PHILADELPHIA — Dan Uggla capped a personal worst-to-first in-season turnaround with a National League player of the month award Tuesday, and Craig Kimbrel made it a record streak of Braves NL rookie award winners.
Uggla won his first player of the month honors after hitting .340 with 10 homers and 21 RBIs in August, and Kimbrel was named NL rookie of the month after converting all 10 of his August save opportunities, with 23 strikeouts and four walks in 12 2/3 scoreless innings.
For Uggla, it has been an unforgettable ride from a career-worst first half. He lugged a league-worst .173 average July 4, the day before he began a 33-game hitting streak in which he hit .340 with 15 homers, 32 RBIs and a 1.200 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.
“Getting player of the month, that’s pretty cool,” Uggla said. “I’m appreciative of it. That’s not what I’m concerned about, individual stuff. But from the slow start to where I am right now, that’s a pretty cool accomplishment.”
For Kimbrel, the NL rookie award is his second in three months. “I’d trade both of [the awards] to help us get through the playoffs,” said Kimbrel, who led the majors with 42 saves before Tuesday. “I feel good. I feel like I’m getting stronger as the season goes on.”
Before Tuesday he hadn’t allowed a run in 37 appearances since June 14, a remarkable streak in which Kimbrel gave up 13 hits and 11 walks with 65 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings. It’s the longest scoreless stretch in the majors this season.
Kimbrel had at least two strikeouts in each of his past 10 appearances, another major league record (for appearances lasting one inning or less). Before his current streak, the record was seven such appearances in a row in one season, shared by Kimbrel (2010), Billy Wagner (2007) and Matt Mantei (1999).
Teammate Freddie Freeman was won the NL rookie award in July, making the Braves the first NL team to win the award in three consecutive months.
Salazar back with Braves
Nearly six months after a catastrophic spring-training accident that cost him his left eye, Luis Salazar was proud to back with the major league Braves.
Salazar, after managing the Braves’ high-Class A affiliate in its first season in Lynchburg, Va., was asked to join the Braves’ major league coaching staff for one week in September. He arrived Tuesday in Philadelphia, a day after his Hillcats finished their season.
His pitching coach and hitting coach at Lynchburg also will spend one week apiece with the Braves later this month. The Braves typically bring up a few minor league coaches and managers from various levels in September.
“I’m very glad the Atlanta Braves organization made the decision not because of what happened to me in spring training, but because of the job we did in the minor leagues, in player development,” said Salazar, 55. “We made a lot of progress down there with those kids. We did a lot of nice things down there.”
Salazar was struck in the face by a line-drive foul ball off the bat of Brian McCann on March 9 in a Grapefruit League game, while serving as an extra coach on the Braves’ major league staff during spring training.
He had multiple facial fractures and a broken forearm from the fall to the dugout floor, but no brain damage. After two surgeries to attempt to save his badly damaged eye, doctors were forced to remove it. Salazar has since been fitted with a prosthetic eye.
He was able to do his usual duties as manager this season, including throwing batting practice. The former major league utility player even took flyballs and groundballs with his players.
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