The Arizona Diamondbacks got their first home series win in a long time, against the MIlwaukee Brewers, another underperforming National League squad. The wins this week weren't very pretty, as is often the case with this year's team, but the end result was welcome.
Starting pitcher Wade Miley again gets the Pitcher of the Week nod -- not necessarily because he was dominating or anything, but because he keeps winning and this team really needs that., one way or another. The Player of the Week award goes to Miguel Montero, who didn't play a game this week, but got his long-term contract from the D-backs. Miggy got a five-year, $60 million contract, making him the highest-paid Diamondback in franchise history.
Miley didn't do anything spectacular in Saturday's win, but outside of a four-run third inning (and not all of those were earned), he had himself an okay night. He closed the night with three scoreless innings and got himself the win on a night in which the rest of his team chased Brewers starter Zack Greinke from the mound early on. It's sort of amazing that the team's most inexperienced pitcher has been their most consistent, but it is what it is.
As previously mentioned, Montero didn't do anything at all on the field this week, but his payday was notable. The D-backs did not have any catching depth and there aren't a lot of MLB-level catchers better than Miggy, so getting a long-term deal done with him was a no-brainer. Perhaps he was overpaid, but Kevin Towers and the rest of the D-backs organization couldn't afford to let him wander away in free agency.
For those keeping track of these awards at home:
Player of the Week awards:
Parra (1), Kubel (1), Roberts (1), Goldschmidt (1), Bloomquist (1), Montero (1)
Pitcher of the Week awards:
Saunders (1), Cahill (1), Corbin (1), Miley (3)