I don't know what's gotten into Michael Barrett, but here's his line since July 1:

.281/.465/.313, 32 AB, 10 BB, 5 K, 6 R

Plus, he has a single, a double, and a walk so far tonight that aren't included in that line. Basically, since the calendar turned, Barrett has been a veritable on-base machine (actually, it began June 30, when Barrett had another walk and a homerun). I'd like to think that the change is because Barrett reads CubsNet.com, and I'd really like to think that it's due to some fundamental change in his approach, but more realistically, it's probably just a fluke. Unfortunately, the change has not coincided with any kind of power spike, but the relatively high number of runs he's scored this month indicates that his increased patience has paid off. It's fair to say he's done his part to bring about the offensive spurt the Cubs are enjoying.

Anyway, for the record, Barrett has increased his walk rate over last year, and pretty significantly, too. How long that will last is anyone's guess, but since I complain a lot about this kind of thing, I thought I'd recognize the fine job he's done over the last 3 weeks.