The Expos started August with wins in 1 of 1 versus the Yankees, 1 of 2 versus the D-backs, 2 of 3 versus the Nationals, 1 of 4 versus the Pirates, 2 of 3 versus the Phillies, 2 of 3 versus the Indians, 1 of 3 versus the Cardinals, and 3 of 3 versus the Padres. At this point, I was informed that 2B Draxler suffered an injury that will sideline him for 6 weeks. This is a major blow as he was so far the best player on my team and on pace for a 7 WAR season. I just hope that he will be able to return in time for the playoffs, expecting that I will receive at least a wild card berth. With his injury, Flores will move from first to second and OF/1B Carroll will rejoin the team from AAA. I will be able to add additional depth in a week with roster expansion.
The Expos closed out the month with wins in 1 of 3 versus the Rays and 2 of 2 versus the Red Sox.
The above adds up to a great 16-12 record for the month. This gives the Expos a one game lead over the Phillies for first place in the NL East. I received notice that MiLB SP Tejada won the IL (AAA) Pitcher of the Month award and for the second time in two months, MiLB CF Paredes won the IL (AAA) Batter of the Month award.
Here are the batting performances for the month:
2B Draxler put together another incredible month before his injury. 1B/2B Flores came close to matching his performance with a fantastic month of his own. Perhaps the most encouraging sign here is young 3B Lawrence putting together his first great month behind the strength of a .309 AVG. LF Derringer and RF Lindberg also played well for the month.
And the pitchers:
SP Caballero turned in the best performance of my starters. SP Killough showed some signs of hope with a decent month amidst a terrible season. Britland, Womble and Diplan all struggled. In the bullpen RP Takara and RP Sandborn were the only two arms worth mentioning.
Next, the Expos enter the final stretch in their run to defend the NL East title...