MLB Performances of the Week: Phillies toss no-hitter
Each week here at FanSided we’ve been bringing you MLB’s top hitting and pitching performances of the week. You can find them right here, every Monday for the remainder of the season and throughout the postseason.
This week was packed full of action, so much in fact that not everyone who put up a great performance can make the list. Four National League pitchers, Los Angeles Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw, Cincinnati Reds’ Johnny Cueto, St. Louis Cardinals Adam Wainwright and the San Francisco Giants’ Madison Bumgarner each got their MLB leading 17th wins but not one of them makes the top pitching performances list this week.
Pittsburgh Pirates starter Gerrit Cole hit his first big league home run at Wrigley Field on Sunday but he couldn’t work his way into the top three hitting performances, although another pitcher did. So without giving too much away, here are your top pitching and hitting performances of the week.
Pitching
1. The Philadelphia Phillies, Phillies at Atlanta Braves, September 1
W, 9.0IP, 0H,12K
Monday four Philadelphia Phillies’ pitchers combined to accomplish one of MLB’s rarest feats. Starter Cole Hamels pitched six innings without allowing a hit. His pitch count climbed faster than he would have liked as he issued five walks but he had his teammates, Jake Diekman, Kevin Giles and Jonathan Papelbon to get through the final three innings for him also without allowing a hit. Each of the three final pitchers pitched a full inning without allowing a hit nor issuing another walk.
They completed just the 11th combined no-hitter in MLB history. There have been 23 perfect games pitched over baseball’s approximately 130 year history which you would think is baseball’s most rare accomplishment but combined no-hitters are even more difficult to accomplish so the number one pitching performance this week goes to the four Phillies’ pitchers as they led their team to defeat the Braves by a score of 7-0.
2. Danny Salazar, Cleveland Indians vs. Detroit Tigers, September 3
W (6-6), 9.0IP, 8H, 9K
Cleveland Indians starter Danny Salazar had pitched eight scoreless innings going into Wednesday’s game against the Detroit Tigers. He is now working on a streak of 17 scoreless innings. He pitched one of two total complete game shutouts this week, actually they were both pitched on the very same day.
Salazar’s scoreless innings streak earned him the number two spot this week over the next pitcher on the list. Salazar used 118 pitches to shut down the Tiger’s offense. He did not walk a single batter, allowing just eight hits. It was the first time this season he pitched more than seven innings in a start and his first career complete game shutout. Prior to Wednesday the 24-year-old had never pitched more than 7.2 innings in his big league career.
3. Miguel Gonzalez, Baltimore Orioles vs. Cincinnati Reds, September 3
W (8-7), 9.0IP, 4H, 8K
Also on Wednesday another pitcher, also in his second year in the big leagues, went the distance while shutting out the Cincinnati Reds. Miguel Gonzalez has been getting noticed lately for his solid starts for the Orioles after a roller coaster of a season for the 30-year-old. He spent time on the disabled list, has pitched out of the bullpen and even been sent down to the minors, twice.
Wednesday Gonzalez had by far the best outing of his career. He used 117 pitches, 83 of them strikes, to shutout the Reds. He allowed just one walk. He’d pitched a full eight innings just twice in his career before pitching the entire game this week.
Hitting
1. Adam LaRoche, Washington Nationals at Los Angeles Dodgers, September 3
2/3, 1HR, 5RBI, 2R
Adam LaRoche was supposed to have the day off on Wednesday but he was called off the bench in the ninth inning with his team trailing. He hit a pinch-hit two-run home run to tie the game in what became a 14-inning marathon between the Nationals and the Dodgers on Wednesday night. All of LaRoche’s RBIs either tied the game or gave his team the lead.
After his heroic two run homer in the ninth, LaRoche delivered a two-run run single in the 11th inning and sealed the deal for the Nationals with a fielder’s choice in the 14th inning that allowed Ian Desmond to score. LaRoche beat out the relay throw at first to avoid the double play and secured the win for the Nationals.
2. Brian McCann, New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox, September 3
4/4, 1HR, 3RBI, 1R
For a guy who struggled through most of the season, Yankees’ catcher Brian McCann has looked good lately. Wednesday he had four hits in four at-bats including three singles and a home run. McCann drove in three runs. The home run was his 17th on the season and second in two games.
McCann, a seven time All-Star and a five time Sliver Slugger Award winner, is hitting just .238 this season which is the second worst average he’s had in his 10-years in the big leagues. He’s hit over .300 twice. Many thought it was the move from the Atlanta Braves to the Yankees that was the cause of McCann’s struggles early on in the season but that couldn’t be further from the truth. McCann has hit 15 of his 17 homer runs at Yankee Stadium. With his recent success he is pretty much a lock to hit 20 home runs this year, a feat he’s accomplished seven other time sin his career.
3. Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, September 2
1-2, 1H, 3RBI, 0R
Yes, there is a pitcher on the hitting list this week. Tuesday night Adam Wainwright hit three RBI to help himself get his 16th win. This was one day his his hitting was better than his pitching. He gave up a career high three home runs but also tied his career high in RBI.
Wainwright first grounded out in the second inning but it allowed a run to score. He also played a key part in the Cardinal’s three-run fourth inning hitting a two-run single to break a 2-2 tie. The Cardinals went on to defeat the Pirates by a score of 5-4.