Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Alex Wood has been named the National League Player of the Week for the period ending May 15th. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.
Wood compiled a 2-0 record without allowing a run over 11.0 innings pitched to claim his first career Player of the Week Award. Alex struck out 21 batters and issued just two free passes along with seven hits in two dominant starts last week. This is the Dodgers' second consecutive weekly award, following Alex's teammate Cody Bellinger, and it marks the first time Dodgers have won in consecutive weeks since Yasiel Puig and Josh Beckett in May 2014. Wood is the first Dodgers hurler to take home weekly honors since teammate Clayton Kershaw and then-Dodger Zack Greinke were named Co-Players of the Week for the week ending July 19, 2015.
In Wood's first start of the week last Monday, the left-hander tossed 5.0 innings of one-run ball and allowed just two hits. The Dodgers pitching staff recorded a season-high 17 strikeouts in LA's 12-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, the most strikeouts for the club in a nine-inning game since May 15, 2015 against the Colorado Rockies (18 SO). Wood, a second round selection by the Atlanta Braves in the 2012 MLB Draft, led the way for LA with a season-high 11 strikeouts, while issuing just one walk. On Saturday against the Rockies at Coors Field, the University of Georgia product logged his second consecutive scoreless outing en route to his fourth win of the season. Wood struck out 10 batters over 6.0 innings, while permitting just one free pass. It was his second consecutive game with more than 10 strikeouts, accomplishing the feat for the first time in his five-year Major League career. Entering play today, the Dodgers pitching staff paces the Majors in ERA (3.30) and WHIP (1.19), and ranks second in strikeouts (367) behind the Houston Astros. The Dodgers currently sport a 22-16 (.579) record and sit 1.5 games behind the Rockies for first place in the competitive NL West.
Alex's battery mate Yasmani Grandal (.591, 13 H, 4 2B, 8 RBI) posted an excellent week at the plate for the Dodgers. The 2015 NL All-Star recorded a trio of three-hit games and paced his NL peers in hits for the period. Grandal enters play today in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak, dating back to May 3rd. In addition, second baseman Neil Walker (.462, 6 R, 6 XBH, 10 RBI) of the New York Mets enters this week on a six-game hitting streak. The switch-hitter homered on consecutive days (Friday-Saturday) for the first time this season and delivered multi-RBI efforts in four of six games played. St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Carlos Martínez (2-0, 2 QS, 12.2 IP, 14 SO) was great on the mound as well as with the bat. The 2015 NL All-Star tallied four hits across two starts with a pair of multi-hit games, including the game-winning RBI in both of the games he started (May 8th at Miami; May 13th vs. Chicago-NL). Other noteworthy performances included Buster Posey (.429, 8 R, 4 HR, 1.048 SLG) of the San Francisco Giants; Tommy Joseph (.500, 7 R, 5 XBH, 1.286 SLG) of the Philadelphia Phillies; Bryce Harper (.417, 2 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI) of the Washington Nationals; and Keon Broxton (.400, 8 R, 5 XBH, 7 RBI) of the Milwaukee Brewers.
In recognition of his National League Player of the Week Award, Alex Wood will be awarded a watch courtesy of Rockwell.