Darvish named NL pitcher of the month, strengthens Cy Young bid originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Yu Darvish was named NL Pitcher of the Month for August, Major League baseball announced Wednesday. In a two-month season, thats almost equivalent to leading the pack at the halfway point in the NL Cy Young race.
The difference, of course, is that it discounts the first week of the season, during which Darvish still allowed just three earned runs in two starts combined. But in the month of August, the right-hander has been absolutely dominant.
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In five starts, Darvish went 5-0 with a 1.09 ERA. Hes struck out 40 and walked just seven in that span. To punctuate the month, Darvish faced off with Reds ace Trevor Bauer last week. Of the two NL Cy Young candidates, Darvish had the better night, throwing six scoreless innings and striking out eight.
In the American League, Cleveland right-hander Shane Bieber also received the honor, with a 4-0 record and 1.63 ERA in August.
