The Hudsons had a solid May, going 4-2 to raise their season record to 8-5, good enough for a three-way tie for 1st in the standings. The highlight of the month was a key 12-8 victory over the then 1st place Boston Colonials.
On the Mound
Pat Murphy struggled on the mound in May, going 1-1 across 14.2 innings and allowing 12 earned runs. His 7.36 May ERA raised his season average to an unsightly 4.75. Murphy's issues could be due to his high groundball rate and our questionable infield defense. James Woods, however, was hot this month and managed to get 4 out of 6 starting assignments. He went 2-1 over that span, pitching to a 3.03 WERA over 29.2 innings and holding opponents to a .276 batting average. Charles Edmondson got sent back to the reserve roster and Henry Truax got to take back the Stopper role. It was a good decision as he was effective over his 6.1 innings. Edmondson looks like he still needs to develop (he's 24 so he'd better hurry), and Truax has a good FIP despite his high ERA (currently sitting at 6.84).
At the Plate
Jersey City's big star hitter of the month was 1B Jim Farr. Farr hit .409 in 22 PA with 2 doubles, a triple, a home run, 6 RBI and 6 runs scored. 2B Thomas Kling continued his dominance, batting 11-for-27 (.407) with a double and 2 triples, 6 RBI and 6 runs scored. SS Joe McQuaid slowed down a bit, but he still managed to hit .381 in May. Our worst hitters were RF Fred Humphries and C Joe Millett, who hit .192 and .182 respectively. LF William Day's .231/.259/.346 batting line in May looked more like his underwhelming 1871 season than the hot start he had in April. CF Joe Ryder and 3B David Mohler have been solidly above average, hitting in the low .300's for the month.
In the Field
The fielding situation has improved in May. Joe McQuaid is still dragging the team down a bit with his error-prone play at short, but most of the other position players have moved into positive zone ratings. The left side of the infield still looks like it will be the biggest weakness defensively as the season unfolds. But middle infielder Joseph Cuff has proven to be a solid late-innings replacement at SS for McQuaid, and he looks way better with the glove than he did last year. Good news, though: Joe McQuaid's SS rating continues to improve. It's up to 35 at the end of May. I see his ceiling being a 55-60 at SS. Fred Humphries improved at RF, and he's now scouted as a plus defender over there.
Under the Knife
No injuries, day-to-day or long-term, to any of the Jersey City Hudsons this month.
In the News
It's not every day a 31-year-old wins the Rookie of the Month award, but James Wood did just that. 2-1 with 2 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.03 over 29.2 innings was impressive enough for the OSA writers to give him the honors.
