Washington Rockets to First Place
Defending Champs Emerge From the Pack with 10-Game Win Streak
WASHINGTON (June 16) -- While all eyes were focused on the dogfight atop the East Division between Detroit and Boston, the defending champion Washington Monuments rattled off 10 straight wins to overtake both and claim first place.  The Mons sat in fifth place after a 5-4 loss at Dallas on June 1, but the next day began a purple patch with wins over San Francisco, Cleveland, Chicago, and Manhattan.  Washington pitchers allowed just 1.7 runs per game during the streak. 

The staff was led by #4 starter Rick Wise, who is 3-0 with a 1.06 ERA in his last four starts, but also got stellar performances by Andy Messersmith (5-hit CG on June 2) and Don Wilson (5-hit shutout on June 11).  Washington owns the best team ERA in the league (3.00), and has 3 of 8 lowest ERAs in the circuit. 

Al Oliver has led the offense, hitting .380-4-15 in June with a 16-game hitting streak, Lee Thomas has hit .375 with a 1.015 OPS since becoming an everyday starter, and one of the key bats from last year's championship run, Ray Fosse, has slowly emerged, batting .341 in June after compiling averages of .215 and .266 in the season's first two months.

But the race is far from over.  Detroit sits just 1½ back, and Boston and Manhattan are not far behind, although Boston will be reeling from the loss of their best pitcher, Jim Rooker, and shortstop Dick McAuliffe.
 
Pay Day
Reed Gets His Man, as Torre Inks $53 Million Pact
ATLANTA (June 1) -- Hilltoppers first baseman Joe Torre put pen to paper on a four-year pact that could pay him over $53 million.  The 30-year-old three-time Most Valuable Player, who was acquired from Manhattan on Opening Day, will pocket $12.1 million next year, and his salary will increase incrementally up to $14.8 million in the fourth year, a player option year.  Atlanta GM Glen Reed pinned the success of the trade and, to some extent, the future of the club, on his ability to lock up the slugger with a long-term deal.  Torre celebrated the deal by hitting a home run in his next at bat, before falling into an eight-day production slump in which he had no RBIs.  Torre still leads the league with a .365 average and 60 RBI.

Three days after Torre signed, Atlanta locked up catcher Bill Freehan with a five-year, $32.5 million deal, meaning that in the course of 72 hours, Reed had committed over $85 million to just two players.  Other potential free agents to watch are 2B Felix Mantilla and LF Rocky Colavito, who, perhaps mindful of his contract status, currently has the second highest OPS of his 16-year career.
  

WEST DIVISION	EAST DIVISION
Bruce Dal Canton anchored a five-hit shutout and Bob Allison drove in 4 runs in a 11-0 blowout at Dallas on June 9. . . Bernie Allen hit .423 in his last 13 games and won Player of the Week 6/14.	Johnny Podres has been nothing more than a footnote so far this season.  The high profile acquisition is 5-5 with a 3.46 ERA and has been eclipsed by all four other starters in the rotation.
Dave Kingman had a pair of dingers in a 8-0 rout of St. Louis June 7. . . Bob Gibson has been a total flop.  After posting a 7.15 ERA in six starts, Gibby has fared no better out of the 'pen, having dropped his ERA to just 7.03 after 7 appearances.	Bobby Bonds hit 4-for-4 with a homer June 4 and won Player of the Week 6/7. . . Pedro Ramos has won four straight starts, with a 1.80 ERA, including a one-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts on June 14.
Ron Hunt drove in 5 runs in a 8-2 rout of the Sox June 1. . . Stan Bahnsen tossed a one-hit shutout of St. Louis June 3. . . Frank Robinson hit 2 homers and a triple on June 6.	The Sox have winning records against just three teams, but two of them are Detroit (5-1) and Washington (5-4), the teams ahead of them in the standings. . .  Roberto Clemente's replacement Jim Holt is hitting .299 in 68 games, and .414 in his last 12 games.
The closer role and the Sportsman's Park outfield are forming a Bermuda triangle.  Newly acquired LF Ted Savage became the fourth LF to fall to injury, and Pete Mikkelson saw his monthly ERA jump from 1.83 in May to 9.45 in June, when he inherited the closer job from the ineffective Bob Locker.	All kinds of problems with the once-solid Feds rotation.  In addition to Jim Rooker's season-ending tendon injury, Mike Cuellar has suddenly turned wild (0-4, 7.40 in last 4 games).  Jerry Koosman has maintained consistency though, with a 2.10 ERA in his last 3 starts.
In just his third start since missing a year to a torn labrum, Bob Friend threw a 10-inning 4-hit complete game June 3.  Bill Mazeroski won the game with a walk-off homer and was injured the next day.	Barons scored just 16 runs during a 10-game losing streak June 3-13, before beating St. Louis.  2-1. . .  Andy Etchebarren is the poster child of the hitless wonders.  Cleveland ranks dead last in offense, and Andy has just a pair of hits in his last 20 games, for an .065 average.
Fergie Jenkins, one-time 20-game winner, is 2-8 through 14 starts and has just one victory in his last 10 outings. . .  SS Ron Hansen has the lowest average (.189) and OPS (.557) of any regular batter.	After 5 starts without a win, Al Santorini threw a 5-hit shutout on June 11, beating Detroit 9-0.  Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron are having hot months: Mantle is hitting .353 in June and .429 in his last 5 games, while Aaron is hitting .310, including .384 in his last 6 games.