Houston Astros third baseman Ty Wigginton and New York Mets pitcher Johan Santana have been named the National League Co-Players of the Week for August 11-August 17, 2008.

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Ty Wigginton

Wigginton led the N.L. with a .571 (16-for-28) batting average, a 1.143 slugging percentage, 11 RBI, 16 hits, 32 total bases, and tied for the league-lead with four home runs and nine runs scored. The 30-year-old third baseman ranked second with a .586 on-base percentage, and also recorded two doubles and a triple. A native of San Diego, California, Ty hit safely in every game and posted multi-hit performances in six of seven games played, including three consecutive three-hit games vs. Arizona. The University of North Carolina-Asheville product recorded three multi-RBI games, including Sunday when he hit a three-run home run off Arizona’s Randy Johnson in Houston’s 3-0 win. This is Ty’s first weekly award.

Santana led the N.L with one complete game, one shutout and 16.0 innings pitched, and tied for the league-lead with two wins. The 29-year old left-hander posted a 1.69 ERA with 13 strikeouts, allowing three runs on 11 hits with two walks. Johan’s shutout of the Pirates on August 17 ^th was the fifth shutout of his career, his first in the N.L., and was the Mets’ first complete-game shutout since Oliver Perez shutout the Braves on September 6, 2006. The three-time All-Star is now 11-7 on the season with a 2.75 ERA and 148 strikeouts in 177.0 innings pitched. This marks the fourth time, and the first in the N.L., that the two-time Cy Young Award Winner has won weekly honors (previous: 6/20/04, 9/19/04 and 8/20/07 with MIN.).

Other nominees this past week included: Wigginton’s teammates Lance Berkman (.600 SLG, 2 HR, 10 RBI) and Roy Oswalt (2-0, 1.80 ERA, 14 SO); Santana’s teammates Mike Pelfrey (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0 BB) and Jose Reyes (.333, 1 HR, 3 RBI); Andre Ethier (.391, 4 HR, 7 RBI), Matt Kemp (.387, 2 HR, 2 RBI), Jeff Kent (.500, 2 2B, 4 RBI) and Manny Ramirez (.364, 2 HR, 10 RBI) of the Dodgers; St. Louis’ Troy Glaus (.409, 2 2B, 2 RBI), Ryan Ludwick (.300, 2 HR, 9 RBI), Joel Pineiro (2-0, 2.77 ERA, 10 SO) and Todd Wellemeyer (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 SO); Cincinnati’s Chris Dickerson (.409, 5 2B, 1 HR) and Edinson Volquez (2-0, 0.66 ERA, 9 SO); Colorado’s Brad Hawpe (.417, 3 HR, 7 RBI) and Willy Taveras (.435, 10 H, 7 SB); San Francisco’s Fred Lewis (.423, 1 HR, 2 RBI) and Randy Winn (.462, 6 2B, 6 RBI); Arizona’s Chris Snyder (.765 SLG, 2 HR, 7 RBI) and Chris Young (.370, 2 HR, 8 RBI); Aramis Ramirez (.533, 1 HR, 8 RBI) and Geovany Soto (.400, 1 HR, 6 RBI) of the Cubs; Milwaukee’s Mike Cameron (.400, 3 HR, 5 RBI); Philadelphia’s Jamie Moyer (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7.0 IP); and Florida’s Hanley Ramirez (.450, 2 HR, 5 RBI).