MLB Player News

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is not only heating up with four hits in his last two games after a 3-for-32 slump. He also gets to face a pitcher Monday night against whom he has enjoyed great success.

Howard is batting .400 (6-for-15) lwith two home runs lifetime against Cincinnati starter Mike Leake. His teammates in the lineup that have hit against Leake are a combined 4-for-18.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard responded well to his off day on Saturday by coming up big in his team's 6-4 win over the Giants on Sunday.

Howard went 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored in the win.

Howard is hitting .244 with 11 home runs and 27 RBI in 192 at-bats this season.

Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores is back in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Flores was held out of Saturday's lineup with what manager Terry Collins called "general stiffness." The infielder has hit .249/.275/.411 with eight home runs and 24 RBI in 185 at-bats.

The Mets are road favorites (-120) in Arizona, per VegasInsider.com.

Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores is out of the lineup Saturday due to what Mets manager Terry Collins said was "general stiffness," per ESPN.com.

"He came in and said he was real, real stiff yesterday," Collins said. "He's stiff again today. As you guys know, those are signs of a little fatigue setting in. We've got enough guys on the DL. So I'm going to give him a day to rest up."," Collins said of his shortstop. 

Flores has a seven-game hitting streak and is batting .249 with eight homers and 24 RBIs. 

A matchup against premier Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner has both second baseman Chase Utley and first baseman Ryan Howard out of the lineup Saturday for the Phillies.

Neither has fared well against Bumgarner. Howard is 2-for-11 with one double lifetime against him while Utley has two measly singles in 12 at-bats.

Utley has been particularly poor against southpaws this season with just a .167 average (8-for-48). Howard, who broke free from a 2-for-32 slide with a home run Friday, is only at .175 (7-for-40) against lefties in 2015.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo had a big night on Friday against the Nationals. Rizzo had two hits in four at-bats. Both hits left the yard, his 10th and 11th home runs of the season.

Rizzo hit a solo home run in the fourth and a two-run shot in the sixth inning, but it wasn't enough as the Cubs fell 7-5. 

"It's really been incredible to watch," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said, per MLB.com. "I have not really seen that level of offensive performance for that length of time. I'm talking the at-bats, the hits, the homers, the two-strike approach. His OPS is ridiculous right now. I know there are other guys out there, but personally, I have not seen anything quite that good."

Rizzo extended his hitting streak to 10 games. During that stretch, he's batting .361 with two home runs and five RBI. 

Reds first baseman Joey Votto provided all of his team's offense in Friday's 6-2 loss to the Padres. Votto drove in both runs on a two-run single in the fifth inning off Tyson Ross.

It was Votto's only hit of the game, and he has now hit safely in six of his last seven games. 

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard belted his 11th home run of the season in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Giants. Howard's two-run blast came in the first inning to give the Phillies the early 2-0 lead. 

Howard, who had two hits in four at-bats on Friday, has been in a deep funk at the plate recently. Even with the two-hit performance, Howard has just five hits in 39 at-bats over his last 10 games. 

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt went 1 for 3 with a walk and a solo home run in his team's 6-2 loss to the Mets.

Goldschmidt wsa able to crank a sixth-inning home run to pull his team to within one run, but they were unable to take the lead over the remainder of the game. The elite first baseman has delivered a .349/.470/.677 line with 16 home runs, 45 RBI and eight stolen bases in 192 at-bats.

Mets infielder Wilmer Flores will remain the team's starting shortstop for the immediate future, ESPN New York reports.

The Mets have decided to shift second baseman Daniel Murphy to third base, bumping Ruben Tejada back across the diamond to second base. Consideration was given toward moving Flores as well, with the shortstop likely heading to second base while Tejada manned shortstop, but the team will stick with Flores at his current position for now. However, the defensive alignment is subject to change.

"I'm going to stay away from the shortstop position right now because it's a firestorm," Collins said about Flores' role.

Flores has hit .250/.277/.415 with eight home runs and 24 RBI in 176 at-bats.