Clevinger, Flaherty earn Aug. Pitchers of Month

Major League Baseball on Tuesday selected Indians right-hander Mike Clevinger and Cardinals righty Jack Flaherty as the American and National League Pitchers of the Month, respectively, for August.

The 28-year-old Clevinger missed the majority of the first half with injuries, but he’s come back and ascended to one of the more dominant starters in baseball. He struck out 51 hitters -- second-most in MLB -- over 36 2/3 innings in August, compiling a 1.96 ERA while going 5-0 and holding opponents to a .207/.272/.304 slash line across six starts. Clevinger has won each of his past nine decisions dating back to July 3, recording a 1.86 ERA in that span while striking out 92 hitters and walking just 16. This is his first career Pitcher of the Month award.

This is also Flaherty’s first Pitcher of the Month honor after quite possibly the most dominant stretch of his budding career. Flaherty, 23, topped Major League pitchers (min. 20 innings) with a 0.71 ERA (three earned runs over 38 innings) and a .444 OPS thanks to a stifling .145/.215/.229 slash line against. Flaherty won four of his five decisions in August, with his only loss coming after he allowed two earned runs to the Brewers on Wednesday. Flaherty entered the All-Star break with a 4.64 ERA, but has recorded an MLB-best 0.98 mark since then (min. 40 innings) while also topping the sport with a .161 average against and pairing 71 strikeouts with 15 walks in that span.