Colon selected as AL's top pitcher for June

OAKLAND -- A's hurler Bartolo Colon continues to turn back time. For his latest efforts, the 40-year-old was given the American League Pitcher of the Month Award for June.

"I think there's gotta be a little specialness to it after the age of 40," manager Bob Melvin said. "He may not think it's a big deal, but I do."

Colon logged a 5-0 record and a 1.75 ERA in five starts during the month to capture his fourth such award and first since August 2005, the season he won the AL Cy Young Award. He led all qualifying starters in ERA and finished tied for second in wins, all the while padding his All-Star candidacy.

The right-hander averaged better than seven innings per start and allowed three runs or fewer each time out. He limited the Brewers to one run over seven innings, blanked the Yankees for six frames, held the Mariners to five runs across 15 innings in two starts and kept the high-powered Cardinals to one run over eight innings.

Colon, who was scheduled to face the Cubs on Wednesday, has posted an 11-2 record and a 2.79 ERA in 16 outings this year. He has earned the victory in eight consecutive starts, the longest such streak for Oakland since Barry Zito won eight straight in 2005.

"Like anybody, once you get on a little bit of a roll, you start to feel that much more confident," Melvin said. "The team feels confident about you, and maybe sometimes the results reflect that. But it doesn't really look like he's pitching any different than last year, maybe other than him mixing up his pitches a bit more."

Colon is the first Oakland pitcher since Dan Haren in May 2007 to win the monthly pitching accolade. He received the honor ahead of Detroit's Max Scherzer (5-0, 2.38 ERA), Baltimore's Chris Tillman (6-0, 2.68 ERA), Texas' Joe Nathan (11 saves, 0.63 ERA) and Kansas City's Ervin Santana (2-0, 1.99 ERA) and Greg Holland (nine saves, 1.38 ERA).