Will Venable of the San Diego Padres named National League Player of the Week

San Diego Padres outfielder Will Venable has been named the National League Player of the Week for the period ending August 18th. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.

Venable led the N.L. with 13 hits and 23 total bases last week and ranked second in runs scored with seven. The Princeton University product ranked among League leaders with a .406 (13-for-32) batting average and a .719 slugging percentage, placing sixth in each category. Venable added a pair of homers, two doubles and a triple while driving in five runs and posting a .406 on-base percentage in his seven games last week.

On Tuesday, Venable's three-hit effort propelled the Padres to a victory in the second game of their three-game set at Colorado. The left-handed-hitting slugger went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored in the contest, tripling home a run in the second inning and singling home the Padres' seventh tally of the day in the sixth inning en route to a 7-5 win. In Wednesday's rubber match between the two clubs, Venable extended his career-best hitting streak to 11 games (eclipsing his previous high of 10) in the 4-2 loss at Coors Field. On Saturday, the Pads' leadoff hitter tied a career high with four hits, going 4-for-5 with a double and three runs scored in an 8-2 win over the visiting New York Mets. Venable swiped his 100th career base in the victory, becoming the 11th member of the Padres' 100-steal club. In Sunday's series finale at PETCO Park, the California native's ninth-inning blast gave the Padres a 4-3 walk-off victory and a split of their four-game series with the Mets. The former college basketball player hooked a 1-2 breaking ball from Mets reliever Pedro Feliciano just inside the right field foul pole to deliver the victory for the Padres, who had battled back to tie the game at three in the eighth. The game-winning blast was Venable's team-leading 17th homer of the season. He extended his hitting streak to 15 games (August 2nd-18th) in the effort, which is the longest active streak in the Majors. In that span, the 30-year-old is hitting .377 (23-for-61) with five homers, eight RBI, 12 runs scored and five stolen bases. This is his first career weekly award.

Other noteworthy performances last week included Marlon Byrd (.400, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 12 H, 4 2B, .733 SLG, .419 OBP) of the Mets; Colorado's Corey Dickerson (.471, 8 H, 4 2B, 2 3B, .941 SLG, .550 OBP); Atlanta's Jason Heyward (.385, 3 HR, 4 RBI, .846 SLG) and Craig Kimbrel (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 SV, 5 SO, 5.0 IP); Arizona's Aaron Hill (.429, HR, 5 RBI, 12 H, .643 SLG); San Francisco's Hunter Pence (.296, 8 H, HR, 9 RBI) and Pablo Sandoval (.458, 11 H, 7 RBI, .519 OBP); Washington's Jayson Werth (.417,5 R, 10 H, 4 RBI); Miami's Steve Cishek (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 SV, 2 SO, 3.0 IP); and Pittsburgh's Francisco Liriano (1-0, 0.00 ERA, CG, 6 SO, 9.0 IP).

In recognition of his National League Player of the Week Award, Will Venable will be awarded a watch courtesy of Game Time, the leader in licensed sports watches, available at MLB.com.