For as well as I thought April went, May was extremely disappointing.
The month started getting swept in two two-game series; first against the Cubs then the Diamondbacks. The Expos then won 2 of 3 against the expansion Las Vegas team, were swept in three games against the Nationals, won 1 of 3 versus the Braves, and split a two-game series 1-1 against the Padres.
It was at this point that Montes De Oca, my first round pick in the expansion draft, went down with an injury. He is out for 10-11 months. Luke Jackson, my top pitcher in spring training, replaced him in the rotation.
This sent the team even further into a downward spiral, getting swept in three games against the Mets and four games against the Pirates. The Expos experienced a small rebound, taking 2 of 3 against St. Louis before dropping the first two games against the Marlins to end the month.
Overall the Expos went 6-21 in May. This is likely among the worst months I've experienced in my playing of OOTP.
Below is a statistical recap of the month as played by my batters and pitchers.
Xu and Massey continue to impress and Ceciliani looks to be a shrewd signing as he had a fantastic month as the starting left fielder. Drury slowed down some, but is still hitting at a pace that should result in a qualifying offer.
It's hard to hit worse than Vazquez did. With Thomas Dillard posting a 110 wRC+ in AAA, I called him up to the majors on June 1st. Mitch Trees was placed on waivers to make room for Trees.
The pitching went horribly awry this month. Only Medina, Jackson, and Rivero posted decent results. Allard (3 vulture wins) was more lucky than good.
To make matters worse, it looks like trading away Tanaka was a poor decision as he has put up a 1.55 ERA in 29 IP for Kansas City.
NL East Standings (end of May):
NYM 34-19 --
PIT 33-20 1 GB
PHI 23-29 10.5 GB
MON 20-32 13.5 GB
As the calendar turns to June, the draft pool has been revealed and one of my favorite parts of the season -- the first year player draft -- is on the horizon...