Hector Neris wins NL Reliever of the Month for August

Hector Neris has won something.

Let me clarify: Hector Neris has won something good.

Neris is the NL Reliever of the Month for August. No really, he is! In August, Neris pitched nine innings over ten appearances. He allowed zero runs and struck out 20.

No, I’m not mixing him up with someone else. Hector Neris has won NL Reliever of the Month for August!

This is an absolutely stunning turnaround for Neris. His first month was good — spectacular if you remove his first appearance, a disaster against Atlanta — but until now that was the high point of his season. In May and June he had an ERA of 9.00, and he was sent down to Triple-A on June 30. He spent the next six weeks with the IronPigs, where he had a 1.45 ERA over 18.2 innings. Whatever the problem was, he’s seemed to have fixed it.

This is how good Neris has been: he won NL Reliever of the Month, and he was only recalled on August 15. He won based on two weeks of relief appearances.

Congratulations to Hector Neris. He absolutely deserves it.