Max Scherzer, Pedro Alvarez named MLB Players of the Week

Press Release Major League Baseball

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Max Scherzer has been named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending June 23rd. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network. Scherzer went 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA, 16 strikeouts and two walks in 13.0 innings pitched over two starts to lay claim to his firs career weekly honor, joining teammate Prince Fielder as Player of the Week winners from the Motor City this season. Among A.L. leaders for the period, Max was tied for first in wins, was second in strikeouts and finished tied for fourth in innings pitched.

On Monday, the right-hander allowed one run on seven hits with 10 strikeouts over 6.0 innings as the Tigers defeated the Baltimore Orioles, 5-1, at Comerica Park. It was the 28-year-old’s 10th win of the season in Detroit’s 68th game, becoming the fastest Tigers hurler to reach double-digits in wins since Jack Morris notched his 10th victory in the Tigers’ 63rd game of the 1987 season. In his next start on Saturday, the St. Louis native allowed two runs on six hits, walked none and struck out six in 7.0 innings to lead the Tigers to a 10-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox in Detroit. The University of Missouri product moved his record to a perfect 11-0, making him the first pitcher in Club history to win his first 11 decisions as a starter to begin a season, and the first to do so in the Majors since Roger Clemens started the 1997 season 11-0 with the Toronto Blue Jays (Elias Sports Bureau). Of note, George Mullin began Detroit’s 1909 season with an 11-0 record, but his 11th victory came as a relief pitcher. In addition to Scherzer’s winning string, the 11th overall pick in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft (by Arizona) has struck out at least six batters in each of his 15 starts this season, matching him with Boston’s Pedro Martinez (1999) for the second-longest streak of six-strikeout games to begin a season in A.L. history. According to Elias, Martinez holds the overall mark with a 29-game run to begin the 2000 season.

On the season, Scherzer is 11-0 with a 3.05 ERA, 24 walks and 122 strikeouts in 103.1 innings pitched over 15 starts. Among Major League leaders, Max ranks first in wins, second in strikeouts, third in strikeouts per nine innings (10.6) and is fourth in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (6.097). The six-year veteran also stands sixth in the A.L. in innings pitched.

Other noteworthy performances last week included Scherzer’s teammate Miguel Cabrera (.536, 15 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .606 OBP); Chris Carter (.391, 5 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI) of the Houston Astros; Nelson Cruz (.379, 3 HR, 11 RBI) and Joe Nathan (5 G, 1.80 ERA, 5 SV) of the Texas Rangers; Chris Davis (.348, 4 HR, 10 RBI) of the Baltimore Orioles; Raul Ibañez (.321, 4 HR, 9 RBI) of the Seattle Mariners; and Joe Blanton (0-0, 1.93 ERA, 14.0 IP, 17 K) of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Third baseman Pedro Alvarez of the Pittsburgh Pirates has been named National League Player of the Week for the period ending June 23rd. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.

In seven games last week, Alvarez ranked among league leaders in multiple offensive categories. The second overall pick in the 2008 Draft paced the N.L. with 10 RBI while hitting four home runs (T-2nd), collecting 27 total bases (3rd), and slugging .931 (4th). Alvarez hit .414 (12-for-29) for the week, the Senior Circuit’s fifth-best mark, while his five runs scored were tied for seventh and his .452 on-base percentage ranked ninth. He collected at least a hit in each of his seven games, helping the Pirates to a 5-2 record for the week.

On Tuesday at Cincinnati, Alvarez’s two-run single in the top of the first inning gave the Bucs an early 3-0 lead and helped Pittsburgh right-hander Charlie Morton earn his first win of the season. The Vanderbilt University product’s five-RBI performance in Thursday’s series finale was the difference in a 5-3 Pirates victory that earned them a split in the four-game set with their N.L. Central rivals. Alvarez kept the Pirates on pace with the Reds throughout the day, clubbing an RBI single in the top of the third and a solo homer in the sixth, before giving his club a 5-2 lead in the seventh with a clutch three-run double. The left-handed-hitting slugger continued his torrid road trip as the Pirates traveled to the West Coast to take on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In the first of the three-game set at Angel Stadium, Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a walk and crushed his 17th homer of the year as Pittsburgh took a 5-2 decision. On Saturday, the 26-year-old went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run on the way to a 6-1 Pirates victory. Alvarez clubbed his 19th home run of the season in the first inning of Sunday’s series finale to give the Bucs an early 1-0 lead. His leadoff double in the 10th inning of the game sparked a four-run Pirates rally in an eventual 10-9 win. It was the New York City native’s fourth straight multi-hit effort and his fourth consecutive game with a home run, marking a career- best streak. His 19 homers this year are tied for second in the N.L. while his 51 RBI are tied for sixth. This is his third career weekly award, having won previously for September 19-26, 2010 and July 28-September 3, 2012.

Other noteworthy performances last week included San Francisco’s Gregor Blanco (.500, 14 H, 4 R, 2 SB, .517 OBP); Cincinnati’s Jay Bruce (.276, 6 HR, 7 RBI, 6 R) and Joey Votto (.407, 11 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .467 OBP); Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt (.364, 5 R, 4 HR, 6 RBI, .909 SLG); Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard (.476, 10 H, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 1.095 SLG, .538 OBP); Hanley Ramirez (.500, 6 R, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 1.000 SLG, .542 OBP) of the Los Angeles Dodgers; David Wright (.361, 13 H, 3 HR, 5 RBI) and Matt Harvey (2-0, 2.08 ERA, 19 SO, 13.0 IP) of the New York Mets; and Jeff Samardzija (2-0, 2.93 ERA, 11 SO, 15.1 IP) of the Chicago Cubs.