Morneau earns AL weekly honor

NEW YORK, Minn., July 6 (UPI) -- The Minnesota Twins' Justin Morneau was accorded American League Player of the Week honors Monday for hitting .480 with four homers in six games.

The 28-year-old All-Star first baseman drove in eight runs in the week ended Sunday, homering in three straight games, to win the award for the second time in his career.

The 2006 AL MVP is hitting .323 this season with 21 homers and 69 RBI through 82 games.

Others considered for this week's award included Texas outfielders David Murphy, who led the league with a .500 average, and Marlon Byrd, who was tops with nine RBI and a .556 on-base percentage; and Boston's Jon Lester, who went 1-0 in two starts with 17 strikeouts and a 0.66 earned-run average.