Filed under: Dodgers, Giants, Padres, Phillies, NL WestSAN DIEGO -- When the biggest game of his fledgling career arrives Sunday, Mat Latos will not be thinking about the Cy Young award. Rather, the rival San Francisco Giants will command his attention. A pennant race is raging in the National League West, and Latos knows the wobbly San Diego Padres must win to stay alone in first place. The Cy Young race? That's for others to discuss.
"I would just love to hear my name even brought up in the Cy Young," Latos said. "Cy Young and my name being in the same sentence alone would make my day."
Any Cy Young voter who exempts Latos from the conversation isn't paying attention. Latos leads the NL in ERA (2.21), fewest walks and hits per inning pitched (0.96) and fewest hits per nine innings (6.2).
What he's done over the last 15 games, however, merits extra recognition. Five days ago when he held the Los Angeles Dodgers to one run in seven innings, Latos set a big league record with his 15th straight start of five or more innings with two or fewer runs allowed. He'd been tied with Greg Maddux (1993-94) and Mike Scott (1986).
Another way of saying it is, Latos has thrived in the playoff-race heat.
"I'm this 22-year-old kid who wants to go out and compete," he said. "I thrive off it. I love the energy. I love the atmosphere."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment