Clayton Kershaw Named NL Player Of The Week
(MLB Presswire) -- Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw has been named the National League Player of the Week for the
period ending May 20th. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.
Kershaw was a perfect 2-0 in two starts last week, leading the Majors with 16.0 innings pitched and tied for the
lowest earned run average (0.00) among qualifying starters. Over his two outings, the 2011 N.L. Cy Young Award winner
added 10 strikeouts with three walks and 10 hits while not allowing a home run.
On Monday, May 14th, the Dallas, Texasnative tossed 7.0 shutout innings, striking out six and allowing just four hits in the Dodgers' 3-1 win over the visiting Arizona
Diamondbacks.
On Saturday night, Kershaw outdueled St. Louis Cardinals starter Jake Westbrook in a 6-0 shutout at Dodger
Stadium.
The seventh overall selection in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft doubled and scored a run in the Dodgers' four-run
seventh inning, which broke a 0-0 tie.
The opposite-field two-bagger was the first extra-base hit of Kershaw's career after
collecting 28 singles in five Major League seasons.
The 24-year-old needed 116 pitches to dispatch the defending World
Champions, striking out four and not allowing a walk en route to his first complete-game shutout of the 2012 campaign. The
shutout extended Kershaw's scoreless innings streak to 22.0, dating back to his May 8th start vs. San Francisco.
With his twovictories during the week, Kershaw improved his record to 4-1 on the season. The left-hander currently ranks second in the
National League with 61.2 innings pitched, and is third among qualifying pitchers with a 1.90 ERA and 0.88 WHIP.
This is his second career weekly award, having won previously for the period of June 20-26, 2011.
Other noteworthy performances last week included Pittsburgh's Rod Barajas (.471, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 1.059 SLG, .474 OBP), Andrew McCutchen (.320, 4 HR, 7 RBI, .800 SLG, 6 R) and Joel Hanrahan (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 SV, 3 SO, 3.0 IP); Milwaukee's Ryan Braun (.444, 2 2B, HR, 7 RBI, 12 H, .483 OBP), Jonathan Lucroy (.400, 2 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBI, .800 SLG) and Zack Greinke (2-0, 0.66 ERA, 13 SO, 13.2 IP); Matt Holliday (.308, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R) of the St. Louis Cardinals; Philadelphia's
Hunter Pence (.393, 3 HR, 11 H, 6 R, .750 SLG, .469 OBP) and Carlos Ruiz (.476, HR, 7 RBI, 10 H, 6 R, .560 OBP); David Wright (.500, 6 2B, 8 H, .875 SLG, .652 OBP) of the New York Mets; Atlanta's Tim Hudson (2-0, 1.23 ERA, 6 SO, 14.2 IP); Miami's Josh Johnson (2-0, 1.93 ERA, 10 SO 14.0 IP); Arizona's Wade Miley (2-0, 0.66 ERA, 8 SO 13.2 IP); and San Francisco's Ryan Vogelsong (1-0, 0.64 ERA, 8 SO, 14.0 IP).
In recognition of his National League Player of the Week Award, Clayton Kershaw will be awarded a watch courtesy of Game Time, the leader in licensed sports watches, available at MLB.com.
