Lohse finishes seventh in Cy Young voting

Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey won the National League Cy Young handily following his 20-6 season. Free-agent right-hander Kyle Lohse finished seventh in the voting after his 16-3 season with the Cardinals in 2012.

Lohse received two fourth-place votes and two fifth-place, placing him seventh in the voting with a point total of six. The order of finish was as follows: Dickey, Clayton Kershaw, Gio Gonzalez, Johnny Cueto, Craig Kimbrel, Matt Cain, Lohse, Aroldis Chapman, Cole Hamels. To see the full voting breakdown, go here.

Lohse led the league in winning percentage and ranked fifth in ERA (2.86), fourth in WHIP (1.09) and seventh in innings pitched (211). He doesn’t dazzle in the strikeout category, a reality that Lohse acknowledged would likely hurt him in the vote. He also might have had more recognition for his career-best season had the bullpen or a lack of run support not cost Lohse several wins.

He made five starts in which he allowed one or no runs and yet did not come away with a victory.

Lohse is currently exploring multi-year offers as a free agent. The 34-year-old right-hander recently declined the Cardinals’ $13.3 million, one-year offer and is one of the starting pitching prizes this winter. The Cardinals do not intend to pursue re-signing Lohse.

Follow me on Twitter: @LangoschMLB