Uprising
08-03-2005, 06:24 PM
Pettitte wins Pitcher of the Month award
08/03/2005 5:52 PM ET
By Ben Couch / Special to MLB.com
Houston's Andy Pettitte, who led the National League with five wins last month, was voted Wednesday as the NL Pitcher of the Month of July.
"He's in a very good groove," Astros manager Phil Garner said July 25. "Not only is he throwing confidently, I think he's getting the pitches where he wants to."
Pettitte didn't lose once in six starts during July, posting a 5-0 record. He allowed 32 hits and seven runs (four earned), struck out 31 batters and walked 10 in 40 innings. Pettitte's 0.90 ERA was the second-lowest in the NL among starters and was the best such number he produced in any calendar month during his career.
During Pettitte's prolific stretch, the Astros surged to a 22-7 record, equaling a club record for wins in a month and taking over the lead in the NL Wild Card standings.
"When you look at it, this is the same team that started out 4-30," Pettitte said after beating the Phillies on July 30. "You're just like, what happened? But to tell you the truth, the whole time, even when we were playing as badly as we were, I'm like, 'We've got one of the best pitching staffs in the league. Come on. This team should win.'
"Coming from New York, [I know] pitching wins. That's how you look at it. We're starting to win now, and we're still pitching very well." And with Pettitte pitching better than any other player in the National League, they should continue to win.
Pettitte beat out teammate Roy Oswalt (4-1, 2.03 ERA, 36 strikeouts), St. Louis ace Chris Carpenter (4-0, 1.11 ERA, 33 strikeouts) and Atlanta's John Smoltz (4-0, 2.45 ERA, 29 strikeouts) to win the award.
http://houston.astros.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050803&content_id=1156168&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou
08/03/2005 5:52 PM ET
By Ben Couch / Special to MLB.com
Houston's Andy Pettitte, who led the National League with five wins last month, was voted Wednesday as the NL Pitcher of the Month of July.
"He's in a very good groove," Astros manager Phil Garner said July 25. "Not only is he throwing confidently, I think he's getting the pitches where he wants to."
Pettitte didn't lose once in six starts during July, posting a 5-0 record. He allowed 32 hits and seven runs (four earned), struck out 31 batters and walked 10 in 40 innings. Pettitte's 0.90 ERA was the second-lowest in the NL among starters and was the best such number he produced in any calendar month during his career.
During Pettitte's prolific stretch, the Astros surged to a 22-7 record, equaling a club record for wins in a month and taking over the lead in the NL Wild Card standings.
"When you look at it, this is the same team that started out 4-30," Pettitte said after beating the Phillies on July 30. "You're just like, what happened? But to tell you the truth, the whole time, even when we were playing as badly as we were, I'm like, 'We've got one of the best pitching staffs in the league. Come on. This team should win.'
"Coming from New York, [I know] pitching wins. That's how you look at it. We're starting to win now, and we're still pitching very well." And with Pettitte pitching better than any other player in the National League, they should continue to win.
Pettitte beat out teammate Roy Oswalt (4-1, 2.03 ERA, 36 strikeouts), St. Louis ace Chris Carpenter (4-0, 1.11 ERA, 33 strikeouts) and Atlanta's John Smoltz (4-0, 2.45 ERA, 29 strikeouts) to win the award.
http://houston.astros.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050803&content_id=1156168&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou