Players of the Week: Yordan, Yu honored

September 20th, 2022

Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez and Padres ace Yu Darvish are getting hot at the right time on teams that are looking to make a statement in October. On Monday, they were named the Players of the Week presented by Chevrolet.

Alvarez led all hitters in runs (10), home runs (five) and extra-base hits (nine) during his big week. He batted .520 (13-for-25) with a 1.836 OPS to fully snap out of his post-All-Star break slump.

Alvarez’s week was highlighted by his three-homer performance versus the A’s, which helped Houston secure its sixth consecutive postseason berth. He finished up on Sunday by recording two doubles and driving in four runs. His 10 RBIs tied the Guardians’ Amed Rosario for the most in MLB last week.

This is the third time an Astro has earned this honor in 2022. Alex Bregman won it for his play during the first week of the season, and Alvarez claimed his first Player of the Week recognition in early June.

Darvish was just as dominant on the mound as Alvarez was at the plate. The San Diego right-hander allowed only three hits and one walk across 14 innings as he notched road victories against the Mariners and D-backs.

Darvish’s start Tuesday in Seattle may have been his best of the season as he sailed through eight scoreless innings on just 94 pitches while striking out seven. Five days later, Darvish confounded the D-backs as he tossed six shutout frames, permitted only three baserunners and struck out eight.