MLB Player News

Struggles against left-handers has prevented Padres switch-hitter Yangervis Solarte from really taking off in 2015.

Solarte owns a more-than-respectable slash line of .293/.343/.424. But he is just 3-for-21 against lefties. resulting in occasional benchings. He has two home runs and 18 RBI on the year.

His average, however, is at its lowest point since April 24. Solarte has seven hits in his last 31 at-bats.

Mets rookies Dilson Herrera and Kevin Plawecki are out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.

Herrera has made seven straight starts at second base since joining the lineup but will get a breather Sunday, with Ruben Tejada taking his place. Plawecki has made five straight starts behind the plate, but Anthony Recker will catch Sunday.

The Mets are road favorites (-150) in Philadelphia.

With Joc Pederson and Andre Ethier getting the day off Saturday, Chris Heisey, who was recalled from the minors on Thursday, and utilityman Enrique Hernandez get the call for the Dodgers in Colorado.

Heisey will leadoff and play center field while Hernandez gets the start in right field and will bat seventh.

INF/OF Alex Guerrero also gets a spot start Saturday, spelling Juan Uribe at third base and hitting fifth.

Although the Nationals' Danny Espinosa is a switch hitter, his left-handed swing is much different than this right-handed one, and it's evident by his power numbers, reports the Washington Post.

Espinosa has worked to make his lefty swings more compact to send the barrel straight to ball, resutling in a better performance from the left side in recent years.

“I’m just trying not to do too much, just trying to stay within myself,” Espinosa said. “I’m just trying not to over-think things, stay in rhythm, hit what’s given to me and not try to create something. Really just trying to stay within myself.”

Nationals manager Matt Williams said that Espinosa has more power from the right side, but because he is a switch-hitter, he gets fewer at-bats from the right side -- part of the reason he’s hit 44 home runs left-handed and 15 from the right side.

Nationals infielder Danny Espinosa hit two home runs during Friday night's 9-2 win over the Braves. 

Espinosa went 2 for 4 and totaled three RBI. He hit a solo homer in the seventh inning and a two-run shot in the eighth. This ended a hitless streak of two games in a row, where Espinosa at least had one at-bat.

It's also the fourth time this season Espinosa has recorded more than one hit in a game. 

Espinosa has garnered more playing time this spring with Anthony Rendon sidelined with injuries. 

Dodgers shortstop Jimmy Rollins received his fourth day off this season, as he was held out of Thursday's starting lineup against the Brewers. Rollins is sitting for the second time this month.

Rollins has been struggling lately, hitting just .128 (5 for 39) in his last 10 games, though he does have a pair of home runs during that stretch. Enrique Hernandez started at shortstop on Thursday, while batting eighth for manager Don Mattingly.

Mets second baseman Dilson Herrera went 3 for 3 with a home run and three RBI in his team's 5-1 win over the Orioles Wednesday.

Herrera opened the scoring with an RBI single in the second inning, then added his first home run of the season with a man on in the sixth. He was just 1 for 13 in four games with the team before exploding offensively Wednesday. If Herrera can find more performances like Wednesday's three-hit game, he could quickly move up in the batting order.

For the second time in three games, the Padres are keeping both first baseman Yonder Alonso and shortstop Alexi Amarista out of the starting lineup. 

Just as in Saturday's contest, Yangervis Solarte gets the start at first and Clint Barmes will start at shortstop.

It's Solarte's fifth start of the year at first, and Barmes eighth at short. They're hitting fifth and eighth in the lineup respectively. 

Padres utility man Cory Spangenberg will start for the Padres in Sunday's game against the Rockies. He'll bat second and play second base.

This is Spangenberg's first start since an April 24 game against the Dodgers. 

Third baseman Yangervis Solarte is back in the lineup and will hit fifth. After taking Saturday off, shortstop Alexi Amarista is back in the lineup and will bat eighth. 

First baseman Yonder Alonso and shortstop Alexi Amarista were held out of the Padres' starting lineup for Saturday's game. 

Yangervis Solarte starts in place of Alonso at first for the fourth time this season but second time in three games. He'll bat fifth in the lineup. 

Clint Barmes also makes his second start in three games for the Padres. He's in the lineup at short for the seventh time this year and will bat eighth.