Special_K19
04-28-2004, 04:12 PM
How did I miss this? GO JAKEY JAKE!!! :dancin: :banana:
04/26/2004 9:16 PM ET
Westbrook tabbed for big games
Pitcher honored as AL Player of the Week
By Justice B. Hill / MLB.com
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/images/2004/04/20/AxLPbpzS.jpg
Jake Westbrook has been starting and relieving since arriving in the Majors in 2000. (Mark Duncan/AP)
CLEVELAND -- Right-hander Jake Westbrook was just a little short of perfect in his two outings last week, but those two performances had so few flaws that they earned Westbrook the honor AL Player of the Week for the period of April 19-25.
Westbrook turned a long relief role and a spot start into 16 innings of two-hit ball. He allowed two earned runs, although an arguably generous scoring decision accounted for one of those runs and one of those two hits.
"It's two great performances in a row," manager Eric Wedge said.
So dazzling were Westbrook's outings Wedge might have a decision to make: to keep Westbrook in the rotation or send him back to long relief?
"That's something we're gonna have to talk about," Wedge said. "Obviously, when you talk about a guy that's thrown the baseball the way he has the last two times and held it over a series of innings, it's obviously very worthy of discussion."
It was also worthy of recognition, too. Stacked up against some excellent performances all across the AL landscape, Westbrook beat, among others, Red Sox star Pedro Martinez (2-0, 0.64), Twins reliever Joe Nathan (0.00, four saves), Tigers catcher Brandon Inge (.435, two homers, 10 RBIs), Rondell White (.387, three homers and an MLB-best 11 RBIs) and Orioles slugger Rafael Palmeiro (.450, eight RBIs).
In earning the honor, Westbrook became the first Indians player to win it since Bartolo Colon was honored in September 2000, and his work was as deserving as anything Colon was honored for during his years with the Tribe.
Westbrook's outing showed the maturation of a young pitcher whose stuff baseball people had labeled top notch from the time the Expos selected him as their 21st overall pick in the 1996 draft.
But living up to those high expectations hasn't been easy for Westbrook, who has bounced between starting and relieving since coming to the Majors in 2000.
"A lot of it is confidence," Westbrook said. "It's being out there and being able to trust my stuff and go out there and throw my game."
That confidence was easy to reach for after his seven-inning relief role April 19 against the Tigers. Westbrook took over a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the first inning, immediately stopped the Tigers from building on a 4-0 lead and retired all 21 batters he faced.
"That definitely helps," Westbrook said. "I mean, I went out there and 21 up and 21 down, and you're gonna have a lot of confidence after that outing. So I carried that into (the start April 25)."
For winning the weekly award, Westbrook will receive a luxury Swiss timepiece from Tourneau, the world's largest watch store.
Justice B. Hill is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
04/26/2004 9:16 PM ET
Westbrook tabbed for big games
Pitcher honored as AL Player of the Week
By Justice B. Hill / MLB.com
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/images/2004/04/20/AxLPbpzS.jpg
Jake Westbrook has been starting and relieving since arriving in the Majors in 2000. (Mark Duncan/AP)
CLEVELAND -- Right-hander Jake Westbrook was just a little short of perfect in his two outings last week, but those two performances had so few flaws that they earned Westbrook the honor AL Player of the Week for the period of April 19-25.
Westbrook turned a long relief role and a spot start into 16 innings of two-hit ball. He allowed two earned runs, although an arguably generous scoring decision accounted for one of those runs and one of those two hits.
"It's two great performances in a row," manager Eric Wedge said.
So dazzling were Westbrook's outings Wedge might have a decision to make: to keep Westbrook in the rotation or send him back to long relief?
"That's something we're gonna have to talk about," Wedge said. "Obviously, when you talk about a guy that's thrown the baseball the way he has the last two times and held it over a series of innings, it's obviously very worthy of discussion."
It was also worthy of recognition, too. Stacked up against some excellent performances all across the AL landscape, Westbrook beat, among others, Red Sox star Pedro Martinez (2-0, 0.64), Twins reliever Joe Nathan (0.00, four saves), Tigers catcher Brandon Inge (.435, two homers, 10 RBIs), Rondell White (.387, three homers and an MLB-best 11 RBIs) and Orioles slugger Rafael Palmeiro (.450, eight RBIs).
In earning the honor, Westbrook became the first Indians player to win it since Bartolo Colon was honored in September 2000, and his work was as deserving as anything Colon was honored for during his years with the Tribe.
Westbrook's outing showed the maturation of a young pitcher whose stuff baseball people had labeled top notch from the time the Expos selected him as their 21st overall pick in the 1996 draft.
But living up to those high expectations hasn't been easy for Westbrook, who has bounced between starting and relieving since coming to the Majors in 2000.
"A lot of it is confidence," Westbrook said. "It's being out there and being able to trust my stuff and go out there and throw my game."
That confidence was easy to reach for after his seven-inning relief role April 19 against the Tigers. Westbrook took over a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the first inning, immediately stopped the Tigers from building on a 4-0 lead and retired all 21 batters he faced.
"That definitely helps," Westbrook said. "I mean, I went out there and 21 up and 21 down, and you're gonna have a lot of confidence after that outing. So I carried that into (the start April 25)."
For winning the weekly award, Westbrook will receive a luxury Swiss timepiece from Tourneau, the world's largest watch store.
Justice B. Hill is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.