Although the Oakland Athletics have struggled to put together winning streaks lately, they are receiving honors for individual performances. Earlier today, Athletics starter Gio Gonzalez was named American League Player of the Week alongside Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista. Shortly after that, MLB announced that Athletics second baseman Jemile Weeks was named alongside Twins outfielder Ben Revere as co-rookie of the month for June in the American League. It's the first of each award for Gonzalez and Weeks.
Gonzalez receives his award two days after his selection to the American League roster for the 2011 All Star Game. For the week ending July 3, Gonzalez was 2-0 with a 0.60 ERA and an MLB-best 16 strikeouts. He threw 15 innings as he earned a 1-0 decision over the Florida Marlins and a 7-2 decision over the Arizona Diamondbacks. For the season, Gonzalez sits at 8-5 with a 2.31 ERA with 106 strikeouts. If he can keep up his strong performances in the second half he'll have an outside shot at the American League Cy Young award. His wins will likely continue lagging behind because of poor run support but he could put up the peripheral numbers to keep himself at least in the discussion.
Weeks earns his first rookie award since making his big league debut on June 7 against the Baltimore Orioles. He was 0-for-4 in his first appearance but has been a rock at second base since then. He's been so solid that the A's felt justified in dealing away veteran second baseman and clubhouse leader Mark Ellis. For the month of June, Weeks had a line of .309/.349/.469 with six stolen bases and three triples. More importantly, he has injected much-needed energy and excitement into the A's every-day lineup.