Albuquerque Sweeps Player of the Week Honors

By KYLE KEOUGH
Double Day AP

The Albuquerque Dukes swept the second Player of the Week awards today, netting accolades for DH David Ortiz and SP Robinson Branson.

Branson has thus far been the spark in what has otherwise been a somewhat disappointing Dukes rotation. Following the trading of SP Hoss Collins and with SP Bernie Alvarez suffering through a middling start, Branson has staked his claim as a potential ace with a superb 4-0 stretch. His 1.33 ERA over this period has upped his season ERA to 3.47 - Branson is now 5-3 on the season, a year following his breakout 15-3 campaign.

Ortiz has benefitted from a potent Dukes lineup, which ranks second in the ML in runs scored, to power Albuquerque with a .354 average and 46 RBIs. Ortiz ranks 20th in the ML in home runs (13), 7th in average, and 6th in RBIs. After struggling in his first full ML season last year, Ortiz is being heralded as one of the top designated hitters in the AL, and is in the running to make his first ML All-Star team.

At 28-15, the Dukes are in sole possession of first place in the AL West and own the single best record in the AL. In the season following their first World Series trip, the Dukes are playing their best baseball of the season and have become true road warriors with a 14-6 road record.