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Barry Zito wins AL Pitcher of the Month
By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com

OAKLAND -- Oakland's recent surge has helped Barry Zito turn his season around.

Or is it the other way around?

Either way, both the A's and the 2002 American League Cy Young Award winner have been streaking lately. Oakland has erased its early woes and sits one game out of the division lead and Zito went 6-0 with a 2.51 ERA and 30 strikeouts in July to pick up his third career Pitcher of the Month award.

"He's pitched like that the whole year, but we haven't played good behind him," Oakland third baseman Eric Chavez said on July 25. "Thank God we catch a stretch where he's throwing the ball well and we're playing well and he can catch a couple of victories.

"I don't see him slowing down at all. He's just getting better."

The left-hander has won a career-high seven starts in a row and has posted a 2.34 ERA during that span. Zito is now 10-8 with a 3.72 ERA after bottoming out on May 29 with a 3-8 record and a 4.66 ERA.

He went at least six innings in each of his starts in July and five of his six wins last month came against teams with winning records. Two of those were against the Chicago White Sox, who have the best record in baseball.

"That just shows you how confident Barry is right now with everything he throws," Oakland catcher Jason Kendall said on July 20. "I mean, I can throw any sign down at any time with him, because he can throw it all for a strike at any time. The guy's just phenomenal right now."

Zito's hot streak has paralleled that of the A's, who were 17-32 on May 29, but have gone 43-14 since then and were 20-6 in July. Oakland now leads the Wild Card by three games and sits within striking distance of the AL West-leading Angels -- thanks in part to Zito's efforts.

"We're not settling for any Wild Card," Zito said on July 25. "We know if we put together a stretch like we have been, we can come away with the AL West.

"We've got to shoot for the top. If it so happens that we get the Wild Card, we'll settle for that, but there's no reason why we shouldn't look for beating Anaheim."

On July 20, Zito combined with relievers Justin Duchscherer and Huston Street to shut out the Angels. One start earlier, Zito came five outs away from throwing a no-hitter against Texas -- a day after teammate Rich Harden nearly threw a perfect game against the Rangers.

Harden was the runner-up for the monthly award after going 5-1 with a 2.77 ERA and 35 strikeouts in July.

"Barry's pretty much been on a roll for six weeks," Macha said on July 15. "What looked like a bleak season for him [has seen] a dramatic turnaround."