It hasn't happened to a Twins pitcher in a while, but righthander Jake Odorizzi pitched 13 shutout innings in victories over the Astros and Yankees last week to earn American League player of the week honors.
Jake Odorizzi named AL player of week; first Twins pitcher to win honor since 2011
May 7, 2019 at 12:35PM
The stretch of dominance has helped Odorizzi lower his season ERA to 2.78. But he has a 1.11 ERA over his past four outings, coming against Toronto, Houston (twice) and the Yankees. The work in the offseason to refine his mechanics, as well as his decision to use more sliders and cut fastballs, appears to have paid off.
"I think so," he said. "I would point to that. I just feel a lot more smooth. Everything feels like I'm not fighting anything this year so it's worked out really well for me. I just need to stay on this path as long as I can."
Francisco Liriano is the last Twins pitcher to win a weekly award. He was named the Week of May 9, 2011, after throwing a no-hitter against the White Sox. Eduardo Escobar is the last position player to win the award, getting one last season.
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