BREAKING NEWS: Piedra and Pena Named ML Player and Pitcher of the Week

By KYLE KEOUGH
Double Day AP

Julio Piedra's huge week brought him unexpected recognition: the ML Player of the Week award.

The 24-year-old 1B Piedra hit .459 for the El Paso Sun Kings this past week, and his play has aided El Paso (46-40) in climbing to second place in the AL South.

Piedra blasted 9 of his 19 home runs on the season just in this past week, and his 19 RBIs inched him closer to a career-high (he'll need 7 more to break the 56 RBI-effort he had in season two). Considering he has only played in 55 games this season, the righty-smashing Piedra is quickly becoming feared as one of the best and most dangerous part-time hitters in the game.

SP Rafael Pena netted his first career Pitcher of the Week award on the heels of a preliminary All-Star birth (though voting has not been finalized) that will make him three-for-three in All-Star appearances in his career. After two close calls in seasons one and two, Pena now seems poised as a potential winner of his first NL Cy Young award.

Pena (10-2, 1.75 ERA) has been his usual electric self over the course of the season, but raised his level of play to new heights last week. He went 4-0 with a 0.90 ERA, and added 31 strikeouts to a season tally that now has him among the league leaders with 107.

For the Durham Tobacconists (58-28), who are embroiled in an epic divisional race with rival Toledo (59-27), Pena will need to remain dominant if the Tobacconists are going to usurp the Maumees and lay claim to their second NL East crown.