Carl Crawford Named American League Player of the Week

by Tony Lee on Tue, May 31, 2011 at 5:40PM

Red Sox left fielder Carl Crawford was named the American League Player of the week for the period ending May 29, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday.

Crawford hit .423 (11-for-26) with three home runs, two triples, two doubles and eight RBIs during the week while facing Cleveland and Detroit. His surge, which happened to coincide with his insertion into the sixth spot in the Boston lineup, allowed him to lead the majors in total bases (26) and slugging percentage (1.000) for the week.

The four-time All-Star was second in the American League in RBIs for the time period.

Although Crawford did homer in the first game of the week, the bulk of his damage was done in a remarkable three-game stretch later on. He went 4-for-4 with a home run, two doubles, two RBIs and three runs scored in a 14-2 win over Cleveland on Wednesday. The following afternoon, Crawford was 4-for-5, this time ripping two triples and driving in three as the Red Sox rolled over Detroit 14-1.

With those efforts, Crawford was just the second Red Sox player since 1990 to have consecutive four-hit games.

Crawford followed that up with a two-run homer in a 6-3 win over the Tigers on Friday.

Also getting consideration for the honor were New York outfielder Curtis Granderson and first baseman Mark Teixeira, Minnesota outfielder Denard Span, Toronto outfielder Corey Patterson, Seattle infielder Brendan Ryan, Texas right-hander Alexi Ogando and Tampa Bay lefty David Price.