a left-handed starter. then, Brandon Guyer takes over the 5th spot in place of Alonso.

this month, there were two days when Encarnacion got the day off to rest his sore right hand, aka bone bruise, and so substitutions had to be made in those instances. Alonso bat 4th once with Melky Cabrera 5th, and the other time Yandy Diaz got the start batting cleanup.

now that you know where Michael bat and who the main guys were that he had batting behind him in the order, let's see how often he scored compared to how much he was left on base.

in July, Michael reached base a total of 37 times via hits, walks, fielding errors, and fielder's choices. he scored 18 runs for he month, 1 of which came from his own home run. so he was driven in by others 17 times and was left stranded 19 times. when Michael was getting on base, specifically before the break, his teammates behind him did a great job bringing him home. if only he can get back to reaching base on a regular basis, so the guys behind him can continue to drive him in. 

would you make any revisions to the lineup? let me know your ideal 1 through 9 in the comments!

Areas Of Concern

most of my AOCs are ones that i've already written about in my past monthlies, which means Michael hasn't been making progress in these areas. here they are:

the fact that Michael is having ongoing problems with RISP is disappointing. it's not even any one specific category anymore either, it's every situation. like, i can't believe how bad things have gotten here. he went 0-for-3 in each of his last three games this month. he's currently stuck in an 0-for-11 skid with runners in scoring position and went a measly 1-for-15 in the second half of July. i have no explanation for why he's turned into a non-clutch hitter, but it's maddeningly frustrating to be able to predict that, more often than not, he's going to strand that runner(s) at 2nd/3rd base.😬

i also need to express some concern over his hitting with runners on base in general. he hasn't been doing well there either, going hitless in his last 10 opportunities.

now let's talk about his inability to hit left-handed pitching. he literally only had three hits in 24 at bats this month. during one of the Tribe's games, when Michael was batting against a lefty, WTAM 1100 radio broadcaster Tom Hamilton declared that Michael hit lefties very well. um, not lately, unfortunately.

my last major concern is Michael's performance on the road. he actually did well away from Progressive Field in the first half of July, but once the break ended, he started struggling again, lucky to get one hit in a road contest. it's frustrating because i know he's so much better than what he's been showing lately.

i also want to mention his lack of outfield assists, as he had just one in July. but okay, i think i have it figured out. because i don't get to watch the games unless i go to them or they're being broadcast on a national channel, i haven't really been able to notice this but i have heard that Michael isn't running as well after his surgery and no longer has the range in left field as he once had. as much as i don't want to believe it, i guess that makes sense. and just like i no longer expect Michael to steal many bases, i won't expect him to rack up the assist totals he used to.🙁 

what are your concerns for Michael right now? tell me in the comments!

AOCs Due to BOP?

just a quick thought i had... what if Michael's problems stem from him batting 2nd? granted, when he began in the 2 hole on May 11, he did extremely well and went on that tremendous 19-game hitting streak. but in these past two months, he's been struggling and no matter how i try to put a positive spin on things, a large portion of his numbers prove that. he was never a great 2-hole hitter early in his career in the bigs, nor did he have a lot of experience there. but as he's gotten more seasons under his belt, it's now said that he can hit anymore in the lineup. well, maybe he can't. or maybe i'm just pulling at strings here because i'm desperately looking for an answer as to why he's all of the sudden performing poorly in certain areas. it was just a thought.🤷

what do you think? is his BOP the problem or no?

July Team Batting Winner

for a second straight month, Michael did not hit at the level we are used to. therefore, he was sadly not in the batting race for July.

the player who had the highest July batting average out of all the qualifiers on the team was Jose Ramirez with his .322 BA. the next closest average was .302, owned by Yonder Alonso. Michael's .265 batting average ranked 4th (out of 6) this month.

previous monthly batting average winners:

March/April - Jose Ramirez (.267)

May - Francisco Lindor (.373)

June - Jose Ramirez (.267)

Team Leads & Career Highs

in July, Michael led the team with 17 singles and 102 at bats. he was tied for the team lead with 25 games played. Michael also had the least amount of strikeouts among qualifying players with 7.

he was tied for 2nd on the team with 8 doubles, 1 triple, and 1 sac bunt.

in addition, he was 3rd with 27 hits, 18 runs and 110 plate appearances. he was tied for 3rd with 10 extra base hits and 1 sac fly.

he led the outfielders with 195.1 innings and 24 games played. he was 2nd with 39 putouts and tied for 3rd with 1 assist.

when going over my records of Michael's monthly stats, i learned that Michael set careers high for himself in July with 18 runs. he also had a career low 7 strikeouts.

HR:RBI Ratio, LOB, K Rate, and Outs

Michael only had 1 lone homer in July and that came in the final game before the All Star Break. lack of home runs were honestly the least of his worries this month, however. Jose Ramirez led the team in July with 8 homers and Francisco Lindor was right behind him with 7. Yonder Alonso had 6 long balls while Edwin Encarnacion had 5. Michael's 1 ranked tied for 8th.

this month, Michael finished with 13 RBI vs 38 men left on base. he was on fire in the first half of July, then fell flat after the break. he could have driven in so many runners just in the past three games alone, but sadly went 0-for-10 with runners on. this is a slump unlike any other i've seen from him. he's having serious trouble getting guys home when they're in scoring position and that's greatly taking a toll on his output. Ramirez led the Tribe with 25 RBI in July. Encarnacion had 22, while Alonso and Lindor both had 21. Michael's 13 ranked 5th.

the July HR:RBI ratio is as follows: Michael's 1 home run was a solo shot. therefore, 7.7% of his 13 RBI in July came from his solo homer/all of his home runs. this goes back to Michael not needing to be a big home run guy in order to drive runners in.

Michael's K rate in July was 6.4% (7 K/110 PA). he's presently striking out once every 15.7 plate appearances. that's fantastic.

in July, Michael had 38 groundouts, 14 flyouts, 10 lineouts, and 6 pop outs. as per ush, he continues to hit for contact more than often than not. and he's still grounding out at a much higher rate than he flies out, lines out, or pops out.

(reminder: the sortable player stats section on indians.com denotes outs differently from me in four 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 & fourth, likewise with the GIDPs, i do not count sac flies as flyouts or sac bunts as groundouts here. even though they are outs in a game [a sac fly is even counted in a slump!], they don't count against Michael in his game line because sac flies and sac bunts are considered plate appearances and not at bats.)

Streaks & Situational Statistics

Michael had a hit in 19 of the 25 games he played in July and reached base safely in 21 games. he had 6 hitless games, but still reached base in 2 of them. Michael had 8 multi-hit games, no three+ hit games, and 3 multi-RBI games. he had at least one RBI in 10 games. he also had 2 go-ahead hits and 2 go-ahead RBI this month. the Indians were 14-11 in games that Michael played in.

Michael had a career high 27-game on-base streak at home between May 1 - July 7. it spanned over May 1-3 (including a doubleheader on May 3), May 11-13, May 24-30, June 5-6, June 15-20, June 22-24, and July 6-7.

Michael had a modest 7-game hitting streak between June 30 - July 7. it spanned over June 30 - July 4 and July 6-7.

Michael had a 7-game on-base streak between June 30 - July 7 as well.

in July, Michael bat .308 (24-for-78) against right-handed pitchers and .125 (3-for-24) against left-handed pitchers. to say Michael had some issues with southpaws this month would be putting it mildly. he's usually a good hitter against either type of pitcher so this is a bit startling. one would have to assume this will fix itself and even out more eventually... right?

Michael bat .306 (15-for-49) with 8 RBI in all 13 of the 13 games at home. he hit safely in 10 of the 13 home games he played in and safely got on base in 10 of them as well. he was hitless in 3 home games and did not reach base in them. he had at least 1 RBI in 6 home games.

Michael bat .226 (12-for-53) with 5 RBI in all 12 of the 12 games away from Progressive Field. he hit safely in 9 of the 12 road games he played in and safely reached base in 11 of them. he was hitless in 3 road games, but still reached base in 2 of them. he had at least 1 RBI in 4 road games. Michael's road woes continue. i can't say much else about it because i have no explanation for this.

Michael hit .161 (5-for-31) with runners in scoring position, producing 10 RBI in July. breaking it down, he hit .182 (2-for-11) with RISP and 0 outs, .111 (1-for-9) with RISP and 1 out, and .182 (2-for-11) with RISP and 2 outs. i mean...🙈 i've never seen Michael have difficulty to this degree before when guys were on 2nd and/or 3rd base. it's mind-boggling and, quite frankly, sad. i really hope he can figure out a way to maybe take the pressure off himself in these situations because hitting here used to come with such ease for him. perhaps he realizes he's underperforming now and it's become a mental thing that he needs to conquer.

with 2 outs in an inning, Michael bat .286 (6-for-21). he had 2 doubles, 5 RBI, and 1 walk. this was an improvement and one of his best categories in July, so i'm not going to complain about this at all.

additionally, he bat .250 (11-for-44) with 12 RBI with runners on base and .667 (2-for-3) with 4 RBI with the bases loaded. it's an enigma to me how Michael hits best with runners on or in scoring position ONLY when the bases are loaded. otherwise, it hasn't been pretty lately.

Michael also bat .276 (16-for-58) with the bases empty. he hit 2 doubles, 1 triple, and 1 home run, giving him 1 RBI. he totaled 5 walks and 4 strikeouts (2 swinging, 2 looking) as well.

furthermore, Michael had a -0.1 fWAR (wins above replacement), a 85 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus--the ability to create runs compared to the league average), and a -0.3 BsR (baserunning runs above average with stolen bases and caught stealings) in July. his wRC+ ranked 10th and his WAR and BsR ranked 12th among 16 total qualifying American League left fielders. [these stats all came courtesy of fangraphs.com.]

Versus AL Central Division Teams

vs. the Kansas City Royals, Michael bat .250 (3-for-12) in 3 road games in July. the Indians went 3-0 in the games he played in. overall, Michael had 2 singles and 1 extra base hit--a double, as well as 2 RBI, 1 sac fly, 2 runs, 1 walk, 2 first at bat hits, and 4 total bases. he also grounded into 1 double play and left 5 men on base. furthermore, he had a .286 OBP, .333 SLG, and .619 OPS. in left field, Michael recorded 7 putouts while playing 25 innings, but only 2 complete games. he was subbed out defensively after 7 innings in 1 game because the Indians were winning a blowout. this wasn't his strongest series, but it was the one in which he got his 500th career RBI!

vs. the Detroit Tigers, Michael bat .357 (5-for-14) in 3 road games in July. the Indians went 2-1 in the games he played in. overall, Michael had 4 singles and 1 extra base hit--a triple, as well as 2 runs, 2 first at bat hits, and 7 total bases. he also had 2 strikeouts (1 looking, 1 swinging) and left 4 men on base. furthermore, he had a .357 OBP, .500 SLG, and .857 OPS. in left field, Michael recorded 3 putouts and acquired 1 assist while playing 24 innings, but only 2 complete games. he was subbed out defensively after 7 innings in 1 game because the Indians were winning a blowout. he got back to his typical solid hitting performance against this team this month, but it's unfortunate that every time he had a chance drive a runner home, he was unable to and therefore had zero RBI in this series. maybe his biggest accomplishment in this three-game set was that he played in his 1,000th MLB game. it was the perfect throwback to when Michael began his career, as that game also took place at Comerica Park.

vs. the Minnesota Twins, Michael bat .000 (0-for-9) in 2 road games in July. the Indians went 1-1 in the games he played in. overall, Michael had one walk. he also reached base on 1 fielder's choice, grounded into 1 double play, had 1 strikeout swinging, and left 10 men on base. furthermore, he had a .100 OBP, .000 SLG, and .100 OPS. in left field, Michael recorded 7 putouts while playing 17.1 innings/2 complete games. omg, this team has had Michael's number this year and that doesn't look to be changing any time soon because he's been unable to make the necessary adjustments. this is the second time now that we've played the Twins at the end of a month and it's caused him grief. his average just dipped below .300 for the first time since April 12 during this series. and the scary thing is, the Indians play Minny eight times in August, so Michael better figure out how to make some adjustments or those games are going to kill his overall stats. 

the Indians did not face the Chicago White Sox in July.

Interleague Play

in July, Michael played six games against two National League opponents, going 6-for-21 and batting .286 overall. his Interleague Play this month was looking great until that Pirates series in the second half.

vs. the Cincinnati Reds at Progressive Field, Michael bat .333 (4-for-12) in 3 home games in July. the Indians went 1-2 in the games he played in. overall, Michael had 3 singles, 1 extra base hit--a double, 3 RBI, 3 runs, 1 walk, 1 first at bat hit, and 5 total bases. he also reached base on 1 fielding error, had 1 strikeout looking, and left 2 men on base. furthermore, he had a .385 OBP, .417 SLG, and .801 OPS. in left field, Michael played 22 innings, but only 2 complete games. he was subbed out defensively after 4 innings in 1 game because the Indians were winning a blowout. he recorded 4 putouts as well. Michael had one bad game of the three, but when you look at the entire series, i can't be mad about this performance. (the Indians have one more series with this team at Great American Ball Park in August.)

vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates at Progressive Field, Michael bat .222 (2-for-9) in 3 home games in July. the Indians went 1-2 in the games he played in. overall, Michael had 2 singles, 1 sac bunt, and 2 total bases. he also had 1 strikeout swinging and left 1 man on base. furthermore, he had a .222 OBP, .222 SLG, and .444 OPS. in left field, Michael played 20 innings, but only 2 complete games. he was subbed out defensively after 5 innings in 1 game because the Indians were losing a blowout. he recorded 2 putouts as well. i knew this was going to be a difficult series for Michael because he'd only ever faced two out of all the guys on the Pirates' pitching staff. he's lucky he even got the two hits that he did. i'm really glad we don't have to play this team again lol

League Rankings

here's which of Michael's stats from July rank within the Top 10 among qualifying players around the league (per mlb.mlb.com/stats): 

among qualifying left fielders in the American League, Michael ranked 1st in doubles (8); tied for 1st in sac bunts (1); 2nd in at bats (102); tied for 2nd in runs (18) and games played (25); 3rd in extra base hits (10); tied for 3rd in plate appearances (110); 4th in total bases (40); tied for 4th in triples (1) and sac flies (1); 5th in hits (27) and singles (17); 6th in RBI (13); 7th in batting average (.265); tied for 7th in stolen bases (1); 9th in OPS (.695), and 10th in SLG (.392). Michael also ranked tied for 16th out of 16 players in strikeouts (7), meaning he was tied for the hardest left fielder in the AL to strike out in July. 

among qualifying outfielders in the American League, Michael was tied for 2nd in doubles; 3rd in at bats; tied for 3rd in games played; tied for 4th in sac bunts and plate appearances; tied for 5th in runs; tied for 6th in sac flies; tied for 7th in hits; and tied for 8th in singles and triples. plus, he was tied for the hardest AL OF to K out of 34 players.

among qualifying players in the American League, Michael ranked 4th in at bats, tied for 5th in games played, tied for 6th in doubles, tied for 8th in sac bunts, and tied for 10th in plate appearances. he also ranked tied for 91st out of 94 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 1st in sac bunts, tied for 2nd in doubles, tied for 3rd in runs, 5th in at bats, tied for 5th in sac flies and games played, tied for 6th in triples, tied for 7th in plate appearances, tied for 8th in singles, tied for 9th in hits and extra base hits, and tied for 10th in total bases. he was also tied for 37th out of 37 players in strikeouts, or tied for the hardest to K among MLB left fielders this month.

among all qualifying outfielders in the Major Leagues, Michael ranked tied for 4th in doubles, tied for 5th in sac bunts, 6th in at bats, tied for 6th in games played, tied for 9th in plate appearances, and tied for 10th in sac flies and runs. Michael was also tied for 78th out of 78 players in strikeouts, tied for the toughest MLB outfielder to strike out. 

among all qualifying players in the Major Leagues, Michael was tied for 9th in doubles and at bats. Michael's strikeouts were also tied for 183rd out of 187, making him tied for the 5th toughest player to K in all of baseball in the month of July.

July Standout Games, Spotlights, & Quotes

Michael started the month out strong on July 1 when he went 2-for-5 in the game against the Oakland Athletics. his first hit came in the top of the 1st inning with 1 out and no score. facing right-handed pitcher Frankie Montas, Michael hit a sharp line drive double to center field after a 1-0 count. he later came around to score the go-ahead run on Edwin Encarnacion's single to right field.

Michael got his second hit when the bases were loaded with Jason Kipnis at 3rd base, Tyler Naquin at 2nd base, and Francisco Lindor at 1st base in the top of the 8th inning. the Tribe already had a 7-3 lead when Michael came to bat against righty Josh Lucas with 1 out. he took a called strike before he evened the count at 1. then on the next pitch, Michael hit a 2-run ground ball single into right field after it was deflected by A's 1st baseman, Matt Olson. he also scored after Yonder Alonso hit a single to center field.

Lindor did the postgame on-field interview with in-game SportsTime Ohio reporter Andre Knott, and Knott asked him about how Michael helps with adjustments for the offense. from a FOX Sports Ohio youtube video, Lindor replied, "he uh, he made some adjustments. uh, from what i saw, i think he made, he had more rhythm in his last um, 5, 6 at bats, and that's why he was successful. he's one of the best hitters in the league. um, and that's what he's capable of doing. and he's capable of making the adjustments that quick and turn around and help us win."

in addition, Taylor Ringold uploaded an interview with Kipnis to his youtube channel on this date that was all about Michael. however, i'm positive this was recorded earlier in the season based on the "highest batting average of his career so far" comment. pretty sure it's from the Minnesota Twins series in April (in Puerto Rico) actually. Kip was mostly asked about Michael's health and his performance when healthy. here are some of his quotes:

"as long as we keep him on the field, he's literally one of the best hitters in the league."

"when he stays on the field, he's extraordinary."

"when he's healthy, he's one of the better luxuries to have in this game."

"you don't want to ever label someone injury-prone when they've been kinda freak accidents to happen to him."

on July 4, Michael reached a nice milestone in his career when he acquired his 500th RBI overall in the game against the Kansas City Royals. it came in the top of the 1st inning with no score, no outs, and Lindor at 2nd base. on the 5th pitch of a 1-2 count from righty Trevor Oaks, Michael hit a line drive double to right field that scored Lindor. the pitch sequence went: called strike (Lindor, who'd started the AB at 1st base stole 2nd on this pitch), foul into the right field front row seats, ball, foul down the left side, double. i wrote a special blog for the occasion, aptly called Brantley Acquires 500th Career RBI! check it out for more details.

aside from getting his 500th RBI, Michael also had his first go-ahead hit and go-ahead RBI since May 24, which for him was 36 games ago! he later scored a run--his 499th career run, btw--on Encarnacion's RBI sac fly to center field.

Michael additionally got on base when he drew a walk in the top of the 8th inning in his fourth plate appearance with the Indians up, 3-2. he led off the inning against left-hander Tim Hill and after a full count, he took ball 4. the pitch sequence went: foul bunt, ball, ball, foul tip, ball, ball.

before the game versus the Athletics on July 6, Terry Francona was asked what he thought about Michael's first half so far. according to Jordan Bastian's Pregame Minutiae blog on bastian.mlblogs.com, Tito said, "as long as he stays healthy, he'll play every day. give him that day off once a month and just wind him up, let him go play. not to be corny or anything, but it's part of what makes our job so much fun is when you get guys like that and we seem to have a pretty good number of guys that are in that category. he cares so much about doing the right thing and as he's grown, has a voice that's able to communicate with other guys on right and wrong. he's a pretty special kid."

Joe Noga's article on cleveland.com contained an excerpt about Michael, noting that his batting average has been above .300 every day since April 17 and that he'd hit safely in 78.4% of the games he'd played (or 58 of 74 through July 4), which was the 3rd highest percentage among qualifying MLB hitters. Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros ranked first at 81.2% and J.T. Realmuto of the Miami Marlins was second at 80.6%.

SportsTime Ohio posted a short video of Michael in the batting cage prior to the contest on their twitter page.

during the game, Michael went 2-for-4 with two doubles and another special occurrence in his career took place. it materialize in the bottom of the 3rd inning, with 1 out, Lindor at 1st, and the Tribe down, 2-1. on a 1-1 pitch from right-hander Paul Blackburn, Michael hit a line drive double to left field that A's left fielder Mark Canha dove for, but was nowhere near catching. that gave Michael a 26-game on-base streak at home, extending the record he set in June. the pitch sequence went: pitchout (ball 1), pickoff attempt at 1st, foul outside 1st base, double.

Michael soon after scored on Ramirez's 2-run double to right field, and that not only marked the go-ahead run of the game, but also the 500th run scored of Michael's career. that's nice for Michael and all, but i don't get that hyped up about runs because i don't think it's a very exciting stat. let me explain. unless a player is planning on hitting 500 home runs, he doesn't have a lot of control over his runs scored total. that's mainly dependent on his teammates, and Michael has definitely been stuck with some guys batting behind him who've left him stranded more than they've driven him in over the years. so yeah, 500 is nice, but he should have notched this way before his 10th year/983rd game in the big leagues. just sayin'.

later, in the bottom of the 5th inning with Lindor at 1st, no outs, and the Tribe up, 4-3, Michael hit a sharp line drive to center field for an RBI double that chased Blackburn from the game. the RBI double came on a full count with the pitch sequence being: pickoff attempt at 1st, ball, ball, pickoff attempt, foul left side, foul 1st base side, pickoff attempt, double. according to T.J. Zuppe, Michael confusedly looked out towards center field where home run fireworks went off for Michael's double lol

photo courtesy of John Kuntz via cleveland.com

photo courtesy of @SportsTimeOhio on twitter

Michael scored his second run of the night on Encarnacion's RBI sac fly to left field.

after the game, Zack Meisel tweeted that Michael said this was the first time he'd been recognized with fireworks for hitting a double: "it scared me. that was just like the time they did fireworks for the opposing team, for Alex Rios. it was funny."

Michael got himself another multi-hit game on July 7 versus the Athletics. in his first at bat in the bottom of the 1st inning with Lindor at 1st base, no outs, and no score, Michael hit a line drive double to left field off righty Edwin Jackson after a 2-1 count. that extended his record to a 27-game on-base streak at home. the pitch sequence went: called strike, ball, ball, pickoff attempt, double.

with the game tied at 3 in the bottom of the 9th, Michael hit a 2-out single. right-hander Lou Trivino was on the mound and after a called strike, Michael sent a line drive to left field.

photo courtesy of David Petkiewicz via cleveland.com

unfortunately, Michael went 0-for-4 on July 8 versus the A's. therefore, his new career high stands at a 27-game on-base streak at home.

later in the evening though, during ESPN's All Star Selection Show, Michael was named as an American League All Star outfield reserve after being voted in by his peers. so, it ended up being a good day for him after all. it was Michael's second straight All Star selection and third overall in his career! i wrote a special blog about it with lots of quotes from Michael here.

on July 9, Michael went 2-for-4 in the game versus the Cincinnati Reds. with 2 outs in the bottom of the 3rd inning and the Tribe down, 1-0, Michael hit a ground ball single to center field off righty Anthony DeSclafani after a 1-2 count. the pitch sequence went: foul outside the bag at 1st, ball, swinging strike, single.

later in the bottom of the 9th inning, the Indians were down, 7-4 when Michael came to the plate with Greg Allen at 1st base and 2 outs. the Reds' closer RHP Raisel Iglesias was pitching and Michael swung on his first offering, which resulted in a sharp line drive double to center field that scored Allen.

he also drew a 1-out walk after a full count from DeSclafani in the bottom of the 1st inning.

prior to the game, Michael spoke to the media and was asked about his time spent with the Columbus Clippers. you can watch that short video clip on The Columbus Dispatch's youtube channel if you like.

Michael had a multi-hit, multi-RBI, and multi-run game on July 11 versus the Reds. it began in his first at bat in the bottom of the 1st inning with 1 out and no score. facing right-hander Tyler Mahle, he hit a sharp line drive single to center field after a 1-0 count.

he later scored on Ramirez's 2-run home run to right field.

Michael next led off the bottom of the 3rd inning with the Indians up, 2-0. after a called strike from Mahle, Michael hit a ground ball to 1st base that Joey Votto booted, and Michael was able to reach 2nd base on the fielding error. he scored again when Alonso singled to center field.

he got another at bat in the bottom of the 3rd with 2 outs and the bases loaded. Yan Gomes was at 3rd base, Naquin was at 2nd, and Lindor was at 1st. the Indians had a 6-0 lead when he stepped to the plate against righty Tanner Rainey. down in the count, 0-2, Michael hit a ground ball single to center field that scored Gomes and Naquin. the pitch sequence went: called strike (which wasn't a strike), swinging strike (he likely swung to the botched call on the previous pitch), single.

photo courtesy of @IndiansUmp on twitter

photo courtesy of @SportsTimeOhio on twitter

then Michael scored his third run of the night when Ramirez hit a 3-run homer to right.

in the game versus the New York Yankees on July 13, Michael got on base three times in five chances, going 2-for-4. he drew a walk in his first plate appearance with Lindor at 2nd base, no outs, and no score in the bottom of the 1st after a full count from righty Domingo German. the pitch sequence went: ball, ball, pickoff attempt at 1st, pickoff attempt, foul to the left, foul to the left, ball (on which Lindor stole 2nd), ball.

then in his second trip to the plate in the bottom of the 2nd inning, Gomes was at 3rd, Lindor was at 1st, and the Indians had a 2-0 lead with 2 outs. after fouling off German's first pitch at the plate, he hit a 2-run, line drive double to the gap in right-center field!

he led off the bottom of the 5th with the Tribe clinging to a 4-3 lead and on the 6th pitch of a 2-2 count, he hit a ground ball single to right field. here's how German's sequence went: called strike, ball, foul at home, ball, fouled at home plate, single.

he later scored a run on Ramirez's line drive triple to right field.

photo courtesy of John Kuntz via cleveland.com

before the game versus the Yankees on July 14, a new Hey, Hoynsie was published on cleveland.com. Paul Hoynes addressed a fan question about which free agents might receive a qualifying offer from the Indians this offseason. Hoynsie speculated Michael (among the others) will leave the Indians this winter through free agency, though injuries may limit his offers. he'd consider making Brant a qualified offer because he doesn't think Michael would take it. Hoynsie then remarks how last winter's free agent freeze could possibly convince him (among others) to take the one-year deal in the $18 million range as opposed to spending months on the open market and then perhaps taking a reduced contract. i actually think some team will pay Michael what he's worth and that he won't hesitate to take it and leave Cleveland.

to my surprise, Michael was in the starting lineup despite CC Sabathia being the Yanks' starter and Michael being 1-for-15 lifetime against him. but he got his second career base hit off Sabathia after an 0-2 count with 1 out and the Tribe down, 4-2, in the bottom of the 6th inning.

he later scored on Brandon Guyer's 2-run single to 3rd. he also got an RBI groundout on a 1-0 count in the bottom of the 3rd inning with Erik Gonzalez at 3rd base, 1 out, and the Indians behind, 3-1.

preceding the game versus the Yankees on July 15, the Cleveland Indians who were chosen to be part of this year's All Star Game received their All Star workout jerseys. (Trevor Bauer isn't in the picture because he was in the bullpen warming up for his start.)

photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter

later on, Michael hit his first home run since June 11. the game was tied at 2 when he led off the bottom of the 8th inning in his final at bat of the day. after taking a called strike from right-hander Chad Green, he hit a long fly ball to deep right-center field to put the Indians ahead, 3-2!

photos courtesy of Joshua Gunter via cleveland.com

according to MLBBarrelAlert, Michael hit Green's 94.5 mph four-seamer a distance of 387 feet at 99.9 mph. the ball also had a 31 degree launch angle.

photo courtesy of @MLBBarrelAlert on twitter

the homer was posted in a second, Must C video on mlb.com/indians as well, with commentary from WTAM 1100 radio announcer, Tom Hamilton.

following the game, Michael was interviewed on the field by Jensen Lewis. from the video on FOX Sports Ohio's youtube, he spoke about his approach during his 8th inning at bat. "he's a great pitcher. uh, you know, he throws a lot of fastballs. i just tried to get something out over the plate and put a good swing on it, i'm not trying to do too much and uh, just stay within myself and, lucky enough, barely got out, barely got out, but, you know, it gave us the lead and, you know, the boys came out and put up better at bats after myself and we got a win."

what does it mean to have another big hit for this team and then represent them in Washington, D.C.? "it means everything. you know, all the hard work you put in the offseason, all the hard work you put in behind those closed doors when no one's watching and uh, you know, thank you to my teammates for even getting me there and then thank you for my teammates for pushing me every day to get better."

what's the emotion like knowing that five guys are going with him? "that's a awesome feeling. i was so pumped for Yan [Gomes] last night when they announced [that he made the AL All Star team as a reserve]. uh, i mean i got goosebumps for him. uh, but just to be there with all your boys and enjoy it, and embrace it, uh, it's gonna be fun. it's gonna be special. i'm glad to be a part of it."

Michael talked about his homer more in Casey Harrison's postgame article on mlb.com/indians. "you know how good the Yankees' bullpen is, how good Green is. you just try to really stay within yourself. i got a pitch out over the plate, put a good swing on it and was lucky to give us the lead."

"the ball caught a little bit too much of the plate," Green explained. "[Brantley] put a good swing on it."

on July 17, Michael played in the third All Star Game of his career. this Midsummer Classic in particular took place at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., making the American League the road team. because Michael was an OF reserve, he began the game on the bench before being subbed into left field for the bottom of the 6th inning. he played a total of 5 innings and went 1-for-2 at the plate with a single and RBI sac fly. for all the details about his time in the nation's capital, media interviews, pictures, and results of his plate appearances in the ASG, check out the special blog i wrote to commemorate the occasion: Brantley's 2018 All Star Game Experience & #s (w/ Pics & Quotes).

Michael did not start the second half on a very good note, going 0-for-6 in 11 innings against the Texas Rangers on July 20. ouch. the last time he went 0-for-6 was back on July 24, 2014 in a 12-inning game against the Kansas City Royals. this marked only the third time in Michael's career that he went hitless in six at bats.

the next day, on July 21 against the Rangers, Michael went 1-for-3 with an RBI single, two runs, and a walk. (he reached on a fielder's choice once as well.)

photo courtesy of Jim Cowsert via Associated Press

because the Indians were up, 9-0, and it was 107 degrees in Texas, Francona decided to sub out Michael after the top of the 6th inning. therefore, Michael finished the game with a season batting average of .303. Ramirez was subbed out at this time, too, and his average was .304. it was the first time since Michael became qualifying player on May 11 that he no longer led the team in BA after holding the title for 71 days. this .303 average was also the lowest it'd been since April 12, which was only the sixth game of Michael's 2018 campaign.

Michael took the lead back from Ramirez after the game on July 23 versus the Pittsburgh Pirates when he went 1-for-3 with a single.

coming into the July 24 game, Michael had 66 hits at home for the year, which were the most in the majors, according to Chris Assenheimer's article on chroniclet.com. in the game versus the Pirates, Michael hit his first sac bunt of the season. it came in the bottom of the 1st inning with Lindor at 2nd base and the Tribe down, 2-0. on right-hander Joe Musgrove's first pitch, Michael bunted up between the 3rd baseline and the mound and was thrown out at 1st, but Lindor advanced to 3rd base.

photos courtesy of Chuck Crow via cleveland.com

i was confused that Michael would sacrifice himself, but then thought maybe he figured he would bunt his way on, but got thrown out. it was just odd to me because prior to this, Michael hadn't hit a sac bunt since September 3, 2013! he hit two groundouts in his next two ABs before being subbed out defensively for the top of the 6th because the Indians were getting blown out.

also on this date, i heard Michael changed his walk up song to Jay Z's "Public Service Announcement." by my count, that's the fourth song he's walked up to this year. normally, he sticks with one song for an entire season. the constant changing of his music almost emulates how his year has gone back and forth and up and down...

Michael got his first multi-hit game since July 13 on July 27 against the Detroit Tigers, when he went 2-for-5. his first hit came in the top of the 3rd inning with 2 outs and no score. following a called strike, ball, and another ball from right-handed pitcher Mike Fiers, Michael hit a line drive single to left field.

hit number two transpired when Michael led off the top of the 8th inning against righty Joe Jimenez with the game tied at 3. on the 8th pitch of a 2-2 count, Michael sent a ground ball single to center field. the pitch sequence went: ball, called strike (should have been a ball), foul off to the right, ball, foul back, foul back, foul 3rd base side, single.

photo courtesy of @SportsTimeOhio on twitter

he later scored on Alonso's line drive RBI single to left field.

Michael also acquired an outfield assist in the bottom of the 5th, which i described down in the In The Field section of this blog.

Michael played his 1,000th Major League game on July 28 against the Tigers, making him the 30th Tribe player in club history to play 1,000 games. he went 2-for-4 with two singles. i wrote a separate blog with details of all Michael's at bats in a commemorative post entitled Brantley's 1,000th Major League Game!

before the game, however, Bastian decided to point out how Michael, "the guy everyone was worried about being able to stay on the field," has led all Indians outfielders in innings over the past two seasons. i was quick to let him know that not everyone was worried.😤

photo courtesy of @MLBastian on twitter

in the game on July 29 against the Tigers, Michael went 1-for-5, but his one hit was one that got the game going. in the top of the 1st inning with 1 out and no score, he hit a sharp line drive to center field after a 3-1 count from right Jordan Zimmermann, good for a triple. not good enough for Hammy, however, because after the at bat, he told radio listeners that if that had been Bradley Zimmer running, it would be 1-0 Indians. why was that even necessary? you can't just be glad that Michael hit his second triple of the season? the pitch sequence went: ball, foul to the left, ball, ball, triple.

photo courtesy of Paul Sancya via Associated Press

Hammy proceeded to remark how Michael doesn't run like he used to, a comment he'd already made earlier in this series. you know, instead of dwelling on how Michael's gait isn't what it used to be, maybe Hammy and everyone else should simply be happy that he's the most productive Indians outfielder on the team offensively and that he hasn't suffered any injuries this year, unlike most of the rest of the OFs. jesus christ, Hammy pissed me off with this.😠

Michael later scored on Ramirez's sac fly to center field.

when the game against the Minnesota Twins ended on July 30 and Michael finished his night going a dreadful 0-for-5 (and 0-for-3 with RISP), he had a season batting average of .298. it was the first time since April 12 (his sixth game of 2018) that he owned a BA below .300. i don't know what it is about these Twins, but Michael just cannot hit their pitching this year. bad team to end a month against...

following a 0-for-4 performance against the Twins on July 31 (though he did reach base on a walk and forceout), Michael not only concluded the month on an 0-for-11 skid with runners in scoring position, but he's now in an 0-for-13 slump overall. oh and he lost the team lead in batting average to Ramirez once again (.295 BA vs. .298) as well. ouch.

a run did score on his bases-loaded GIDP in the top of the 3rd inning, but he didn't get credited for an RBI on that play, unfortunately. this was Michael's worst game of the year in terms of stranding runners, as he left seven men on base.😮

In Indians History

after the game versus the Cincinnati Reds on July 11, the Indians boasted the most players on one team in MLB with at least 50 RBI. the five players were Jose Ramirez (65), Edwin Encarnacion (62), Francisco Lindor (59), Michael Brantley (52), and Yonder Alonso (51). no other club had more than three batters with that number of ribbies. the last time an Indians team had five players with 50 RBI before the All Star Break was in 1999. that quintet consisted of Robbie Alomar, David Justice, Manny Ramirez, Richie Sexson, and Jim Thome. (source: Ryan Milowicki.)

also, in the game against the Detroit Tigers on July 28, Michael became the 30th Indians player in franchise history to play 1,000 MLB games with the club, according to Tom Hamilton on WTAM 1100's radio broadcast. i wrote a special blog detailing the milestone here.

In The Field

in July, Michael recorded 39 putouts and 1 assist in 40 total chances to give him a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage as the left fielder.

Michael got his one assist in July (and fourth of the year) against the Detroit Tigers on July 27. it occurred when Jeimer Candelario led off the bottom of the 5th inning with the game tied at 2. he faced Indians starter Carlos Carrasco, and after a 1-2 count, he hit a fly ball single to shallow left field. as Michael ran in to field the ball, Candelario tried to stretch his single into a double, though Jim Rosenhaus said on the WTAM 1100 radio broadcast that he made the turn with some hesitation. once Michael had the ball, he set his feet and threw a strike in to 2nd baseman Jason Kipnis, who applied the tag on Candelario for out #1.💪

"instead of a man on second with nobody out, they've got nobody on and one out," Terry Francona stated in Jordan Bastian's postgame article on mlb.com/indians. "that's a great throw and a good tag." 

Michael displayed some very nice defense in the game versus the Cincinnati Reds on July 10. it came in the top of the 9th inning with 1 out and the Tribe up, 4-0. Scooter Gennett was at 2nd base, Eugenio Suarez was at 1st, and Tucker Barnhart was facing Cody Allen. Barnhart sent a 1-2 pitch high and deep to left field. Michael tracked it and made a running catch on the warning track just before the wall for out #2 and quickly threw the ball in as the runners retreated back to their bases.

while running catches are nice, diving catches are nicer. in the game on July 15 versus the New York Yankees, Michael showed everyone that he's not afraid to test his shoulder to make a play. Neil Walker led off the top of the 7th inning with the game tied at 2. after a 2-1 count from Indians starter Trevor Bauer, Walker hit a liner to left which Michael ran in for and caught on a dive, robbing Walker of extra bases in a pivotal point in the game.👏

now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his July #s, the 2nd spot #s, and the DH #s, as well as the left field #s, BOP + left field #s, and overall outfield #s.

July batting average: .265

OBP: .303

SLG: .392

OPS: .695

Michael played in 25 (of 25) games, 19 complete, in July.

he started and played left field in 24 games, completing 18 of those games, appearing in 24 total.

he was subbed out defensively in 6 games after playing a total of 35 innings; 5 games after playing a total of 30 innings (7 innings/7 innings/4 innings/5 innings/7 innings per game) because the Indians were winning a blowout, and 1 game after 5 innings because the Indians were losing a blowout.

he was the DH in 1 game.

Michael bat 2nd in 25 games.

Michael played left field in 24 games. (18 complete, 6 subbed out: 35 innings)

Michael was the DH in 1 game.

Michael played in 19 complete games.

in July, Michael had a total of 110 plate appearances and 102 at bats in 25 games. here is how he fared:

27 hits

10 extra base hits

17 singles

8 doubles

1 triple

1 home run

13 RBI

1 sac fly

18 runs

6 walks

1 stolen base (2nd)

3 reached on fielder's choice

1 reached on fielding error

1 sac bunt

4 GIDP

7 strikeouts (5 swinging, 2 looking)

8 first at bat hits

40 total bases

38 left on base

39 putouts

1 assist

195.1 innings, 25 games

(19 complete games)

July batting average: .265 (27-102) (25 games)

now let's break down his numbers based on where he hit in the lineup.

when Michael bat 2nd in July, he had a total of 110 plate appearances and 102 at bats in 25 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

27 hits

10 extra base hits

17 singles

8 doubles

1 triple

1 home run

13 RBI

1 sac fly

18 runs

6 walks

1 stolen base (2nd)

3 reached on fielder's choice

1 reached on fielding error

1 sac bunt

4 GIDP

7 strikeouts (5 swinging, 2 looking)

8 first at bat hits

40 total bases

38 left on base

39 putouts

1 assist

195.1 innings, 25 games

(19 complete games)

July batting average in the 2nd spot: .265 (27-102) (25 games)

when Michael bat 2nd and played left in July, he had a total of 106 plate appearances and 98 at bats in 24 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

27 hits

10 extra base hits

17 singles

8 doubles

1 triple

1 home run

13 RBI

1 sac fly

18 runs

6 walks

1 stolen base (2nd)

3 reached on fielder's choice

1 reached on fielding error

1 sac bunt

4 GIDP

6 strikeouts (4 swinging, 2 looking)

8 first at bat hits

40 total bases

38 left on base

39 putouts

1 assist

195.1 innings, 24 games

(18 complete games)

July batting average in the 2nd spot while playing left: .276 (27-98) (24 games)

when Michael bat 2nd and was the DH in July, he had a total of 4 plate appearances and 4 at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

0 hits

1 strikeout swinging

(1 complete game)

July batting average in the 2nd spot as the DH: .000 (0-4) (1 game)

when Michael was the DH in July, he had a total of 4 plate appearances and 4 at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

0 hits

1 strikeout swinging

(1 complete game)

July batting average as the DH: .000 (0-4) (1 game)

when Michael played the outfield in July, he had a total of 106 plate appearances and 98 at bats in 24 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

27 hits

10 extra base hits

17 singles

8 doubles

1 triple

1 home run

13 RBI

1 sac fly

18 runs

6 walks

1 stolen base (2nd)

3 reached on fielder's choice

1 reached on fielding error

1 sac bunt

4 GIDP

6 strikeouts (4 swinging, 2 looking)

8 first at bat hits

40 total bases

38 left on base

39 putouts

1 assist

195.1 innings, 24 games

(18 complete games)

July batting average while playing the outfield: .276 (27-98) (24 games)

now let's break down his numbers specific to where he played in the outfield.

when Michael played left field in July, he had a total of 106 plate appearances and 98 at bats in 24 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

27 hits

10 extra base hits

17 singles

8 doubles

1 triple

1 home run

13 RBI

1 sac fly

18 runs

6 walks

1 stolen base (2nd)

3 reached on fielder's choice

1 reached on fielding error

1 sac bunt

4 GIDP

6 strikeouts (4 swinging, 2 looking)

8 first at bat hits

40 total bases

38 left on base

39 putouts

1 assist

195.1 innings, 24 games

(18 complete games)

July batting average while playing left field: .276 (27-98) (24 games)

July #s while playing left field: 39 putouts, 1 assist, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (195.1 innings, 24 games)

July #s while playing the outfield: 39 putouts, 1 assist, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (195.1 innings, 24 games)

now here are my game-by-game numbers and notes.

Game 1 of 1/Game 71 of 82, July 1: 2-5, double (first at bat), run, 2-run single, run. AVG: .308

[2nd/LF/GS7]

Game 2 of 2/Game 72 of 83, July 2: 1-4, RBI sac fly, single. AVG: .307

[2nd/LF/GS7]

Game 3 of 3/Game 73 of 84, July 3: 1-5, single (first at bat), run. AVG: .305

[2nd/LF/CG9]

Game 4 of 4/Game 74 of 85, July 4: 1-3, RBI double (first at bat), run, walk. AVG: .306

[2nd/LF/CG9] 

^^Michael acquires 500th career RBI^^

Game 5 of 5/Game 75 of 86, July 6: 2-4, double, run, RBI double, run. AVG: .308

[2nd/LF/CG9]

Game 6 of 6/Game 76 of 87, July 7: 2-5, double (first at bat), single. AVG: .310

[2nd/LF/CG11]

**Michael's career high 27-game on-base streak at home ends**

Game 7 of 7/Game 77 of 88, July 8: 0-4. AVG: .306

[2nd/DH/CG]

Game 8 of 8/Game 78 of 89, July 9: 2-4, walk (first plate appearance), single, RBI double. AVG: .308

[2nd/LF/CG9]

Game 9 of 9/Game 79 of 90, July 10: 0-4. AVG: .304

[2nd/LF/CG9]

Game 10 of 10/Game 80 of 91, July 11: 2-4, single (first at bat), run, reached 2nd base on fielding error, run, 2-run single, run. AVG: .307

[2nd/LF/GS4]

Game 11 of 11/Game 81 of 92, July 12: 1-4, single, stolen base (2nd), run. AVG: .306

[2nd/LF/CG9]

Game 12 of 12/Game 82 of 93, July 13: 2-4, walk (first plate appearance), 2-run double, single, run. AVG: .308

[2nd/LF/CG9]

Game 13 of 13/Game 83 of 94, July 14: 1-4, RBI groundout, single, run. AVG: .308

[2nd/LF/CG9]

Game 14 of 14/Game 84 of 95, July 15: 1-3, walk, run, home run, run. AVG: .308

[2nd/LF/CG9]

2018 All Star Game, July 17: 1-2, single (first at bat), RBI sac fly. AVG: .500

[leadoff/LF: B6-B10/6-GF(10)]

^^Michael came into the game as a defensive substitution in left field in the bottom of the 6th inning and stayed in for the remainder of the game, playing 5 total innings. (the game went 10 innings.)^^

Game 15 of 15/Game 85 of 96, July 20: 0-6, reached on fielder's choice. AVG: .303

[2nd/LF/CG11]

Game 16 of 16/Game 86 of 97, July 21: 1-3, reached on fielder's choice (first at bat), RBI single, run, walk, run. AVG: .303

[2nd/LF/GS5]

Game 17 of 17/Game 87 of 98, July 22: 1-4, double (first at bat). AVG: .302

[2nd/LF/CG8]

Game 18 of 18/Game 88 of 99, July 23: 1-3, single. AVG: .303

[2nd/LF/CG6]

Game 19 of 19/Game 89 of 100, July 24: 0-2, sac bunt (first plate appearance). AVG: .301

[2nd/LF/GS5]

Game 20 of 20/Game 90 of 101, July 25: 1-4, single. AVG: .300

[2nd/LF/CG9]

Game 21 of 21/Game 91 of 102, July 27: 2-5, single, single, run. AVG: .302

[2nd/LF/CG9]

Game 22 of 22/Game 92 of 103, July 28: 2-4, single (first at bat), single. AVG: .304

[2nd/LF/CG8]

^^Michael plays in 1,000th Major League Game^^

Game 23 of 23/Game 93 of 104, July 29: 1-5, triple (first at bat), run. AVG: .302
[2nd/LF/GS7]

Game 24 of 24/Game 94 of 105, July 30: 0-5. AVG: .298
[2nd/LF/CG8.1]

Game 25 of 25/Game 95 of 106, July 31: 0-4, walk (first plate appearance), reached on fielder's choice. AVG: .295
[2nd/LF/CG9]

so far in 2018, Michael has 420 plate appearances and 386 at bats in 95 games (740.2 innings). in total, he has 114 hits, 40 extra base hits, 74 singles, 26 doubles, 2 triples, 12 home runs (2 grand slams), 57 RBI, 4 sac flies, 59 runs, 27 walks, 2 hit by pitches, 6 stolen bases (2nd), 3 caught stealing (2 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd), 6 reached on fielder's choice, 1 reached on forceout, 2 reached on fielding error, 1 reached on throwing error, 1 sac bunt, 12 GIDP, 36 strikeouts (27 swinging, 9 looking), 29 first at bat hits, 180 total bases, 140 left on base, 139 putouts, 4 assists, 1 error, and 1 double play.

2018 season batting average: .295 (114-386)

OBP: .341

SLG: .466

OPS: .808

for more details about Michael's 2018 #s so far, please refer to my Brantley's 2018 #s Through July blog.

keep following me on twitter @clevelandgirl23 for all your MB news, including fun facts and stats. i'm still live tweeting all of Michael's trips to the plate every game as well. and i hope you've been checking out my #CelebratingMichaelBrantley series. i'm gonna be getting around to some very special moments from Michael's early days in the majors soon. click on the hashtag to pull up the entire thread of what's been spotlighted so far. i post something every Monday religiously, and i also tweet bonus posts on certain anniversary dates. feel free to make your own contributions to the thread with your own personal memories of Michael and/or adds comments to anything you like!🎉

if you're not already on my subscription list, now is the perfect time to join! simply enter your email address in the box underneath the Blog Archive sidebar over on the upper right side of the page and you'll be all set up to receive notifications in your inbox when i post new content!📧

want to make some predictions for August in the comment section? (blogger doesn't allow poll gadgets on their site anymore.) take a guess on these:

what will Michael's batting average be? (use a 10-point range if you like)

how many HR will he hit and how many RBI will he acquire?

how many games will the Indians win next month?💭