MLB Player News

Reds first baseman Joey Votto recorded his 35th RBI and finished 2 for 4 Thursday against the Pirates. Votto pushed his hitting streak to five games, batting .429 (9 for 21) with one double, one home run and two RBI.

Votto has two home runs and eight RBI in 19 June games.

The Phillies have reached a point with Ryan Howard's knee where they don't know whether he is available to play each day until he reaches the park. Manager Charlie Manuel told the News Journal Tuesday he had to check with Howard after writing his name into the lineup against the Nationals.

"If he’s hurting, I'll talk to him when he gets here," Manuel said hours before the game. "I might have to change my lineup."

Manuel also admitted that Howard's left knee has been a big part of his struggles this season; Howard has just eight home runs, including just two in the last 131 at-bats.

"In Ryan's situation, to use his strength and quick swing, the back side is definitely important," Manuel said. "Push off and balance is what counts. How much it bothers him, I guess he tells us by the way he plays. I've seen where he hasn’t used his legs for quite a while."

Howard has been replaced for pinch runners and defensive replacements at many points this season, and Manuel does not seem to know if that will change moving forward. Howard is hitting .274 with a .784 OPS, the second-lowest mark of his career. 

Cubs manager Dale Sveum held first baseman Anthony Rizzo out of the lineup for the first time this season Tuesday night against the Cardinals.

Rizzo had played the team's first 68 games before taking Tuesday off. He is hitting .157 over his first 15 June games. He has a .241/.327/.444 slash line with 10 homers and 39 RBI this season.

Known for providing power and not much else, Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard has put up some curious numbers over his last seven games. Not only has he compiled a .462 batting average on 12 hits, but of those 12 hits, only three are for extra bases, including a homer.

It's as if he's stopped caring how far he hits the ball and just hits it. He basically said as much after Monday night's game against the Nationals.

"I've been trying to put together some good at-bats and let the power come when it comes," Howard said.

Maybe that's just a throwaway explanation for one of the many oddball trends that inevitable result when you reduce 162 games down to just a handful -- in fact, that's probably the case -- but I'm curious to see what comes next. Howard's power numbers aren't up to snuff, but if he's able to compensate with a higher-than-usual batting average, he'll still be a useful corner infielder or utility player in mixed leagues.

Right now, his .274 batting average would be his fourth-best mark for a full season.

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt drove in both of his team's runs during a 3-2 loss to Miami Monday. 

Goldschmidt, hitless in his previous 12 at-bats and just 3 for 33, lined Jacob Turner's 1-0 pitch over the right-field fence to put Arizona up 1-0 in the third inning, his 16th home run. The Diamondbacks made it 2-0 in the fifth when Gerardo Parra singled, stole second and scored when Goldschmidt singled sharply to center. Goldschmidt leads the NL with 61 RBI.

Goldschmidt is batting .143 (6 for 4) with two home runs, four walks, four runs and eight RBI in his last 11 games.

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman had an exceptional night at the plate Monday, going 3 for 4 and hitting a walkoff two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give his team a 2-1 win against the Mets.

It was Freeman's second straight three-hit performance, making him 22 of 62 with two home runs and 14 RBI in June. He passed Chris Johnson in this game for the team lead in batting average (.327 in 223 at-bats).

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard hit his first home run of June as part of a 3-for-3 performance Monday against the Nationals. He also walked and drove in two runs.

Howard has posted three straight multi-hit efforts while going 7 for 11 over the last three days. He's 18 for 52 in June to raise his average to .274 in 237 at-bats.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto hit one of his team's four solo home runs in Monday's 4-1 win over the Pirates. He was the only player on his team to collect more than one hit in the game, going 2 for 4 while hitting his 12th home run of the season.

Votto has posted 2-for-4 performances in each of his last two games after going 1 for 13 over his previous four games. He has hit .321 in 265 at-bats.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard hasn't hit a home run since May 29.

Howard is actually hitting .306 during June, but is still looking for his first long-ball of the month. Howard got off to a hot start this year, clubbing six home runs through his first 32 games of the season. He's slowed down since.

Howard is hitting .265/.314/.440 in 234 at-bats. 

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is in the middle of a slump.

Goldschmidt carried the D-Backs' offense through the first two months of the season, but has struggled of late. Over his last 10 games, Goldschmidt is hitting just .103. He's collected four hits in his last 39 at-bats, according to azcentral.com. Manager Kirk Gibson isn't too worried about Goldschmidt's recent issues, saying "he has had good at-bats. They’re making some decent pitches on him. And he’s not getting hits -- there’s some of that, too. He’s not Superman."

Goldschmidt is hitting .301/.381/.543 in 256 at-bats.