Thanks to his strong start to the shortened Major League Baseball season, Chicago Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish has earned National League Pitcher of the Month honors for the months of July and August.

Darvish, who has a 6-1 record with a 1.47 ERA in seven starts so far this season, has been touted as a potential Cy Young Award candidate because of his quality pitching to start the year, and his performance is a continuation of the form he found during the second half of the 2019 season.

During his first year with the Cubs, Darvish struggled to strike hitters out and posted an ERA of nearly 5.00, but he’s come alive in the last two years, with 281 strikeouts and just 64 walks in a total of 31 starts.

This season he’s been even better, with 52 strikeouts and just eight free passes in 43 innings of work.

Darvish is tied with Max Fried for the National League lead in victories so far this season, and has the best ERA in the senior circuit.

Darvish is set to take the mound again for the Cubs on Friday when the North Siders open a five-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field. His Cubs teammates will take on the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park Wednesday, with first pitch slotted for 6:05 p.m. Kyle Hendricks will get the start for the Cubs as they look to secure a series win.