Washington Nationals' Daniel Murphy, Stephen Strasburg earn July honors

Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy and right-hander Stephen Strasburg were rewarded for their sizzling performances in July on Wednesday by being named the National League's Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively.

Murphy, who also won the NL Player of the Month in May, batted .346 in July to increase his majors-best average to .356 on the season. The 31-year-old also belted six homers and had a league-best 23 RBIs while posting a .744 slugging percentage.

Murphy also came through in the clutch, launching a two-out homer in the ninth inning to forge a tie with Pittsburgh on July 17. The Pirates, however, went on to win the contest in 18 innings.

Strasburg won four of five decisions last month to improve to a majors-best 15-1 on the season. The 28-year-old, who has matched his wins total with two months to play, struck out 37 in 34 2/3 innings in July while limiting the opposition to a .127 batting average.

Strasburg also won NL Pitcher of the Month honors in April 2012.