BALTIMOREIt will be a showdown between Co-players of the Week starting Tuesday at Camden Yards when Adrian Gonzalez and Manny Machado suit up respectively for the Red Sox and Orioles.
Gonzalez batted .393 (11-for-28) with seven doubles, two home runs, 14 RBI and six runs scored in seven games last week to win his second weekly honor of the season and the seventh time in his nine-year career.
I feel pretty comfortable, said Gonzalez after Sundays win over the Indians. Im in the right mindset and Im confident, and thats translating into the hitting. When youre making hard contact with the pitches that you want to make contact with, its a good feeling up there.
Im not hesitating. Im doubting myself. Im just ready to hit.
Both, of course, have arrived in the second half of the season as Gonzalez has hit close to .400 and leads all Major League Baseball players with 35 RBIs since the All-Star break.
The left-handed-hitting slugger led the Majors in doubles and RBI over the week, and was among his A.L. counterparts finishing second in total bases (24), tied for third in hits and was fourth in slugging percentage (.857).
On Monday, the 30-year-old went 3-for-5 with an RBI-double and two run-scoring singles as Boston defeated the A.L. West-leading Texas Rangers, 9-2, at Fenway Park. But that was just the appetizer.
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Gonzalez teamed with Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford and Dustin Pedroia to go 11-for-18 with eight doubles, eight RBI and six runs scored in the win. Gonzalez wrapped up the week on Sunday by going 2-for-3 with a double, a homer, four RBI and two runs scored as Boston defeated the Cleveland Indians, 14-1, at Progressive Field.
The Sox first basemens AL honor comes as part of a second-half offensive surge as he leads the A.L. in batting average (.393), RBI (35) and slugging percentage (.673) since play resumed after the All-Star break on July 13.
Machado batted .375 (6-for-16) with a double, a triple, three homers, seven RBI and five runs scored in four games to win his first career A.L. Player of the Week honor. The 20 year-old has made a splash since making his Major League debut on August 9 against the Kansas City Royals, hitting safely in each of his first four games.