The Kansas City Royals announced Thursday that catcher Salvador Perez and left-handed pitcher Danny Duffy have been named Royals Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively, for the month of July. The awards are determined by a local media vote.
Perez led the Royals in home runs (7), RBI (21) and slugging percentage (.565), and reached safely in 21 of 23 games. All seven home runs came in his last 15 games of the month, a stretch in which he hit .328/.354/.705 (20-for-61) with 18 RBI, tied for second most in the Majors during that time. He homered in consecutive games from July 28-29 for the third time in 2018, capping a four-game set at Yankee Stadium in which he hit .438 (7-for-16) with three HR and six RBI. On July 17, Perez started his fifth All-Star Game, second most in Royals history behind George Brett, who started nine All-Star Games. Perez is now one of five players to be named an All-Star in each of the last six seasons (since 2013), joining: Paul Goldschmidt, Chris Sale, Max Scherzerand Mike Trout. This is Perez's second Royals Player of the Month Award and first since September 2013.
Duffy accounted for three of the Royals' eight wins in July and also led the team in starts (6), innings (37.1) and strikeouts (37), tied for eighth in the American League. Three of his six starts were scoreless, and he allowed just one run over 7.0 innings in another, posting a 0.35 ERA (1 ER in 25.2 IP) in those four outings. Including 5.2 scoreless innings in his last start on Tuesday in Chicago, Duffy became the first American League pitcher in the Live Ball Era (since 1920) to allow one run or fewer in a six-start road stretch within one season, according toSTATS. This is Duffy's fifth Royals Pitcher of the Month Award, fifth most since the honor was first awarded in 1995, trailing only: Zack Greinke (8), Joakim Soria (8), Kevin Appier (7) andWade Davis (6).