MLB Player News

Hiura went 1-for-3 with a run, two stolen bases and two walks in a 7-6 victory over the Pirates on Friday.

The 22-year-old only had one steal this season coming into Friday, so to see him swipe a pair Friday was surprising. Hiura has received quite a bit of playing time lately, though, playing in eight games since the Brewers recalled him June 28. He is batting .269 with six home runs, 10 RBI, 11 runs and three steals in 93 at-bats this season.

Bell went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer in a 7-6 loss to the Brewers on Friday.

The 26-year-old is experiencing an incredible week of power. Since Monday, he has five home runs and 14 RBI. That's brought his totals up to an astonishing 27 homers and 84 RBI. He's also slashing .308/.380/.662 with 60 extra-base hits and 68 runs in 331 at-bats.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and two walks in Friday's 9-4 win over the Giants.

The first baseman's homer came off Giants starter Drew Pomeranz in the first inning, extending the Cardinals' lead to 3-0 at the time. Goldschmidt is heating up at the dish, having hit .333 (6-for-18) with three extra-base hits and four walks in his last five games. For the season, the 31-year-old is hitting .251/.342/.418 with 33 RBI and 48 runs scored.

Walker went 3-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI in Friday's 8-0 rout of the Rockies.

Walker got the scoring started with a two-out, two-run home run off starter Antonio Senzatela in the fourth inning, then crushed a three-run, 431-foot shot off reliever Jesus Tinoco in the fifth. It was the first career multi-homer game for Walker and his third homer in the last two games. His five RBI also marked a career high. The 28-year-old is now batting .263/.332/.505 with 17 homers, 45 runs scored and 43 RBI.

Alonso went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBI in Friday's 7-2 loss to the Phillies.

The rookie's efforts gave the Mets a 2-1 lead through six innings, but the bullpen once again fell apart. Alonso is heading into the All-Star break on a major heater, slashing .363/.485/.775 over his last 22 games with eight of his 29 homers on the year.

Beaty is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Padres, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Beaty has only started against two lefties all year, so it's not a surprise to see him sit in favor of Kyle Garlick with Eric Lauer on the mound for San Diego. He's not getting on base at a great clip against righties (.319), but Beaty is hitting for average with the platoon advantage (.295) and looks fairly safe in his role heading into the second half, though there's always a chance the Dodgers upgrade via trade prior to the deadline.

Rizzo went 2-for-4 with a walk, a triple, an RBI and two runs scored in Thursday's 11-3 win over the Pirates.

Rizzo filled up the box score, and he's now up to a balanced 57 runs and 57 RBI this season to go with an .895 OPS. This game was also noteworthy because it was Rizzo's first time batting cleanup all year, as he's primarily batted third. With the Cubs erupting for 11 runs, the slugging first baseman could very easily stick in the No. 4 spot for the time being.

Freeman went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a double in a victory versus Philadelphia on Thursday.

Freeman slugged a 401-foot homer in the fourth inning, the first of back-to-back blasts with Josh Donaldson. In 346 at-bats this season, Freeman has now hit 23 homers -- the same amount he hit in 618 at-bats last season. Fortunately, the first-half power surge has not come at the expense of his other numbers; on the season, he is slashing an impressive .309/.393/.590.

Solano started at short and batted eighth Wednesday, going 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in a 7-5 win over the Padres.

Solano had started the previous four contests due to a slew of southpaws taking the bump against the Giants, but Wednesday's start was a bit surprising considering it came against a righty. The veteran utility infielder has performed adequately when called upon (.308/.337/.397 over 83 plate appearances) and starting shortstop Brandon Crawford has been disappointing at best, but a complete changing of the guard seems unlikely. Manager Bruce Bochy has proven in the past that he rewards players who homer with a start the following day -- Solano homered on Tuesday -- so this may simply be a result of his unorthodox system. The Giants are facing three righties in their upcoming series against the Cardinals, so it will be telling whether this is a depth chart shift or just a blip on the radar.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with a double and a run in a win over the Mariners on Wednesday.

Goldschmidt managed what has surprisingly become a relatively rare feat for him, an extra-base hit, during the victory, marking the first time he'd laced anything more than a single since June 20. With just 22 extra-base knocks over 359 plate appearances, the valued offseason acquisition continues on pace for his poorest showing in that category since his 48-game cup of coffee with the Diamondbacks back in 2011. The lack of impactful hits is partly responsible for Goldschmidt's career-low .323 wOBA, with the scenario made even more confounding by the fact he also sports a career-high 49.3 percent hard-contact rate.