MLB Team of the Week: Jake Arrieta, Didi Gregorius and Carlos Gonzalez Star

We've turned the calendar on September and sailed through another week of MLB action, which means it's time for a fresh installment of Bleacher Report's Team of the Week.

In case you're new to the party, these are the players (one per position, including a starting pitcher and designated hitter) who have busted box scores over the past seven days. Forget their overall stats. We're judging them solely on what they accomplished between August 28 and September 3.

To qualify, a player needs at least two starts at the position in question, or at least one start for pitchers.

(Seriously, we're strict about those dates. So before you complain, make sure you aren't remembering a huge game from, say, August 27. Then feel free to sound off.)

Finally, we award bonus points if a strong individual performance led to an uptick in the win column—because as the playoff races heat up, that's what it's all about.

It was a dismal week for the San Francisco Giants, who got swept in a crucial three-game set by the archrival Los Angeles Dodgers and fell dangerously close to the playoff outbox.

Buster Posey did his part, going 12-for-25, though he didn't collect an extra-base hit.

The bottom line for the Giants, of course, is that it's an odd year. And even if you don't believe in all of that nonsense, the orange and black look pretty hosed.

Honorable Mention

Stephen Vogt (OAK): Across the Bay, Stephen Vogt went 8-for-18 with a triple and two home runs for the last-place Oakland A's.

As I wrote recently, a favorable September schedule and a star-studded roster could keep the Washington Nationals in the postseason mix despite the fact that they're virtually out of the wild-card race and trailing the New York Mets by six games in the National League East.

If the Nats are going to come back, they could use more of the same from Ryan Zimmerman, who went 13-for-28 with four doubles, five home runs and an eye-popping 14 RBI.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Zimmerman said of his scalding stretch, per James Wagner of the Washington Post. “I’d rather just come to the field and keep doing the stuff that I’ve been doing…"

Honorable Mention

Joey Votto (CIN): The Cincinnati Reds may be out of contention, but Joey Votto swung it like a man with purpose, going 11-for-20 with a double and three home runs.

The Houston Astros went 2-4 this week but maintained their hold on first place in the American League West.

In related news, Jose Altuve went 12-for-28 with a double, a home run and three stolen bases.

As Ryan Dunsmore put it over at the Crawfish Boxes, the diminutive, scrappy Altuve "is the dirty heart and soul of these young, aggressive Astros."

Honorable Mention

DJ LeMahieu (COL): The Colorado Rockies are long since sunk, but DJ LeMahieu rose to the top this week, going 14-for-30 with a pair of doubles and a home run.

Again, the Rockies will build a spaceship and send Dinger the purple dinosaur to Saturn before they're a factor in the 2015 playoff chase. At 55-78, Colorado is 20 games back of the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.

That doesn't disqualify Nolan Arenado, who combined his usual exemplary defense with 13 hits in 34 at-bats, including three doubles, four home runs and 10 RBI.

Honorable Mention

Josh Donaldson (TOR): One of the Junior Circuit's leading MVP candidates, Josh Donaldson went 11-for-24 with three doubles, a triple, two home runs and 10 RBI for the soaring Toronto Blue Jays.

Didi Gregorius has spent the 2015 season plodding around in Derek Jeter's extra-large cleats. After an impressive week, he might finally be ready to get his own pair.

Gregorius went 14-for-24, good for a .583 average, smacked a pair of home runs and racked up 10 RBI.

"I'm just trying to see the ball and hit the ball," Gregorius said, per Ryan Hatch of NJ Advance Media. "I'm feeling good, so I'm just trying to keep it up."

Honorable Mention

Xander Bogaerts (BOS): At the tender age of 22, Xander Bogaerts is one of the Boston Red Sox's few sources of unbridled optimism, and he showed why this week, going 10-for-25 with a home run and three RBI.

Yes, we said up front that Team of the Week is influenced by winning. And yes, the Arizona Diamondbacks are essentially out of the race at 65-69, 10.5 games back of the NL West's first-place Dodgers. Arizona also just finished a 3-4 week.

But David Peralta stayed too hot to ignore, going 9-for-24 with a double, a triple, a home run and a robust 1.010 OPS.

Honorable Mention

Ben Revere (TOR): It was another strong week for the Blue Jays' unheralded trade-deadline acquisition, as Ben Revere went 10-for-25, good for a cool .400 average.

The defending American League champs continued their inexorable march back to the postseason with a 4-2 week. 

And Lorenzo Cain kept making his mark as one of the best outfielders in the game, going 8-for-21 with a double, a couple of home runs and eight RBI.

One of those home runs came on Wednesday in a 12-1 win over the Detroit Tigers. And it showed why Cain is much more than a speedster with a flashy glove. 

According to Statcast data cited by Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star, Cain's bomb left his bat at 106 mph and traveled an estimated 458 feet.

In other words, he crushed it.

Honorable Mention

Mike Trout (LAA): The Los Angeles Angels are flitting rapidly out of the playoff picture. But Mike Trout is still Mike Trout, as he showed with a solid 7-for-21 week with two doubles and a triple.

Hey, remember how Carlos Gonzalez used to be one of the best up-and-coming hitters in the game? Well, it looks like he's back.

A victim of injury and inconsistency in recent years, Gonzalez has turned it on this season in a big way. And he kept it up this week, going 10-for-30 with two doubles, five home runs and 13 RBI.

"This is a hard game, like I always say," Gonzalez said after launching two home runs Thursday against the San Francisco Giants, per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. "I just came back from major (knee) surgery last year, so I had to have patience. I knew that things were going to take time, so I just waited for my body to respond. It's responded well and now everything is clicking."

Honorable Mention

Jackie Bradley Jr. (BOS): A 9-for-19 week with four doubles and a home run equated to a cartoonish 1.342 OPS for Jackie Bradley Jr. 

Edwin Encarnacion snapped his 26-game hitting streak this week but gets a Team of the Week consolation prize.

Six of his eight hits went for extra bases—including two doubles and four home runs—and he collected 12 RBI for the big-swinging Jays, who are aiming to punch their first playoff ticket in 22 years.

Honorable Mention

Kendrys Morales (KC): Kendrys Morales tallied a double and three home runs among his 11 hits and added 11 RBI.

It's not every day a pitcher gets to sit on the field in his pajamas after twirling a no-hitter.

Jake Arrieta, though, defied the odds and had one of those days Aug. 30 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

With his masterful 12-strikeout, no-hit performance, Arrieta etched his name in the annals of baseball history. Then he strapped on a onesie to put his own unique twist on the proceedings (granted, the rest of his teammates put their jammies on, too).

"I think it will be more special the longer it sets in," Arrieta said, per CBSSports.com's Matt Snyder. "Come a long way, keep getting better."

Honorable Mention

Clayton Kershaw (LAD): The reigning NL MVP made two stellar starts this week, including a complete game against the Giants, and wound up with 17 innings of two-run, 29-strikeout brilliance. 

All statistics current as of Sept. 3 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.