Aviles, Nady share weekly player award

NEW YORK, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Kansas City's Mike Aviles and New York's Xavier Nady were selected to share the American League player of the week award, league officials said Monday.

Aviles was 15-for-26 hitting (.577 average) with three doubles, a triple and two home runs while knocking in five runs. The surge lifted Aviles' season average to .340 and gave him his first player of the week honor.

Nady, who was National League player of the week the season's first week while he was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, hit .526 (10-for-19) with three doubles and three home runs last week. He also drove in 10 runs. He was 7-of-11 in a four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels and knocked a career-best six runs in Sunday's game.

Other players considered for American League player of the week award, for games played July 28, Aug. 3 were: New York's Bobby Abreu, Cleveland's Kelly Shoppach and Paul Byrd, Toronto's A.J. Burnett, Baltimore's Jeremy Guthrie in addition to Aviles' Royals teammates Zack Greinke, Joakim Soria, Billy Butler and Jose Guillen.