Youkilis raised his season average to .269 with a .289 month of June. Youk hit three homers and drove in 21 of his 55 RBI on the season.
NOT: JD Drew
In 18 games in June, Drew hit just .241 driving in eight runs. He struck out 16 times and walked just four, and ended up missing time at the end of the month after bunting a ball off his face in batting practice.
HOT: Adrian Gonzalez
Gonzalez continued his season-long tear with a .421 showing in June. He had 40 hits in 25 games, crushing six homers, eight doubles and two triples. Gonzo drove in a team high 25 runs, bringing his MLB leading total to 71 RBI.
NOT: Jonathan Papelbon
The Red Sox closer notched five saves in June, but had a few shaky outings along the way. He gave up eight hits over eight innings, with opponents scoring six runs off him. Three came in just a third of an inning against the Athletics, a 9-8 extra innings Red Sox win. He also bumped home plate umpire Tony Randazzo, arguing balls and strikes, in that game and received a two-game suspension. Papelbon’s ERA jumped from 2.78 at the start of the month to 3.82 when the calendar changed to July.
HOT: Dustin Pedroia
Pedroia has started to heat up after a slow start in the first month and a half of the season. He hit .348 in June, raising his season average to .272. He had 31 hits in 24 games, driving in 16 runs and scoring 16 of his own. He led the team with 21 walks.
HOT: Daniel Bard
Bard was nearly perfect in June, hurling 13 scoreless innings over 11 appearances. He notched six holds, striking out 12 and walking just three. He even picked up a save early in the month against the Oakland Athletics.
NOT: Jed Lowrie
Lowrie was crushing the ball in June, but was just 4-for-36 in June for a .111 batting average. He had just seven total bases before landing on the DL with a strained left shoulder.
HOT: Jacoby Ellsbury
Ellsbury has been great from the lead-off spot all season, and June was no different. He hit .301 with 31 hits and scored 19 runs from the top spot in the lineup. He had eight extra base hits, with five doubles and three home runs, and stole six of 10 bases.
HOT: Jon Lester
Lester went 3-2 in June, pitching into the eighth inning twice and finishing the month off with seven shutout inning against the Philadelphia Phillies, picking up his 10th win of the season. He struck out 31 over 35 innings, allowing 11 runs (nine earned) off 27 hits.
NOT: Alfredo Aceves
Although he did not pitch horrible, Aceves had one very bad outing. He walked six Padres, including five-straight with two outs in the second, in a 5-4 Red Sox loss. Overall, Aceves was 1-0, allowing seven runs over 16.1 innings. He totaled nine walks for the month, but pitched well in long relief. For a fifth starter, he was not all that bad, but walking five straight will put you on the not list.
HOT: David Ortiz
Big Papi continued his hot May into June, hitting five home runs and driving in 21 runs. He had only 78 at-bats, missing five due to the Red Sox playing in National League parks. Ortiz scored 18 runs and had eight doubles as the Red Sox went 16-9 for the month.
