Following a week in which he went 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA (2 ER/16.0 IP) and 21 strikeouts against just one walk, Nationals right-handed pitcher Max Scherzer was named the National League Player of the Week on Monday. Major League Baseball made the announcement on MLB Network.
Scherzer, 33, tossed his ninth career complete game (fifth career shutout) in Monday's 2-0 win over Atlanta. He capped his evening with a strikeout of Ender Inciarte, giving him 10 strikeouts for the second time this season and the 66th time in his career.
On Friday, April 14, he struck out 11 batters in 7.0 innings of two-run ball as the Nationals topped the Colorado Rockies, 6-2. He surrendered a home run to Charlie Blackmon in the first inning and then proceeded to retire the next 20 batters he faced in order. Scherzer's 11 strikeouts marked his third game of 10+ strikeouts in 2018. He is the 13th pitcher in Major League history to record at least 10 strikeouts in three of the team's first 15 games of the season.
Scherzer's award is the second for the Nationals in 2018. Adam Eaton took home the first National League Player of the Week Award of the season. This marks the second consecutive April in which the Nationals earned two Player of the Week Awards. Bryce Harper (April 17-23) and Ryan Zimmerman (April 24-30) garnered the recognition in 2017.