August players of the Month
Hitter of the month:
RF – Matt Kemp
August totals: 304/342/500 – 5 HR, 3 2B, 1 3B, 25 RBI
First. Cycle. Ever.
Pitcher of the month:
RHP – Ian Kennedy
August totals: 2-3, 2.30 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, .195 opp. avg.
A few weeks ago the question of whether to extend a qualifying offer to the Padres #4 starter seemed like a no-brainer. Kennedy struggled mightily during the first 2 months of the season. He started to pick up steam in June and and July and hit his stride in the dog days. Kennedy was extremely difficult to hit, holding opponents to a sub 200 average. He also started striking out more batters than his career average (10.34 k/9, which led all starters). And, perhaps most importantly, he stopped giving up the long ball (3 in 31 innings) that has plagued him all year. If he keeps pitching this way he will leave the Padres with a really tough decision on qualifying offer deadline day.
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