MLB Player News

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told reporters he's preaching patience with shortstop Wilmer Flores. Alderson said Flores has "plenty of room" despite his errors, per the Wall Street Journal.

"This is not a hope and a prayer," Alderson said.

Flores committed his sixth error of the season Thursday night against Washington, and it proved to be costly. He botched a double-play ground ball in the fourth inning, which led to a three-run inning for Washington in an 8-2 victory over New York.

Flores remained in the lineup and will bat sixth Friday night against Max Scherzer. He is 0 for 5 in his career against Scherzer. In 21 games, Flores is hitting .254 (18 for 71) with two doubles, three homers and eight RBI.

Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores committed his sixth error of the season Thursday against the Nationals, and Thursday's mistake was very costly. Flores bungled a likely double-play grounder in the fourth innning, which led to a three-run inning for Washington on its way to an 8-2 win.

Mets manager Terry Collins said the error “changed the tide, no question about it," per The Wall Street Journal. However, the Mets skipper continues to preach patience with Flores.

“When we decided he was going to be the shortstop, we realized there might be a couple rough spots,” Collins said. “I think you have to be a little patient and continue to tell Wilmer, ‘Listen, you’ve just got to slow down, relax and make the plays.'"

The Mets announced after Thursday's game they are promoting infield prospect Dilson Herrera from Triple-A Las Vegas. However, Herrera is expected to play at second base, with Daniel Murphy moving to third base in David Wright's absence. For now, Flores' job is safe, despite his defensive woes.

“Sometimes things don’t go your way,” Flores said. “Nobody wants to make an error. I just got to shake it off.”

Reds slugger Joey Votto is back in the lineup Thursday in Atlanta after getting a night off. He is batting third and playing first base.

The hope is that the one-game absence will get Votto back on track. He had been one of the hottest hitters in baseball before a 2-for-20 slide that dropped his batting average from .386 to .312.

He is, however, having a renaissance year in regard to power. He has seven home runs in 77 at-bats after nailing just six in 220 at-bats in 2014.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is back in the cleanup spot for the first time since April 18, per Philadelphia Daily News. Howard was removed from the No. 4 spot after the first eight games of the season in favor of Jeff Francoeur.

Francoeur has been held without a hit over his last 13 at-bats, with his batting average dipping from .227 to .180 over the past four games. He will bat fifth on Thursday against the Cardinals. Howard is hitting .222 (4 for 18) with three homers and six RBI over his last five games.

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman has been on a tear offensively since suffering a 1-for-18 slump from April 21-25. He has produced multiple hits in four straight games since Sunday, including a four-hit outing Tuesday against the Nationals.

Freeman is batting .588 (10 for 17) in his last four games, raising his season average from .219 to .296. He has one RBI, four doubles and five runs in that span.

"I don't think everybody is ever worried about Freddie Freeman," third baseman Chris Johnson said, per MLB.com.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard went 1 for 4 at the plate in Philadelphia's 5-2 loss to the Cardinals Wednesday. Howard did his only damage of the game in the fourth inning, taking a Carlos Martinez pitch over the right field wall for a solo shot, his fourth of the season.

Howard is now hitting .191 with 10 RBI in 68 at-bats.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto received his first day off this season Wednesday against the Brewers. He had started the first 20 games.

Kris Negron started for Votto, who is batting .316 with seven home runs and 16 RBI. Votto hit his seventh home run Tuesday against Milwaukee, but he is batting just .105 (2 for 19) in  his last five games.

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt came up big at the plate, leading his club to a 12-5 win over Colorado.

Goldschmidt singled in the game's opening run in the first inning, doubled in the fifth and tacked on two more runs on a double in the eighth inning. He finished 3 for 5 with two runs scored and three RBI.

Goldschmidt recorded his first three-hit performance since his fourth game of the season. He is hitting .315 with five homers, 19 RBI and a .425 on-base percentage through his first 73 at-bats to start the season.

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman went 4 for 6 in Tuesday's 13-12 loss to Washington.

Freeman scored three times and hit his sixth double of the year. 

Freeman improved his average to .286. 

Reds first baseman Joey Votto went 2 for 4 in Tuesday's win over Milwaukee. Votto got the Reds on the board with a solo home run in the first, his seventh homer of the season and 16th RBI. 

Votto lifted his average to .316 and snapped a four-game, 15 at bat hitless streak.