Monthly Archives: June 2021

First, consider the good.

If you have followed the Knicks any longer than the last two weeks, its not hard to look at what the organization accomplished this season and consider it a rousing success.

With new faces in the front office, a proven coach in Tom Thibodeau and an assortment of low-cost additions, the Knicks shed decades of dysfunction and earned a playoff berth for the first time in eight years.

The Knicks jumped far above the expectations of anyone outside of their locker room, winning 41 games, earning the Eastern Conference's No. 4 seed and filling Madison Square Garden for three playoff games infused with hope and enthusiasm.

It ended in disappointment, though. All of that was dimmed by the abrupt ending, a five-game ouster at the hands of Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks, who talked and taunted and backed up every bit of it in humbling the Knicks.

"I think you learn from each experience," Thibodeau said after it was over. "Atlanta really added some good pieces to complement Trae and I think that helped them. Every year, you analyzed the things you did well, the things you didnt do as well as youd like. You look at how you match up with the teams you start with the division, then you look at the conference, then you look at the league. Then you see where you might have opportunities, whether its through the draft or free agency or trades, your own player development. All four areas factor into it."

What do you see now? Is this a grittier version of the last Knicks team to dip a toe into the postseason, full of hope and belief until the veteran cast ran out of gas in Indiana? Or is it following the blueprint of what the Nets became, a hard-working, overachieving group in a major market that became a destination for stars?

By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy.

The image of the organization was shifted this season. Orlando coach Steve Clifford called the Knicks a team no one wanted to play. San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich praised the accountability put in place by Thibodeau and laughed at anyone who didnt know it was inevitable that he would succeed. LeBron James praised them.

"Of course, I mean that's one of the reasons why I wanted to come here, because they had a great, great core," Derrick Rose said. "The guys there, the young nucleus, with me being my age, like who wouldn't want to come in, try to build on top of that? So I think there's a lot of people on this in a league that think the same thing. But like I said, it's all out of the players' hands. It's up to the people with us in the front office."

The problem for the Knicks is that while they earned the admiration of outsiders, bringing the stars on board is not quite as simple as it was for the Nets. When the Nets made the playoffs under Kenny Atkinson with their young core, it attracted Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, sweeping the star attractions of the free-agent market out from under the Knicks, who had cleared their cap to chase them and couldnt even get a sit-down with any of them.

The problem for the Knicks is that the upcoming free-agent market is nothing like that 2019 summer. Back then, it was Durant, Irving, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris and Khris Middleton. Now, if Leonard or Chris Paul dont opt out of their deals, the best of the class is 35-year-old Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, 33-year-old Mike Conley Jr. Kelly Oubre and, yes, Tim Hardaway Jr.

So the task facing Leon Rose and his front office is not as simple as lining up the Knicks' spending cash up to $60 million and waiting for the stars to sign on. The Knicks have not just the cap space but a pair of first-round picks (Nos. 19 and 21), as well as the No. 32 pick. And if there is one sure thing in Thibodeaus plans for the next step, it is not adding three rookies to the roster.

There certainly is a need for an upgrade in talent. Look at some of the teams that have been knocked out in the first round the Lakers, the Heat, the Celtics and Trail Blazers and give an honest look at their talent versus what the Knicks have on the roster.

Thibodeau surely knows it, too, dropping hints of what the Hawks added around Young. He pushed for the addition of Rose and Taj Gibson and lobbied for some of the shooters the Hawks signed last offseason.

"We need to get away," Thibodeau said. "Its a long year. They put a lot into it. Well take two, three weeks, get away to decompress, re-energize, and then well start talking about the plans for the summer and what we have to do next. The coaches will look at the season and generate new ideas.

"Our whole organization was terrific all season, the whole organization. Jim Dolan gave us everything we asked for. It was great to have the fans in the building at the end of the year. Were looking forward to next season."

Its not that far away. But there is a lot of work to do before it begins.

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.

See more here:

Popper: Knicks made great progress and need to keep upgrading - Newsday

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie is well on its way to replacing eight religious statues that were beheaded at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes.

The statues depict the Stations of the Cross and were originally erected in 1953. They were vandalized in May 2020, likely for the metal content, said David Sirois, assistant financial administrator at the Diocese.

Statues are being crafted by artist Timothy P. Schmalz (of Sculpture by Timothy P. Schmalz Inc.), which is slowly moving ahead, and on track to have them installed by the fall, said Sirois.

At least were moving ahead now, because when the pandemic first hit, nothing was happening at all, he said.

The Grotto has become a popular destination for photographers and residents looking for a unique setting.

"These statues have been there more than 70 years and havent been touched, said Sirois. For it to happen during the pandemic, we feel it might have been driven by a need for money. Whoever took the heads were after more, because they tried to cut the base of one of the statues, but it was too thick for whatever tools they had.

We were saddened by the fact someone did this, and it goes against the hard work done by all the volunteers who take care of this site for all these years.

The almost-70-year-old statues being replaced will be sold, Sirois said.

Meanwhile, anyone with information about the vandalism is asked to contact Greater Sudbury Police at 705-675-9171 or Crime Stoppers at 705-222-TIPS (8477) or http://www.sudburycrimestoppers.com.

Read the original here:

Diocese making good progress to replace vandalized statues at The Grotto - Sudbury.com

- INNATE trial to include proof-of-concept expansion cohorts in lung, renal, head and neck, triple negative breast, cutaneous squamous cell, and ovarian cancers and soft tissue sarcomas -

- SELECT TISvopra positivity rate for patient selection in-line with projections, clinical data on-track for 2022 -

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jounce Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: JNCE), a clinical-stage company focused on the discovery and development of novel cancer immunotherapies and predictive biomarkers, today presented two trial in progress posters, on the Phase 1 INNATE clinical trial and the Phase 2 SELECT clinical trial, at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Virtual Annual Meeting. INNATE, a proof-of-concept (POC) trial, is evaluating Jounces lead macrophage program JTX-8064 (anti-LILRB2/ILT4 inhibitor) as a monotherapy and in combination with pimivalimab (anti-PD-1 inhibitor, formerly known as JTX-4014) in patients with a variety of advanced solid tumors. SELECT, Jounces second POC trial, is evaluating pimivalimab as a monotherapy and in combination with vopratelimab (ICOS agonist) in a novel biomarker selection paradigm in PD-(L)1 nave non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Our INNATE trial is rapidly progressing through dose escalation and we are on-track to begin indication-specific, POC, monotherapy and pimivalimab combination expansion cohorts in the second half of this year, saidElizabeth Trehu, M.D., chief medical officer ofJounce Therapeutics. Furthermore, we are excited to announce the expansion cohort indications for INNATE, which were selected using our translational data-driven approach, linking JTX-8064s mechanism to tumor types in three groups of patients including: PD-(L)1 inhibitor experienced and resistant, PD-(L)1 inhibitor nave and historically resistant, and PD-(L)1 inhibitor and historically more sensitive. JTX-8064 is one of only two clinical-stage LILRB2 programs in development and we expect it to be the first program to initiate expansion cohorts in four of our chosen tumor types. We are also pleased to see TISvopra positivity rates tracking with expectations in our biomarker selection trial, SELECT, and we remain on-track to report data next year.

Poster Presentation Details:

Poster Title: Phase 1, First-in-Human trial of JTX-8064, an anti-LILRB2/ILT4 monoclonal antibody, as monotherapy and in combination with anti-PD-1 in adult patients with advanced solid (INNATE)Presenter: Kyriakos P. Papadopoulos, MD, South Texas Accelerated Research Therapeutics (START), San Antonio, TXSession Title: Developmental Therapeutics ImmunotherapyAbstract Number: TPS2672Date and Time: Friday, June 4, 2021; 9:00am ET Highlights from the trial in progress poster include the selection criteria for expansion cohorts in the ongoing Phase 1 INNATE trial and an outline the future biomarker plan:

Poster Title: Phase 2 Study of PD-1 Inhibitor JTX-4014 (Pimivalimab) Alone and in Combination with Vopratelimab, an ICOS Agonist, in Biomarker-selected Subjects with Metastatic NSCLC After One Prior Platinum-containing Regimen (SELECT)Presenter: Oleh Kobziev, MD,Regional Center of Oncology, Kharkiv, 61070, UkraineSession Title: Lung Cancer Non-Small Cell MetastaticAbstract Number: TPS9137Date and Time: Friday, June 4, 2021; 9:00am ET

The SELECT trial is currently enrolling approximately 75 immunotherapy nave NSCLC patients who have been pre-selected with the TISvoprapredictive biomarker

Both posters will be available on the Our Pipeline section of theJounce Therapeuticswebsite under Publications atwww.jouncetx.com.

About JTX-8064

JTX-8064 is a humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody designed to specifically bind to Leukocyte Immunoglobulin Like Receptor B2 (LILRB2/ILT4) and block interactions with its ligands. JTX-8064 is the first tumor-associated macrophage candidate developed from Jounces Translational Science Platform. Preclinical data presented at the 2020 Society for Immunotherapyof Cancers Annual Meeting and the 2019and 2021 American Association for Cancer ResearchAnnual Meetings support the development of JTX-8064 as a novel immunotherapy to reprogram immune-suppressive macrophages and enhance anti-tumor immunity. A Phase 1 clinical trial named INNATE (NCT04669899) of JTX-8064 as a monotherapy and in combination with Jounces internal anti-PD-1 inhibitor, pimivalimab (formerly JTX-4014) is currently enrolling patients with advanced solid tumors.

About Pimivalimab

Pimivalimab (formerly JTX-4014) is a well-characterized fully human IgG4 monoclonal antibody designed to block binding to PD-L1 and PD-L2. Pimivalimab demonstrated a 17% durable overall response rate in a Phase 1 trial of 18 heavily pre-treated PD-(L)1 inhibitor nave patients, which excluded all tumor types for which PD-(L)1 inhibitors were approved. In this Phase 1 trial, pimivalimab was shown to have an acceptable safety profile. Pimivalimab is currently being assessed in the INNATE Phase 1 trial (NCT04669899) in combination with JTX-8064, a LILRB2 (ILT4) inhibitor. Pimivalimab is also being assessed in the SELECT Phase 2 clinical trial (NCT04549025) in combination with vopratelimab, a clinical-stage monoclonal antibody that binds to and activates ICOS, the Inducible T cell CO-Stimulator, a protein on the surface of certain T cells commonly found in many solid tumors.

About Vopratelimab

Vopratelimab is a clinical-stage monoclonal antibody that binds to and activates ICOS, the Inducible T cell CO-Stimulator, a protein on the surface of certain T cells commonly found in many solid tumors. Vopratelimab is currently being assessed in the SELECT Phase 2 clinical trial (NCT04549025) in combination with Jounces internal investigational PD-1 inhibitor, pimivalimab (formerly JTX-4014), compared to pimivalimab alone. The SELECT trial is currently enrolling approximately 75 immunotherapy nave NSCLC patients who have been pre-selected with the TISvoprapredictive biomarker, an 18 gene RNA tumor inflammation signature which predicted the emergence of ICOS hi CD4 T cells and clinical benefit in the ICONIC trial of vopratelimab alone and in combination with a PD-1 inhibitor. SELECT is powered to demonstrate the statistical superiority of the combination of vopratelimab plus pimivalimab compared to pimivalimab.

About Jounce Therapeutics:

Jounce Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage immunotherapy company dedicated to transforming the treatment of cancer by developing therapies that enable the immune system to attack tumors and provide long-lasting benefits to patients through a biomarker-driven approach. Jounce currently has multiple development stage programs ongoing while simultaneously advancing additional early-stage assets from its robust discovery engine based on its Translational Science Platform. Jounces highest priority program, JTX-8064, is a LILRB2 (ILT4) receptor antagonist shown to reprogram immune-suppressive tumor associated macrophages to an anti-tumor state in preclinical studies. Jounces most advanced product candidate, vopratelimab, is a monoclonal antibody that binds to and activates ICOS, and is currently being studied in the SELECT Phase 2 trial. Pimivalimab is a PD-1 inhibitor intended for combination use in the INNATE and SELECT trials and with Jounces broader pipeline. Additionally, Jounce exclusively licensed worldwide rights to JTX-1811, a monoclonal antibody targeting CCR8 and designed to selectively deplete T regulatory cells in the tumor microenvironment, to Gilead Sciences, Inc. For more information, please visit http://www.jouncetx.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

Various statements in this release concerning Jounces future expectations, plans and prospects, including without limitation, Jounces expectations regarding the timing, progress, results and release of data for clinical trials of vopratelimab, pimivalimab and JTX-8064, identification, selection and enrollment of patients for Jounces clinical trials, and the use of pimivalimab in combination with Jounces other product candidates, may constitute forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws and are subject to substantial risks, uncertainties and assumptions. You should not place reliance on these forward-looking statements, which often include words such as expect, goal, plan, on track, will or similar terms, variations of such terms or the negative of those terms. Although Jounce believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, Jounce cannot guarantee such outcomes. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including, without limitation, Jounces ability to successfully demonstrate the efficacy and safety of its product candidates and future product candidates; the preclinical and clinical results for its product candidates, which may not support further development and marketing approval; the potential advantages of Jounces product candidates; Jounces ability to successfully manage its clinical trials; the development plans of its product candidates and any companion or complementary diagnostics; actions of regulatory agencies, which may affect the initiation, timing and progress of clinical trials of Jounces product candidates; and those risks more fully discussed in the section entitled Risk Factors in Jounces most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in Jounces subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All such statements speak only as of the date made, and Jounce undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investor and Media Contacts:Mark YoreJounce Therapeutics, Inc.+1-857-200-1255 myore@jouncetx.com

Julie SeidelStern Investor Relations+1-212-362-1200Julie.Seidel@sternir.com

Originally posted here:

Jounce Therapeutics Presents Trial in Progress Posters on - GlobeNewswire

A group of neighbors in Tarrant County contacted NBC 5 Responds after months of on and off construction on a water line on their street.

They asked NBC 5 to find out whats behind the project delays.

The latest news from around North Texas.

Along the nearly half-mile stretch of Chalk Hill Lane in unincorporated Tarrant County, Deanna Roskop said she watched from her front window as crews began digging into the ground.

She noted the date.

February 8, said Roskop.

More than three months later, Roskop points to open holes dug in the ground and mounds of dirt piled along the street. When NBC 5 Responds visited, she said it had been three weeks since she saw anyone working on the line.

Itll be on and off, said Roskop. They would come and let it sit for a couple of weeks, then they would come and let it sit for a couple of weeks. Every time, we had to contact, contact, contact. Where are you, whats happening, where are we with the timeline?

In the meantime, the open holes in the ground fill with rain. Roskop said she worries about mosquitoes. She said shes also concerned about small animals and kids falling into the trenches dug for the new water line.

Neighbor Rachel Klusovsky said her family often plays in the front yard where her curious two-year-old is constantly inspecting the holes in the ground in front of their home.

We try to keep her away from it, its almost like she wants to go near it more, said Klusovsky. And, shes fast.

I can put up with this for a while, but there hasnt been anybody here for a long time, said another neighbor, Joe Sage.

We asked Aqua Texas about the neighbors concerns.

In an email to NBC 5 Responds, Aqua said it originally expected to finish replacing just over 2,000 feet of water pipe by mid-March.

But in February, Aqua said it pulled its contractor to make other repairs after the ice storm left thousands of customers without water service.

In May, Aqua said rain delayed the project on Chalk Hill Lane again.

Aquas contractor on the job, LA Services, told NBC 5 Responds that moving heavy equipment on the soggy ground would cause additional, unnecessary damage to the grass.

Aqua said it resumed construction May 22. If the weather cooperates, it expects to wrap up work on the line and restoration work on the street by June 30.

Neighbors said theyre also watching to make sure the work is done right.

Aqua Texas said the original pipe was improperly installed 23 years ago.

Aqua said it has worked with the current contractor for six years and is comfortable the work on the new water line is being done properly.

NBC 5 Responds is committed to researching your concerns and recovering your money. Our goal is to get you answers and, if possible, solutions and resolution. Call us at 844-5RESPND (844-573-7763) orfill out our Customer Complaint form.

See original here:

Neighbors Frustrated by Lack of Progress on Water Line Project - NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) Local health officials shared shared data with KION which showed how close Central Coast counties are to herd immunity. In Santa Cruz County, 60 percent of the eligible population is fully vaccinated and 45 percent in San Benito County. Monterey County officials say at least 62 percent of the population is at least partially vaccinated.

Meanwhile, Health Officer of San Benito County and Deputy Health Officer of Santa Cruz County, Dr. David Ghilarducci says although the two counties are making progress, concerns still surround the low numbers of vaccinations among younger age groups including those 16 and older and groups ages 12 to 15.

I think theres maybe a concerning attitude amongst younger people that theyre not really personally at risk of getting sick, and that is largely true, youre less likely to be in the hospital, youre less likely to die, but people in those age groups do die from this disease," says Ghilarducci.

Over forty percent of those age groupshavent been vaccinated yet, even with one shot, the twelve to fifteen, of course they just got started so were going to give them some time.

While there is debate over the exact number, health experts point to herd immunity being around 70 to 80 percent of the population depending on each county.

To meet that goal, Central Coast counties say they will continue providing testing, vaccination clinics and education efforts indefinitely. In San Benito County, officials say they are taking a more direct approach to educate the public through social media, public banners and even door hangers with COVID-19 and vaccine information.

The pace of vaccinations has slowed considerably, and thats why we need to keep our foot on the pedal, to make sure that we are at least chipping away and getting closer and closer to that 80 percentile range," says Kollin Kosmicki, San Benito County District 2 Supervisor.

Just last winter, hospitals across California were facing a crisis as they were overflowing with patients and no beds available. At the same time, San Benito County had upwards of 600 COVID-19 cases, today they report zero new cases during the last 8 days.

Initially our problem in January was that we just didnt have enough doses and we did a lot of advocacy with the state and feds to ensure that were getting our fair share," says Kosmicki.

See the original post:

Health officials discuss vaccination progress on the Central Coast - KION

Bill Mullaney cut a satisfied figure as his consistently improving Tipperary team produced one of their most rounded performances for some time to defeat Offaly by 4-17 to 0-13 and set up a Camogie League Division One semi-final with Kilkenny at Nowlan Park next week, with Galway and Cork completing a mouth-watering double-header.

But with the defensive unit in which Mary Ryan and Sarah Fryday shone largely solid, and Grace OBrien providing the talismanic Cit Devane with the type of scoring support she hasnt always gotten by scoring 2-4 from play - Devane did supply 2-5 herself and was on hand to supply the assist of a number of other scores too - it is clear that they continue to travel in the right direction.

Im very happy with the performance overall. We played well, especially when we lost Risn. We knuckled down, played better, worked harder but it was a tough game. I know the scoreline looked one-sided but it was tough all over the field.

Offaly caused us problems, ran through and put us under pressure but Im delighted for the girls. From the starting 15 to the finishing 15 it was a great performance from them.

I think were improving in every game but we have to. If were meeting the likes of Cork, Kilkenny, Galway, Offaly, Limerick, Waterford, we have to be improving every game, we have to be learning every time, learning lessons from every game and applying them the next day out. We cant assume anything

Were looking forward to next weekend and having another pop at it. We want to be playing every Sunday if we could. And winning. Everybody wants to win.

Kilkenny manager Brian Dowling has admitted that his charges have a lot to work on but was focusing on the positives while also praising the Limerick fervour that caused his side so many problems before they dug out a 2-10 to 0-13 victory in Saturdays quarter-final at St Brendans Park in Birr.

That sets up a semi-final on home territory at Nowlan Park, and Dowling was pleased with the fighting spirit of his team shorn of the defensive nous of Davina Tobin and Claire Phelan.

Goalkeeper Aoife Norris was required to making a couple of brilliant saves to keep her side in the game when Limerick were dominant, while Miriam Walsh was the catalyst for the goals from Mary OConnell and substitute Steffi Fitzgerald, the latter the pivotal score of the game in the 49th minute.

Niamh Deely grew into the fray in the second half while reigning player of the year, Denise Gaule illustrated her leadership in that latter period too.

Limerick are a very good team, Dowling noted. They brought huge intensity and their workrate was fantastic all over the pitch. We werent able to match it for a long time to be honest. We stuck at it and the goal in the second half was a huge score. We were lucky enough to get through but well take it.

Read more:

Tipperary and Kilkenny progress to Camogie semi-finals - The Irish Times

PROGRESS Wrestling released Chapter 112: The Flowers Are Still Standing! earlier today. The event is available to stream on the Peacock or Demand Progress.

In the main event, Kid Lykos and Kid Lykos became the new Progress Tag Team Champions after defeating Luke Jacobs and Ethan Allen.

Below are the results:

* Elijah defeated Danny Black

* Warren Banks defeated LK Mezinger

* Danny Jones & Brendan White defeated TK Cooper & Chuck Mambo

* Dan Moloney defeated Gene Munny

* Mercedes Blaze & Gisele Shaw defeated Kanji & Alexxis Falcon

* Dean Allmark defeated Chris Ridgeway

* Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II defeated Luke Jacobs & Ethan Allen (PROGRESS Tag Team Championship Match)

- @peacockTV- @WWENetwork- https://t.co/q1IQTnFsiC pic.twitter.com/yYslVff7ai

PROGRESS Wrestling (@ThisIs_Progress) June 5, 2021

ter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8">

See the original post:

PROGRESS Wrestling (6/5): New PROGRESS Tag Team Champions Crowned - Wrestling Inc.

There will no documentaries about 2021 Tigers fight to stay out of last place, and its possible that very few people outside of Detroit have even noticed the clubs recent improvement.

But its true: The Tigers are playing really well, perhaps even better than their 14-13 record in the month of May might indicate.

The Tigers ended April with two games against the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees that they lost by a combined score of 21-0. In the final game of the month, they were humiliated by Gerrit Cole. In the last three games of April, the Tigers scored just once in 23 innings. They managed just nine hits (eight singles and a double) and two walks. Theyve struck out an astounding 40 times.

Nothing magical happened immediately in the new month. The Tigers actually lost five of their first six games in May, so as long as were picking somewhat arbitrary dates, it should be noted that the Tigers are actually 13-8 since May 8. But the biggest difference is that every single one of the Tigers defeats this month have been competitive. Theyre playing -- and often winning -- close games.

Theres been no single improvement. The Tigers have gotten better in every aspect of the game. A more mature approach at the plate has led to fewer strikeouts. Youngsters Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal have made huge strides, boosting the rotation. The bullpen, once the worst in baseball, has improved greatly.

Of course, the Tigers (22-32) are still 10 games under .500, still in last place and still likely to lose 93-96 games in 2021, depending on which projection you care to believe. But they no longer to appear in jeopardy of challenging the historical lows of the 2003 or 2019 teams.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal throws against the Cleveland Indians in the fourth inning of a baseball game in Detroit, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)AP

May standouts: The pitchers

Tigers starters posted a 3.76 ERA in May, led by Mize, Skubal and Turnbull, who combined for a 2.61 ERA in 16 starts, striking out 95 in 93 innings.

Take away openers, bullpen games and one start in which Matthew Boyd left prematurely due to injury, and Tigers starters combined for 139 2/3 innings in 24 starts over the month of May, just under six innings per start.

That was a huge boost to the struggling bullpen.

Gregory Soto continues to be erratic, but its also to see why the Tigers have been so patient. Its not a stretch to say hes almost unhittable, one of the most difficult pitchers to barrel in all of baseball. He just doesnt always know whether that 101 mph fastball is going in the zone or over the catchers head to the backstop.

Michael Fulmer and Jose Cisnero have pitched well. Kyle Funkhouser has been a pleasant surprise. Daniel Norris is showing signs of getting on track.

The bullpen remains a work in progress, but the second half of May was encouraging. Since May 16, Tigers relievers have a 1.98 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 50 innings.

Jonathan Schoop during a game against the Cleveland Indians at Comerica Park in Detroit on May 27, 2021. (Allison Farrand / Detroit Tigers) (used with permission)Allison Farrand

The lineup

There were four standouts in May, plus two more Tigers whose offensive production exceeded the league average.

Some of the names might surprise you because their slow starts in April have obscured some of the progress they made in May.

The first two are obvious: Robbie Grossman and Jeimer Candelario have been the Tigers offensive leaders, getting on base and hitting for power. Both players have on-base averages just under .400 and slugging percentages just under .500 while playing nearly every day in the month of May.

Akil Baddoo and Harold Castro have been nearly as impressive, albeit playing on a less-than-fulltime basis.

Until Monday, Baddoo had gone 100 plate appearances and six weeks without a home run, but he was still hitting for doubles and triples power and reaching base at an impressive clip. Baddoo drew walks in 14 of 58 plate appearances in May, looking more like the Baddoo of spring training than the one who struck out 40 percent of the time and hardly ever walked in April.

Sure, Harold Castros .442 batting average on balls in play in May is probably not sustainable, but this is Harold Castro. Who wants to bet against him?

Would you be surprised to learn that Jonathan Schoop and Willi Castro were actually better-than-average offensive contributors in May? This is where the Tigers patience may have paid off, as both infielders endured miserable starts to the season. But Schoop posted a .746 OPS in 120 plate appearances in May, striking out in just 18 percent of plate appearances. Willi Castro had a .702 OPS, beginning to show some of the power that propelled him to such a strong 2020 campaign.

Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera is waved around third to score from first on a double by Nomar Mazara to left field during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Sunday, May 30, 2021, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)AP

Can this last?

Perhaps not.

But with the exception of perhaps Harold Castro, none of the players spotlighted above are performing to a superhuman degree. Yes, some of them may come back to earth, but they probably wont land with a hard thud.

And theres plenty of room for improvement in other parts of the roster.

Miguel Cabrera has not been very good, and hes hitting in the middle of the order nearly every day. Get him going -- or, alternatively, bump him a few spots lower in the lineup -- and the offense will improve.

Every outfielder not named Grossman has been either volatile (Baddoo) or just plain bad (JaCoby Jones, Victor Reyes and Nomar Mazara).

Jones is currently in Toledo and Reyes has already spent time there. How much patience will the Tigers have with Mazara? The question will become more pressing as young outfielders Derek Hill and Daz Cameron continue to play well in Triple-A.

Win or lose, the Tigers seem to have vanquished the ugly play that marked that ugly three-week stretch earlier this season in which they lost 18 of 21 games.

Im proud of our players and their buy-in, and Im proud of our coaches for their work, Hinch said before Mondays game. But were nowhere near where I want to be. I dont want this to be a success story just because the vibe is a little different. The win-loss column is what matters the most. And weve got to continually peck away and find more wins.

Go here to read the rest:

The Tigers are finally trending up: Can progress of May continue into June? - MLive.com