31 July 2004

On the morning of July 1, the Braves were 37-40 and 3.5 games behind the Phillies. On the morning of August 1, the Braves were 57-46 and 4.5 games ahead of the Phillies. The Braves were 20-6 in July, posting incredible numbers from the plate and from the mound. To demonstrate how hot the Braves were in July 2004, here are selected pitching and hitting stats, split by month:

Pitching	IP	H	BB	R	ER	ERA	BAA	W - L
April	186.2	195	89	100	89	4.29	.271	11-10
May	257.1	260	82	104	89	3.15	.260	14-15
June	237.0	280	89	143	130	4.94	.294	12-15
July	238.1	207	74	72	64	2.42	.236	20- 6
Total	919.3	942	334	419	373	3.65	.266	57-46

Hitting	AB	H	BB	R	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG
April	724	193	82	114	110	.267	.341	.423
May	979	235	82	114	109	.240	.303	.404
June	917	246	87	119	113	.268	.336	.423
July	896	251	106	143	137	.280	.360	.455
Total	3516	925	357	490	469	.263	.334	.426

After turning up both the offense and the pitching, it's no wonder the Braves had such a great July. I'll let the numbers speak for themselves.