Rich Hill is July’s NL Pitcher of the Month
by Rowan Kavner
Rich Hill was named National League Pitcher of the Month for July, becoming the second Dodger pitcher in the first four months of the season to earn the monthly honor.
Hill went 4–0 in July with a 1.45 ERA and 0.77 WHIP, striking out 40 with only five walks in 31 innings. He also allowed two runs or fewer while going five innings or more in each of his five starts, including a seven-inning shutout performance with 11 strikeouts to start the month against the Padres.
Hill’s the second Dodger to take home the honor this year after Alex Wood did so in May when Wood went 5–0 with a 1.27 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings.
After making mechanical adjustments, including a modified delivery to limit his movement and drifting on the mound, Hill’s enjoyed an extraordinary turnaround to his 2017 season that saw his ERA dip from 5.14 in the middle of June to 3.35 by the start of August.
“I think if you’re just trying to point at something which aided in his being able to repeat, that’s one component,” said manager Dave Roberts. “But, also, it’s the ball coming out of his hand and the feel for his breaking ball.”
Dating back to June 21, Hill’s gone 6–1 in his last seven starts with a 1.88 ERA and 0.86 WHIP, holding opponents to a .175 batting average and .238 on-base percentage. Among NL starters who threw more than 20 innings in July, Hill was in the top five in wins, ERA and K/9, and the only NL starter with a better WHIP was teammate Clayton Kershaw (0.76).
“It’s easy to look back and say, ‘Connect the dots,’ right? But, again, thinking about how you’re going to go out there and be successful, you have to take chances,” Hill said after his most recent start. “You have to go out there and put a certain amount of risk on the line.”
The changes have paid off for Hill, who’s not only thrown more effectively but also gone deeper into games as the season has progressed.
After going no more than five innings in any of his first nine starts, he’s now gone more than five innings in five of his last six. For the season, Hill is 8–4 with a 3.35 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 90 strikeouts in 78 innings.
“Again, it’s all part of the process and continuing to put in the work and the time every single day,” Hill said.
