Feds Seize Control of East Division
Petrocelli, Blyleven On Fire
BOSTON (June 16) - Exercising their constitutional right to kick ass and take names, the Boston Federals surged to the top of the East this week, winning six of seven and four in a row to nose a half-game ahead of Cleveland and Detroit.  Rico Petrocelli homered in four straight games and 21-year-old Bert Blyleven has 44 strikeouts in his last four starts, as the Feds have finally managed to get decent hitting and consistent pitching at the same time.  Orlando Cepeda snapped out of his May slump, batting .304-5-10 in June, and even Rocky Colativo has shown a pulse, batting .348 in his last 10 games after batting just .241 in the first two months.  Boston ranks third in runs and fifth in ERA, but has had trouble winning consistently and was only one game over .500 heading into June.

Blyleven, a 17-year-old wunderkind-turned-fourth overall pick back in 1970, has been quietly consistent through his first four UL seasons but has failed to match inflated expectations.  He broke the 10-win barrier last season but his final stats (14-14, 3.93) were not exactly eye-popping.  Blyleven was heading down a path toward his worst season yet back on May 24, when his suffered his fourth straight loss and fell to 2-7 with a 5.04 ERA.  But things began to turn around on May 29, when he beat Detroit 6-1 behind a career-high 14-strikeout performance.  Five days later he fanned 12 Texans en route to his third complete game.  Closer Al Hrabosky has also been a revelation this season, posting a 1.15 ERA to go along with his seven saves.


Year of the Backstopper
Three Catchers Lead Batting Chase
SAN FRANCISCO (June 16) - For the first time in league history, three catchers sit atop the league batting leaders, with San Francisco's own Thurmon Munson leading the league with a .336 average.  Munson, a .290 hitter coming into this season, is hitting .346 in June.  The 3rd overall pick in 1970, the 26-year-old hit .307-15-74 last year and was second on the team in RBIs.

The league's #2 batter is no stranger to the batting leader boards.  Chicago's Carl Taylor, 28, was the league youngest batting champion in 1970, when he hit .340 and edge out teammate Carlos May by four points.  Taylor is hitting .333 this year but has added improved plate discipline to his repertoire, contributing to a league-best .426 OBP.

Third on the list is Atlanta's Bill Freehan.  The 31-year-old is the league's highest paid catcher ($6.5 million), and he is adding a career-best batting year on the heels of last season's career high 84 RBIs.  Freehan has slumped in June, however, batting just .244, causing his average to dip 24 points from its May 31 peak of .351.

One name notable for its absence is Joe Torre, a former catcher and four-time batting champion.  One of the league's hottest hitters in May (.411-3-20), Torre is batting just .196-1-1 in his last 13 games.  A return to form for Torre could well catapult the Toppers into a pennant duel with the West-leading Colts.