Yelich named NL player of the week again

Monday was quite the day for ChristianYelich.

It began with the news that he’d been named the National League’s player of the week for the second time in the last six weeks, making him the first Milwaukee Brewers player since Prince Fielder in 2011 to win it twice in a season.

Then it ended with him driving in two of the Brewers’ four runs in a 4-3 walkoff victory over the Chicago Cubs at Miller Park.

“He’s one of the best players I’ve seen playing the game right now,” said third baseman Mike Moustakas. “He’s been hot for a long time and he’s carrying this ballclub – offense, defense, obviously on the basepaths in the ninth inning to win a ballgame.

“He’s doing everything phenomenally right now.”

For the week of Aug. 27-Sept. 2, Yelich hit .444 with four home runs, 14 runs batted in, seven runs scored and two stolen bases while posting an on-base percentage of .516 and slugging 1.000.

He also went 6 for 6 and hit for the cycle in a 13-12, 10-inning victory in Cincinnati and hit a grand slam in a victory at Washington.

For the week, Yelich led the NL in homers, RBI, extra-base hits (six), slugging percentage and total bases (27). It was the second player of the week honor for Yelich, who also won for the week of July 29.

For the season, Yelich is hitting .315 with 27 homers and 83 RBI while posting an OPS of .935.

Back on track: It’s been a season of ups and downs for Jacob Nottingham.

The 23-year-old made his majorleague debut on April 16, collected his first major-league hit on July 9 in Miami and is now back with the Brewers for the stretch run as a September callup.

But he’s also dealt with a pair of injuries that were serious enough to send him to the disabled list during his time at Class AAA Colorado Springs, an oblique strain that sidelined him from May 12-June 5 and a chip fracture in his right wrist that caused him to miss all but one game in August.

“This is the first year I’ve been on the DL, so it’s kind of new,” Nottingham said. “I didn’t like it. It definitely tests you. The biggest thing is the mind set because we’re just used to going, going, going.”

Nottingham rehabbed his wrist at the Brewers’ Maryvale complex in Arizona, catching daily bullpens. He played just one tuneup game with Colorado Springs once he was deemed healthy.

Nottingham rejoined the Brewers in Washington on Saturday having played just one tuneup game with Colorado Springs once his wrist was deemed healed.

Familiar faces: The Brewers and the Cubs inadvertently ran into each other at O’Hare International Airport on Sunday night when both the teams’ United charter planes were diverted away from Milwaukee due to storms passing through the area

The Brewers were traveling back from Washington while the Cubs were on their way back from Philadelphia.

There was a little bit of a delay once the planes were on the ground in Chicago as both teams had to wait to be bused northward, but other than arriving a little later than scheduled neither was worse for wear.