Strikeout Sale!

NATIONAL LEAGUE
(WEEK 6 - Award Winners)

Chris Sale is piling up the strikeouts for King Road this season, he has now racked up 54 K's in 55.2 innings, while improving his record to 4-2, with a 3.56 ERA. Sale recorded two of his 4 wins against Holland this week; He allowed only 6 hits & 3 earned runs in 15.1 innings, with 17 K's & 5 BB's. His second performance of the week was the most impressive of the two outings, in which on three days rest, went 8.1 innings, allowing only 1 ER, while striking out ten Hitchhikers! Chris Sale is this week's National League Pitcher of the Week.

Last week's Award winner in that category, Jeremy Hellickson of the Urbana Locomotives, had another impressive week, but not as good luck, as he came up on the losing end twice. Hellickson pitched 16.1 innings, allowing only 7 hits, an earned run (out of 5 runs), 0.56 ERA, with 12 K's & 5 BB's.

Sale is not the only pitcher to rack up K's this week, we go to Urbana where Portland's Cole Hamels pitched a single-game league record of 16 K's! Hamels only allowed 2 ER's & 2 walks in the losing effort, giving up 8 hits. Still the feat should not go unrecognized, a great week for Mr. Hamels! His teammate Anibal Sanchez had a great week as well.

For this week's Player award, I changed my mind at the last second. The award nearly went to Traverse City's Giancarlo Stanton, but at the end of the day, the National League Player of the Week it goes to the Hannibal Cavemen's Jon Jay. It was real close with all the hitters this week, but Jay did a bit of everything. Jon batted .333 (8-for-24), with a HR, 7 RBI, 5 runs & 3 stolen bases, to help his team come off with a series split against Seattle. Stanton's effort was pretty similar, batting .333 (7-for-21), 3 HR, 6 RBI & 4 runs, while the Panthers lost their series 3-2 to Sacramento (the last game got rained out).

Honorable Mention:

• SP-Jeremy Hellickson (URB) - 16.1 IP, 2 L's, 7 H, ER (5 R), 0.55 ERA for the week, with 12 strikeouts & 5 walks.
• SP-Anibal Sanchez (POR) - 2 W, 16.1 IP, 10 H, 1 ER & 14 K's.
• 1B/DH-David Ortiz (POR) - .625 (5-for-8), HR, 3 RBI & 4 runs.
• OF-Ryan Braun (SAC) - .429 (6-for-14), HR, 3 RBI & 3 runs.
• 1B/3B-Edwin Encarnacion (SAC) - .389 (7-for-18), 2 HR, 3 RBI & 2 runs.
• OF-Giancarlo Stanton (T.C.) - .333 (7-for-21), 3 HR, 6 RBI & 4 runs.
• OF-Denard Span (HAN) - .417 (10-for-24), 4 runs & 4 steals in 4 games.
• OF-Jon Jay (HAN) - .333 (8-for-24), HR, 7 RBI, 5 runs & 3 SB's.
• OF-David DeJesus (SEA) - .471 (8-for-17), RBI & run.
• SP-Clayton Kershaw (KING) - W/L in 2 outings, 15 IP, 15 H, 5 ER, 12 K & 4 BB's.
• OF-Curtis Granderson (KING) - .333 (7-for-21), HR, 4 RBI & 4 runs.
• 2B-Daniel Murphy (KING) - .526 (10-for-19), run.
• SP-Cole Hamels (POR) - 16 K's in a single-game, league record!
• SS-Alcides Escobar (HOL) - .421 (8-for-19), 2 RBI & run.
• C-Buster Posey (HAN) - .385 (10-for-26), HR, 5 RBI & 4 runs.