SF Giants’ Blake Snell named National League Pitcher of the Month for August

The Giants signed Blake Snell to pitch like the reigning Cy Young winner he is, and in August, he held up his end.

Snell, 31, was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for his work in August. In six starts last month, including his first career no-hitter, Snell posted a 1.64 ERA and held hitters to a .125 batting average. Snell struck out 53 in 38 1/3 innings.

Snell faced 144 batters in the month and allowed just 16 total hits.

In the American League, Blue Jays righty Bowden Francis won Pitcher of the Month.

For Snell, this marks the second straight season in which he reached a new stratosphere in the second half. In Snell’s last 10 starts, spanning back to his return from the injured list on July 9, the two-time Cy Young winner has registered a 1.30 ERA. In those 10 games, Snell has allowed nine total runs in 62 1/3 innings while striking out 83.

But August is when Snell really found his groove. He started the month on Aug. 2 with the franchise’s 10th no-hitter since moving to San Francisco, striking out 11 in a 3-0 win at Great American Ball Park.

Snell followed up his no-no with three straight quality starts. In those four games, he fanned 45 batters — the second-most strikeouts in any four-game span in Giants franchise history.

Snell was so dominant in August that he won the monthly distinction while having a three-inning, five-walk stinker mixed in with his outstanding starts.

San Francisco signed Snell to a two-year, $62 million contract that has an opt-out after 2024, meaning he can choose to become a free agent once again at the end of the season. Snell started the season slow after joining the Giants so late in the offseason, but his outstanding second half signals he’ll likely attract the type of multi-year contract he sought this past winter on the open market.