MLB Player News

First baseman Joey Votto may be finding his power stroke, as he connected for a home run for the second straight day, helping the Reds earn an 8-5 victory over the Nationals on Saturday. 

Votto came into the weekend series with just seven longballs in 167 at-bats, but has hit two in his last seven trips to the plate. Before his recent hot streak, Votto had not hit a home run since April 28. 

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt hit two home runs and drove in four runs in Saturday's win over Milwaukee. 

Goldschmidt hit a solo home run in the third inning and a three-run shot in the fourth. It's his first four-RBI day since June 4 of last year and his first two-homer game since May 17 of last season. 

"I think he has success everywhere, to be honest," D-backs manager Chip Hale said to MLB.com. "But this is a good place to hit. Good background. Ball seems to carry well. Guys are comfortable hitting here."

Goldschmidt went 3 for 5. He now has 14 homers and 42 RBI. 

A matchup against Mets left-hander Jonathon Niese has Marlins first baseman Justin Bour out of the lineup Saturday.

Bour has just five at-bats against southpaws this seaon with one hit. He has otherwise been mashing. He owns a slash line of .361/.409/.607 in 61 at-bats and has homered in his last two games.

Phillies veteran first baseman Ryan Howard, who has been the subject of intense trade rumors, has suddenly gone from hot to cold.

Howard is 0-for-12 in his last three games after a 9-for-21 stretch in which he slugged three home runs.

He remains on pace, however to hit 36 home runs this season. That would be his highest total since 2009.

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman hit his first home run in nearly a month in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Giants. Freeman came up in the top of the ninth with his team down by three. He proceeded to take closer Santiago Casilla deep for a solo home run, his sixth of the season. But it wasn't enough as the Giants were able to hold on for the victory.

The home run was Freeman's only hit of the game, and he has now collected just eight hits in 36 at-bats over his last 10 games. 

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt contiued his torrid pace at the plate in Friday's win over the Brewers. Goldschmidt went 3 for 5 with a double and scored twice in the 7-5 victory.

Goldschmidt now has 13 hits in 35 at-bats over his last 10 games. He has two home runs and six RBI over that stretch.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto got the offensive party started on Friday, as the Reds beat the Nationals 5-2. Votto launched a one-out solo home run in the top of the first inning off Stephen Strasburg to give the Reds the early 1-0 advantage.

The home run was his only hit of the game. It was his eighth longball of the season, but his first since April 28. He now sports a .275 batting average on the season. 

"It's been a while," Votto said, per MLB.com. "A couple of weeks ago, I lost my wallet. I have a green card in there, and my driver's license, credit card and cash and everything. I didn't know where it was for, like, two weeks. You ever lose your wallet? It's so annoying, right? Then finally, I found it. It was in my car -- one of the door compartments. That's how I feel with my swing -- I finally found my wallet."

First baseman Justin Bour provided the offense the Marlins would need to defeat the Mets on Friday. In the top of the fourth inning, Bour launched a three-run home run to put the Marlins on top 4-0 in a game they would win 4-3. 

The home run, his fourth of the season, was Bour's only hit of the game. Now the primary option at first base for the Marlins, Bour has 10 hits in 31 at-bats over his last 10 games. 

Marlins first baseman Justin Bour hit his third home run of the season in the second inning of his team's 5-2 loss to the Pirates on Wednesday.

Bour hit 2 for 4 with the long-ball, an RBI and a run scored.

Wilmer Flores' slow start to the season is becoming a distant memory. The Mets starting shortstop singled home the winning run with two outs in the 10th inning Tuesday against the Phillies, lifting New York to a 5-4 win.

Flores also had a game-tying sac fly in the eighth inning Tuesday and delivered a go-ahead, three-run homer Monday, which helped New York to a 6-3 win.

Flores has had his struggles defensively in 2015, but he is finally turning the corner offensively. He has hit safely in 15 of his last 17 games, while producing four home runs and 13 RBI in that span.

"I truly believe Wilmer's gotten past [his issues]," manager Terry Collins said, per MLB.com. "He realizes there's going to be a day that you're going to make an error. He's got to play through that, and I think he's doing that. We're starting to see a guy who's going to start swinging the bat like we know he can. He's going to put up some offensive numbers that people are going to be pretty impressed by.

"I see a completely different player."