The San Francisco Giants have won just two games in the last 12 days.
And if Jeff Samardzija didn’t pitch in those two games, it’s possible they wouldn’t have won any.
The past two weeks have been a struggle for the Giants, even by the standards they’ve set during the 2017 season. Samardzija, however, has been a remarkable bright spot, turning in the two best outings of his season as the rest of this team suffers. For his efforts, Samardzija was rewarded with National League Player of the Week honors.
Your AL, NL Player of the Week winners:@Indians spark plug @MrLapara (.538 AVG, 11 XBH)@SFGiants RHP Jeff Samardzija (16 IP, 1 R, 14 Ks) pic.twitter.com/H1clBMDCie
— MLB (@MLB) September 5, 2017
Last Monday, Samardzija threw a three-hit shutout against the San Diego Padres in a 3-0 Giants win. Samardzija didn’t walk a batter, and he notched five strikeouts over nine innings against a Padres’ lineup that had created plenty of issues for him earlier this season.
The Giants’ right-hander followed up that outing with seven innings of one-run ball on Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals. Though Samardzija left the game on the hook for the loss, his battery-mate Nick Hundley bailed him out with a walkoff home run in the 10th inning to lead the Giants to a 2-1 win.
Over two starts, Samardzija threw 16 innings, gave up just one earned run, and allowed five hits while striking out 14 batters. In the process, Samardzija’s ERA dropped from 4.67 to 4.31.