Congratulations to Carlos Torres; he’s today’s winner of the MMN Pitcher of the Week award! The 2013 season started off rough for Torres, but he’s been able to string together a few impressive starts lately for the Las Vegas 51s. Most recently, he threw his second straight complete game, a two-hitter yesterday against the Tacoma Rainiers.

During that dominant performance, Torres gave up one run on two walks and four strikeouts. We could start seeing a difference in how Torres was taking the mound on May 24th against Salt Lake City. He threw seven innings, allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits, no walks, and 10 strikeouts. That was the second consecutive win during his current five-start winning streak.

This week was by far his best of 2013, as he turned in his first two complete games of the season, one of which was a shutout. Through his last two starts, this is what Torres has accomplished: 18 innings pitched, one run, five hits, two walks, and 15 strikeouts. Obviously, he’s won both of these appearances.

Torres dealt with uneven results through his first seven starts this season. It seemed as if he would take a step forward one day, then two steps back the next. During that initial rough patch, Torres struck out 35 hitters, compared to 14 walks, spanning 34 innings pitched. Since that win against Salt Lake City, the right-hander has tossed 37.2 innings in five appearances, compiling 35 strikeouts against only five walks. Looking at these two stats should be enough proof that Torres is making his pitch in the strike zone more consistently, leading to his success.

The one glaring difference when looking at his season statistics is his performance at Cashman Field against being on the road. The difference truly is night and day. On the road, he’s 4-0 with a 2.06 ERA, 27 strikeouts and nine walks in 35 innings pitched, including two complete games. At home, he’s 2-3 with a 5.65 ERA, 40 strikeouts and 10 walks in 36.2 innings pitched. Obviously, the undesirable conditions of Cashman Field play a role in this, but it just jumps off to page to see opponents hitting .181 against Torres on the road, but an eye-popping .312 in Vegas.

The soon-to-be 31-year-old has been putting together a solid season, but we probably won’t see him in the majors this season, unless half the starting rotation hits the disabled list (which could certainly happen). Zack Wheeler is primed to be promoted, moving either Jeremy Hefner or Dillon Gee to the bullpen. Collin McHugh just returned from his cup of coffee in the Bigs, and I’m sure the Mets would give him another chance if they need a starter instead of Torres.

Either way, he’s enjoyed a dominant week, and he’s well-deserving of today’s MMN Pitcher of the Week award. Congratulations, Carlos! Keep up the good work.