MLB Player News

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is going to miss Coors Field. Howard homered for the second straight game, going 1 for 4 with the solo bomb in Thursday's loss to the Rockies. Howard's fifth-inning home run was his ninth on the season.

"I mean all that stuff is cool," Howard said about moving up the home-run leaderboard, per MLB.com. "For me, it's just a matter of just getting back to playing ball and just playing my game. That's been my focus all year, is just playing ball. Everything that comes with it, you have good days, bad days, just try to stay even keel and just do what you do."

Howard's bat is really catching fire lately. He now has 13 hits in his last 31 at-bats over his last eight games. 

Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson was held out of the starting lineup Thursday against the Cardinals for the first time in 10 games. With Granderson out of the starting lineup, center fielder Juan Lagares moved into the leadoff spot for the third time this season.

That wasn't the only change to the lineup manager Terry Collins made. He moved shortstop Wilmer Flores into the second spot in the batting order. Flores has started to improve offensively, batting .262 with a .524 slugging percentage, two doubles, three home runs and seven RBI in his last 11 games.

Third baseman Eric Campbell, who hit second the last four games, was moved to seventh in the lineup.

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt was not penciled into the starting lineup for the first time all season for Thursday's afternoon game against the Marlins. Mark Trumbo, who usually starts in right field, started at first base in Goldschmidt's absence.

Goldschmidt, who had started the first 39 games, has been mired in a bit of a hitting slump for a couple of weeks. Since May 10, he is batting just .200 (7 for 35) in his last 10 games. He has one triple, one home run, two doubles, five RBI, six runs, five walks and seven strikeouts in that span.

"This is more of a mental day off," Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale said, per the Associated Press. "To ask a guy to play 162 games today is tough to do."

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard hit his eighth home run of the season in Wednesday night's 4-2 win over the Rockies. 

Four of Howard's home runs have now come in the past 15 games. Howard's homer came on a 1-1 pitch to center field in the third inning. He finished the game 3 for 5 and also hit a double and single. 

"He's having good swings," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said, per MLB.com. "He crushed that ball to center tonight. There was no help at all on that."

Howard is now hitting .257/.308/.507. 

After taking Sunday's game off to rest, Phillies second baseman Chase Utley and first baseman Ryan Howard were back in the lineup for Monday's game at Colorado, reports CSNPhilly.com. Utley will bat sixth and play second, while Howard returns to the four spot at first base. 

The Phillies are going against right-handed pitcher Jordan Lyles, who is 2-3 with a 4.30 ERA. Howard is 3 for 8 with one double in career against Lyles, while Utley is 2 for 6 with one double.

Utley is hitting .280 with three doubles and three RBI over his last eight games. Over his last 11 games, Howard is hitting .361 with three home runs and six RBI.

The Phillies are the favorites (-100) at Colorado on Monday. 

Marlins first baseman Justin Bour will bat fourth in the lineup on Monday against the Diamondbacks, the first time he has done so this year, the team announced.

Bour, who will make just his fifth start of the year, will replace Michael Morse at first. Marcell Ozuna, the normal cleanup hitter, will slide down to fifth.

"Putting Justin there, putting him in the four hole," manager Dan Jennings said to Fox Sports Florida. "Trying to create some left, right leverage in the lineup. Let's see what happens. As I told these guys. There are 13 position players that are going to be utilized. We'll get guys days off, we'll use the bench, we'll rest our regulars. We all need to be ready to contribute when the bell rings.

J.T. Realmuto also returns to the lineup on Monday after getting the day off Sunday.

The Marlins are currently the favorites (-122) against Arizona.

Phillies second baseman Chase Utley and first baseman Ryan Howard are not in the lineup for Sunday's matchup with the Diamondbacks.

Utley is 3 for 6 with a walk, two doubles and two RBI in two games since being moved from third to sixth in the lineup, but he'll get a break Sunday, with Andres Blanco filling in at second base and batting second.

Howard had started seven straight games coming into Sunday's contest, hitting .259/.310/.444 with one home run and three RBI in 27 at-bats during that stretch. Darin Ruf is drawing the start at first base.

The Phillies are home underdogs (+115) against the Diamondbacks Sunday, per VegasInsider.com.

Diamondbacks All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt went 1 for 4 with his 10th home run of the season in Saturday's loss to the Phillies. Goldschmidt's two-run shot came in the top of the fifth to cut his team's deficit to 4-3.

Goldschmidt now has six hits (four for extra bases) in his last seven games. 

Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores hit his second career grandslam, as the Mets pulverised the Brewers 14-1 on Saturday. Flores' slam was his team-leading sixth home run of the season and came during the team's 10-run fourth inning.

"I was looking for something up," Flores said to NJ.com. "It was a fastball. He threw it right down the middle, and I was ready for it. I put a good swing on it.

"A good feeling," he said of hitting his team-best sixth home run of the year. "Every time you hit a homer it's a good feeling, but with the bases loaded and in this situation, it feels good. As a team and for myself."

Flores, who went 2 for 4 with four RBI on Saturday, is now hitting .250 on the season as he continues to be the Mets' primary option at short.

Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores has struggled on defense so far this season. Manager Terry Collins was hoping his bat would step up, but instead he's struggled there as well, according to ESPN.com.

"If he had 11 home runs and was hitting .285 right now, there would not even be a discussion," Collins said. "He'd be driving in a lot of runs."