MLB Player News
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Pete Alonso 1B | BAL
Mets' Pete Alonso: In midst of power drought
Alonso went 1-for-4 with a base hit Sunday in the Mets' 2-0 extra-inning loss to the Marlins.
Though Alonso provided a solo home run in Saturday's 5-4 win, his power production has tailed off of late. He hadn't left the yard in any of his previous 11 starts, and he has just four extra-base hits in total since hammering a pair of home runs in a June 25 win over Miami. The minor slump didn't prevent Alonso from being named a reserve Sunday for the National League in next week's All-Star Game.
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P.J. Higgins 1B | CIN
Cubs' P.J. Higgins: Slugs grand slam
Higgins went 1-for-3 with a grand slam, a walk and two total runs scored in Sunday's 11-9 loss to the Dodgers.
Higgins punctuated a strong first inning for the Cubs with his grand slam, but that was his only hit Sunday. He's gone 4-for-20 (.200) with three walks and five strikeouts through seven games in July. The 29-year-old catcher has maintained a solid .276/.353/.513 slash line with four homers, 16 RBI, 11 runs scored and four doubles through 86 plate appearances, though his path to playing time behind the dish is likely to close up with Willson Contreras working his way back from a hamstring injury. Higgins could also draw some starts at first base if his hitting earns him a place in the lineup.
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Freddie Freeman 1B | LAD
Dodgers' Freddie Freeman: Powers offense Sunday
Freeman went 4-for-5 with a home run, a double, two RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 11-9 win over the Cubs.
Freeman provided key hits in the sixth and seventh innings, knocking a solo home run and an RBI single to account for the Dodgers' margin of victory. This was the first baseman's third four-hit game of the campaign, and it got his average back over .300 after it dipped below when he went 2-for-12 in his three previous contests. The 32-year-old is slashing .304/.381/.494 with 11 homers, 54 RBI, 55 runs scored, seven stolen bases and 27 doubles through 85 games.
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Wilmer Flores 1B | SF
Giants' Wilmer Flores: Clubs two long balls
Flores went 4-for-6 with two home runs, two runs and four RBI in a 12-0 win against the Padres on Sunday.
Flores was the driving force behind San Francisco's resounding victory with home runs in the third and ninth innings and singles in the fourth and sixth. The 31-year-old now has three homers in his last two games and 12 on the season, which puts him on pace to surpass his career high of 18 set in 2021 and 2017. The four-hit game was Flores' first of the season and first multi-hit performance since June 25.
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C.J. Cron 1B | BOS
Rockies' C.J. Cron: Missing out on series finale
Cron (wrist) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game in Arizona, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.
He'll sit for the second game in a row after he was initially removed from Friday's 6-5 win with a left wrist contusion. Connor Joe will pick up a start at first base in place of Cron, who is day-to-day in advance of Monday's series opener versus the Padres at Coors Field.
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LaMonte Wade 1B | CHW
Giants' LaMonte Wade: Sits versus lefty
Wade is out of the lineup for Sunday's game in San Diego, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
With lefty MacKenzie Gore on the hill for San Diego, the lefty-hitting Wade will cede his spot in the outfield to the righty-hitting Yermin Mercedes. Since returning June 29 from a stint on the injured list, Wade is hitting .138 with a home run and four RBI.
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Alfonso Rivas 1B | STL
Cubs' Alfonso Rivas: Out against lefty in third straight
Rivas is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.
The Dodgers have brought left-handed pitchers to the hill for each of the final three games of the series, with the lefty-hitting Rivas having now taken a seat on each occasion. David Bote will fill in at first base Sunday in place of Rivas, who should be back in the lineup Tuesday against the Orioles. Baltimore is expected to bring right-hander Jordan Lyles to the hill for that contest.
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P.J. Higgins 1B | CIN
Cubs' P.J. Higgins: Making third straight start
Higgins will start at catcher and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Dodgers.
After manning first base in both of the Cubs' last two games, Higgins will get a turn behind the plate while Yan Gomes rests for the series finale. Gomes and Willson Contreras are likely to occupy either the designated-hitter or catcher spot in most games moving forward, but Higgins could end up encroaching on Alfonso Rivas' role as the Cubs' top first baseman while Frank Schwindel (back) is stuck on the injured list.
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Keston Hiura 2B | LAD
Brewers' Keston Hiura: Nabs fourth straight start
Hiura will start in left field and bat fifth in Sunday's game against the Pirates.
Hiura's playing time is on the upswing; he'll make his fourth consecutive start after going 5-for-11 with a home run and a walk in the past three contests. Though he should be a fixture in the lineup against left-handed pitching for the foreseeable future, Hiura looks like he could see an uptick in opportunities against right-handed pitching in the short term with Andrew McCutchen picking up more time in the outfield of late with Tyrone Taylor (concussion) and Hunter Renfroe (calf) on the injured list.