MLB Player News

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard was held out of the starting lineup Sunday against the Reds for just the fifth time in 44 games. Michael Young drew the start at first base.

Howard entered play Sunday in a 4-for-34 slump (.118) in his last nine games. He has a double and two RBI in that stretch.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo ended a nine-game homerless drought Saturday in an 8-2 win over the Mets.  

Rizzo went 2 for 4 with a solo home run in the fifth inning. He added a run scored and didn't strike out for the ninth game in a row.

 Rizzo is batting .282, including .369 in May. 

After going 18 games in a row without a home run before Friday, Reds first baseman Joey Votto did not wait long for his next one. Votto homered Saturday for the second game in a row, while reaching base six times in a 10-0 win over the Phillies.

Votto went 4 for 4 with a double and the HR. He drove in two runs and scored twice.

Votto's on-base percentage is .473, which would be the highest for a season in the majors since 2004. He has six home runs and 20 RBI to go with a 1.004 on-base plus slugging percentage. He leads the National League with 37 walks and ranks third with a .346 batting average. 

Reds first baseman Joey Votto snapped a string of 18 games in a row without homering Friday, as he took Phillies reliever Antonio Bastardo deep for a solo shot in the eighth inning of a 5-3 loss.

Votto went 2 for 4 in the game, raising his batting average to .329. He is batting .400 with a 1.056 on-base plus slugging percentage in the month of May, however he now has just one home run and seven RBI in the past 14 games.  

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt followed a three-hit performance his last time out with a multi-home run game Friday night against the Marlins.

Goldschmidt took starter Kevin Slowey deep for two-run shots in the first and third innings. He added two hits and finished 4 for 5 with four runs scored and four RBI in a 9-2 victory. It was his second four-hit game of May.

Goldschmidt is hitting .440 with seven homers and 17 RBI in 15 May games. He has a .338/.421/.656 line with 12 homers and 35 RBI in 151 at-bats.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo has not struck out in his last 31 at-bats, the second-longest active streak in the majors and a far cry from how he began the season.

Rizzo struck out in 27.6 percent of his at-bats in the month of April, leading to a .224 batting average despite eight home runs and 20 RBI. Since May 1, however, he has struck out in just 12.3 percent of his at-bats.

His improved plate discipline has led to a .368 batting average in the month, though he does have just one home run in 14 games. 

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo has been on a tear.

The 23-year-old is hitting .403 since April 20, with three home runs and 10 doubles. Strikeouts were a problem for Rizzo early in the year, but he's gone seven straight games without one. Rizzo reportedly made some minor tweaks to his swing at the end of April, which is partially responsible for his recent surge. He's hitting .277/.349/.523 in 155 at-bats.

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman drove in all three of Atlanta's runs in a 5-3 loss to the Diamondbacks Wednesday, thanks to two doubles, one single and one walk in five plate appearances. Freeman's two doubles were the Braves' only extra-base hits of the game.

Freeman upped his season line to .295/.362/.419 with two homers and 22 RBI in 116 plate appearances.

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt had another productive day at the plate in Wednesday's series finale against the Braves. He went 3 for 4 with a run scored in a 5-3 win. All three of his hits went for doubles.

Goldschmidt is batting .400 (18 for 45) in May with five homers and 13 RBI. His average has risen from .287 at the beginning of the month to its current mark of .322.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto continued to send his batting average higher Tuesday at Miami with a three-hit performance. Votto has managed six multi-hit games in May.

Votto is batting .383 (23 for 60) in his last 15 games, sending his batting average from .279 to .322. He has seven doubles, seven RBI, seven walks and 12 runs in that span. Unfortunately, Votto's home run drought extended to 16 games Tuesday.