Staff Report

 

NEW YORK — A pair of National League Central center fielders, Carlos Gomez of the Milwaukee Brewers and Drew Stubbs of the Cincinnati Reds, have been named co-winners of the National League Player of the Week for the period of July 23-29.

The announcement was made earlier Monday on MLB Network.

In seven games last week, Gomez hit .346 (9-for-26) and led the Majors with 10 runs scored while ranking tied for first among National Leaguers with 10 RBI and three stolen bases.

The Santiago, Dominican Republic native was second in the league with four home runs and 23 total bases last week while his .885 slugging percentage ranked fourth.

Gomez collected hits in six of seven outings and logged three multi-hit efforts. On July 23, the 26-year-old notched season-highs with three RBI and three runs scored in going 2-for-2 with a home run in four plate appearances.

Gomez connected for his eighth home run of the season on Thursday, a two-run shot off Washington reliever Henry Rodriguez, providing Milwaukee’s lone offense in an 8-2 loss at Miller Park.

In Sunday’s series finale with the Nats, Gomez clubbed his career-high ninth homer of the season, an eighth-inning blast to give the Brew Crew a 9-7 lead in an eventual 11-10 extra-innings loss. This is his first career weekly award.

Stubbs, who helped lead the Reds to a 6-0 mark last week, hit .370 (10-for-27) and tied with Gomez for the N.L. lead in RBI (10) and stolen bases (3).

The eighth overall selection in the 2006 first-year player draft ranked second in the N.L. with nine runs scored and was tied for second in hits while finishing third with three home runs and 21 total bases.

On July 24, the Texas native went 3-for-4 with a go-ahead homer in the ninth inning off Houston closer Francisco Cordero en-route to a 4-2 victory at Minute Maid Park.

The following night, Stubbs paced the Reds’ offense, going 2-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored and three RBI as the Reds capped a three-game sweep at Houston with a 5-3 victory.

The right-handed-hitting slugger notched his 12th homer of the season in Sunday’s 7-2 win over the Rockies while collecting his team-leading 21st stolen base as the Reds completed a three-game sweep at Colorado.

This is Stubbs’ first career weekly award.

Other noteworthy performances last week included Gomez’s Milwaukee teammate Aramis Ramirez (.417, 10 H, 4 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI); Stubbs’ Cincinnati teammates Mat Latos (2-0, 2.77 ERA, 13.0 IP, 11 SO) and Aroldis Chapman (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4 SV, 4.0 IP, 8 SO); Arizona’s Chris Johnson (.458, 11 H, 2 HR, .875 SLG) and Ian Kennedy (2-0, 3.14 ERA, 16 SO, 14.1 IP); Washington’s Michael Morse (.321, 3 HR, 9 RBI); Colorado’s Josh Rutledge (.417, 10 H, 2 HR, .708 SLG); and Chad Billingsley (2-0, 0.68 ERA, 13.1 IP, 1 BB, 6 SO) of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In recognition of their National League Player of the Week Awards, Carlos Gomez and Drew Stubbs will each be awarded a watch courtesy of Game Time, the leader in licensed sports watches, available at MLB.com.