MLB Players of the Week: Big Papi and Kershaw dominate

AL Pitcher: Alex Cobb, SP, Tampa Bay Rays

There were a few candidates for the AL Pitcher of the Week, but I think Cobb did more than enough to set himself apart from the rest. He threw 14 1/3 scoreless innings combined between his two starts over the week. The first was 7 1/3 innings, in which he gave up 6 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 8, and obviously, not giving up any runs. He then went 7 innings, giving up 2 hits and 2 walks, striking out 6 in his second scoreless outing of the week.

If that wasn’t enough, his second shutout came against the third best offense in the league in the Detroit Tigers.

Other candidates included David Price (16 IP, 4 hits, 3 walks, 16 strikeouts, 1 earned run) and Hisashi Iwakuma (8 IP, 4 hits, 0 walks, 11 strikeouts, 0 earned runs), but they had drawbacks that Cobb didn’t Price threw more innings, and his 0.56 ERA is about as close to zero as it gets. But, Cobb actually did post a zero ERA, so he gets the edge there. Iwakuma only had one start, so while he also had a shutout, on top of 11 K’s to no walks, Cobb doing it twice is obviously more impressive.

The only wins the Rays had between the 15th and 21st were the 15th and 21st, the two games that Cobb started, meaning his performance over the week was big for the success of his team. In his second start, the Rays themselves only scored one run, so had Cobb not dominated, there is a good chance they lose that day instead.