Schoop, Yelich named Players of the Week

Jonathan Schoop went on a torrid home run tear and Christian Yelich carried Milwaukee's offensive load to earn Players of the Week presented by W.B. Mason honors.
Schoop slugged seven homers in his past nine games -- including shots on five consecutive days -- to break into the record books and earn his second American League weekly honor. The All-Star second baseman became the first Orioles player with homers in five straight games since Chris Davis from June 6-12, 2016. Schoop also tied a Major League record for consecutive games with a homer by a second baseman. The last to do so was Brian Dozier in September 2016.
• Past winners:AL | NL
Against the MLB-leading Red Sox and the hard-throwing Rays, Schoop went 11-for-29, hitting .379/.379/.931 with five homers, 13 RBIs, six runs scored and a 1.310 OPS over his past seven games. Defensively, Schoop ranks first in the AL for assists as a second baseman with 260, and third in putouts with 147. It is Schoop's first Player of the Week recognition since July 2017.
"The ball is just going for me. I put the ball in front, and when they give me a pitch, I don't miss it," said Schoop, who owned a .197 average before July. "And I keep believing in myself. I know in baseball, you go through a bad stretch, but you want to minimize the bad stretch and extend the good stretch, so I'm trying to extend the good stretch right now."

Schoop's breakout performance and weekly honor came at the right time -- a day before Tuesday's non-waiver Trade Deadline. Signed with the Orioles through the end of this season, Schoop is arbitration-eligible this offseason, and he is set to become a free agent in 2020.
In addition to a Gold Glove Award, an All-Star nod and Silver Slugger hardware, Yelich laid claim to his first National League Player of the Week honor. The outfielder is tied with Braves right fielder Nick Markakis for the NL's best batting average (.320) after going 15-for-29 and hitting .517/.548/1.000 in his past seven games, including a 13-game hit streak. Yelich skied three homers and posted 10 RBIs with two doubles and a triple over that span. Yelich recorded two three-RBI games in a span of five days. The 26-year-old's efforts boosted his OPS from .835 at the start of July to .911 entering Monday. Yelich helped lead the Brewers to two consecutive series wins against the Nats and Giants, respectively.
"Every single day, it's something else," said teammate Travis Shaw of Yelich. "He just continues to get hits, continues to get on base. That's what he does."