SAN DIEGO — Just a day after another strong performance on the mound, Marcus Stroman was given another reason to feel good about his start to the 2023 season.

This time, it was Major League baseball that gave the Cubs’ starter an honor.

Stroman was named the MLB’s National League Player of the Week on Monday after a pair of outstanding starts for his team.

In those outings, the starter allowed just one earned run over 15 innings, striking out 14 batters compared to four walks with just five total hits allowed.

Last Monday, Stroman tossed a complete game shutout against the MLB-leading Rays at Wrigley Field while allowing just a single hit. It was the pitcher’s second complete game of his career and first since he threw one against the Cubs in 2014.

For the team, that outing was the first complete game shutout since Alec Mills’ no-hitter against the Brewers in Milwaukee on September 13, 2020.

On Sunday, Stroman had another quality outing in a 7-1 Cubs victory over the Padres in San Diego. He allowed a run on four hits through six innings, striking out six batters compared to three walks on 84 pitches.

These are part of what’s been a great start to Stroman’s second season with the Cubs and could make him an All-Star for the second time in his career. In 13 games, he’s sporting a 2.39 ERA with 68 strikeouts compared to 27 walks in 79 innings.

The strong pitching stretch actually began at the end of the 2022 season, when Stroman had a 2.61 ERA in the month of September and then didn’t allow a run in six innings in his final start against the Reds on October 2.

In his last 20 starts, Stroman has a 2.31 ERA in 121 innings with 103 strikeouts compared to 36 walks.