Midwest League Players of the Week
7 G, 28 AB, 7 R, 12 H, 4 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, .429 AVG, .821 SLG, 1 SB
Simply put, when Mathews played well, the Lugnuts won; when he didn't, they didn't. The Lansing outfielder went 2-for-4 with a double, triple and three RBIs in an 11-7 win over Dayton on Monday. He then went 3-for-15 (.200) over four games, all of which the 'nuts lost. But Mathews turned it on over the weekend, going 7-for-9 with five runs, two doubles, a triple, a homer and three RBIs in back-to-back wins over Wisconsin on Saturday and Sunday. The second-year pro out of Oregon State notched a career-high four hits and also tied a personal best with three runs scored in a 12-1 whitewashing of the Timber Rattlers on Sunday. He also added his second career homer in the game.
Kyle Aselton, Beloit
2 G, 2 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 13.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 15 SO, 0 SV
A teammate of Mathews at Oregon State, Aselton was moved into the Snappers' starting rotation in mid-July after working out of the bullpen for the first three months of the season, and so far the results have been favorable. He has gone 2-1 with a 1.84 ERA in his first eight starts. Last week, the 6-foot-5 southpaw dominated Quad Cities and Kane County, yielding just one unearned run on three hits in 13 innings while mowing down 15. His effort against the Swing on Tuesday was the best of his young career. He tied a career high with nine strikeouts while yielding just one unearned run on a hit and a walk over seven innings of a 4-1 Snappers win. Against the Cougars on Sunday, Aselton left after six innings with a 6-0 lead, only to see Kane County score six times in the seventh to spoil his outing. He gave up two hits and four walks while fanning six and lowering his ERA to 2.60. His record stands at 4-2 with two saves.