Likewise, when you pitch three straight nights in three straight wins, things are generally going fairly well. Such is the case for Jonathan Papelbon, whose performance earned him Amica Pitcher of the Week honors.
The Red Sox' closer pitched an inning against the Phillies on Saturday before finishing off three victories over the Diamondbacks. Against the Phillies, he surrendered a pair of hits but countered with two strikeouts in the game that's come to be known as "The Daniel Nava Game."
Yet pitching with a 10-2 cushion isn't exactly Papelbon's thing. He did, however, step into some high-intensity situations against Arizona, and he came out victorious.
After fellow bullpen pirates Manny Delcarmen, Hideki Okajima and Daniel Bard each picked up holds in a tight game on Tuesday, Papelbon entered in the ninth, shutting the D-Backs down in order with just 13 pitches.
The following night, Papelbon recorded what will likely be the easiest save of his career. Ramon Ramirez ran into some control problems in the ninth inning, so with the tying run on deck in a 6-2 game, Terry Francona called upon Papelbon to get one out.
And he did. On four pitches.
Papelbon was again called upon on Thursday, though not in a save situation. He did give up a run on two hits, but again he recorded two strikeouts and preserved the victory.
On the season, he's converted 15 of 16 save opportunities, giving up eight earned runs in 26 1/3 innings pitched (2.73 ERA), and at least for one week, he was able to outshine his fellow pitchers to earn the Amica Pitcher of the Week honors.