MLB Player News

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo went 2 for 5 at the plate with two RBI during Friday's 7-6 win over the Brewers.

Rizzo hit a solo home run in the fourth inning off Jimmy Nelson for his sixth home run of the season. Over his last 11 games, Rizzo is 14 for 42 with four home runs and 10 RBI. He is now batting .330 on the season

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman went 2 for 4 with an RBI in Friday night's 9-2 loss to the Nationals. 

Freeman hit two doubles, giving him 13 for the season. Freeman has recorded a hit in five consecutive games and has posted two doubles in back-to-back games. 

In his career, Freeman has hit the Nationals well, posting a career .337 batting average against them entering Friday's game. He was the only member of the Braves to record more than one hit Friday night. 

Freeman's 2015 slash line is now .324/.380/.577. 

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard belted his sixth home run of the season to help lead the Phillies to a 3-1 victory over the Mets on Friday.

Howard connected off pitcher Matt Harvey in the fourth inning for the solo home run. He finished the game 2 for 3 with two RBI and one walk. Over his last four games, Howard has gone 8 for 15 with two home runs and five RBI.

"The contact, the quality of the at-bats, laying off pitches, taking some walks," manager Ryan Sandberg said about Howard's turnaround, per MLB.com. "Howie looks like he's gained a lot of confidence. That goes with the quality at-bats he's had."

Major League Baseball has suspended Reds first baseman Joey Votto for one game after he bumped an empire on Wednesday, the team announced. 

Votto will serve the suspension Friday night against the White Sox. 

Following a swinging strikeout, Votto threw his helmet on the ground and was yelling at either himself or umpire Chris Conroy. Conroy then ejected him, though Votto didn't initially notice. He grabbed his glove and went to first base for the following half-inning. 

When Votto was notified of his ejection, he ran in a full sprint at Conroy, made contact and became irate. That's what triggered the one-game suspension. 

Votto is hitting .311/.413/.573 with seven home runs this season. 

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt connected on his eighth home run of the season during Thursday's 11-0 win over the Rockies.

Goldschmidt hit the solo home run in the third inning off pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne. He finished the game 2 for 4 at the plate with two RBI. During the last nine games, Goldschmidt has 19 hits in 41 at-bats with three home runs and 10 RBI.

Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores is off to a rough start offensively and defensively in 2015. However, one rival said the Mets should be patient with the 23-year-old infielder, according to CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman.

"There are plenty of teams that would be happy to have Flores playing shortstop," the rival said.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is off to a stellar start in May. He has hit safely in each of his six appearances this month and has homered three times in that span.

Rizzo, however, has been on a pretty good run for nearly a month now. He has a .377/.495/.675/1.170 slash line over his last 21 games.

"He's just really good right now," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of Rizzo, per MLB.com. "I think he's one of the top five best at-bats in all of baseball, if you want to look at it that way. At-bat per at-bat, this guy is engaged in every pitch, every pitch. He doesn't give anything away at any time.

"He's one of the few major league players who has a legitimate two-strike approach. It's something I've preached in the past; it's hard to get guys to do it. He has a legitimate two-strike plan, which is beautiful to watch."

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo drove in three runs to help lead the Cubs to a 6-5 win over the Cardinals on Wednesday.

Rizzo's big hit came when he connected on a two-run home run off Lance Lynn in the third inning. He finished the game 2 for 4 and is now batting .341 on the season.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard went 3 for 4 with a walk and a solo home run in his team's 7-5 loss to the Braves Wednesday.

Howard has struggled at the plate for most of the first month of the season, but he's 6 for 12 with a double, a triple and a home run in his last three games. His sixth-inning home run helped key a three-run frame for the Phillies, but they were unable to get any closer to tying the game. Howard has hit .220/.276/.462 with five home runs and 13 RBI in 91 at-bats.

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt went 2 for 5 with a home run, two RBI and one stolen base in his team's 5-1 win over the Rockies in Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader.

Goldschmidt came up hitless in five at-bats in Game 1 of the twin-bill as the teams combined for 20 runs, but he found his way on the scoreboard to help lead his team to a doubleheader sweep Wednesday. The first baseman has hit .340/.431/.610 with seven home runs, 24 RBI and six stolen bases in 100 at-bats.