MLB Player News

After going 0 for 4 in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Dodgers, Orioles third baseman Manny Machado made up for it in the nightcap. He went 3 for 4 with a homer, four RBI and a pair of runs scored in the 6-1 win.

The 20-year-old singled in the third inning before driving in Nate McLouth with a double in the fifth. Then in the sixth, he launched a three-run bomb off starter Josh Beckett.

"He just left it a little up and I just took advantage of that," Machado told MASNSports.com. "It's been awhile since I had a good game, had a couple of games with an 0-fer. We had two good games today and now we try to come out tomorrow and get another one."

Machado is batting .311 (14 for 45) in the last 10 contests with two home runs and 10 RBI.

"You know I just think the more at-bats I get the more comfortable I feel at the plate," he said. "It comes with experience, this game is all about experience."

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria hit his fourth home run in his last five games Friday night against the A's.

Longoria's two-run home run came off reliever Evan Scribner in the fourth inning. He finished 1 for 4 with two runs in an 8-3 victory. Longoria is hitting .281/.364/.509 with four home runs and nine RBI in 57 at-bats.

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria had another solid night at the plate as he homered for the third time in the last four games during Thursday's series finale against the Orioles.

Longoria took starter Miguel Gonzalez deep in the first inning for a solo shot. He finished 1 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI in a 10-6 defeat in extras.

Longoria has gone 4 for 17 with three homers, four runs scored and four RBI in his last four games. He is hitting .283/.371/.472 over his first 53 at-bats.

Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson went 0 for 4 out of the fifth spot in the lineup Wednesday, leaving eight men on base in his team's 7-5 win over the Astros.

Donaldson, who has played every inning at third base for the A's this season, hit fifth for just the third time this year. The hitless day lowered his season line to .242/.299/.419 with two home runs in 67 plate appearances.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado produced an RBI double Tuesday against the Rays. It was his third double and sixth RBI.

Machado has hit safely in six of his last seven games, batting .310 (9 for 29) with one home run, two doubles and five RBI. He hit just .192 (5 for 26) with one double and one RBI in his first six games.

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria homered for the second straight game Tuesday at Baltimore. Longoria is batting .273 (6 for 22) with two home runs, three runs, four RBI and five walks during the first seven games of the team's current road trip.

The Rays have juggled their lineup the past few days, moving third baseman Evan Longoria from the cleanup spot to third and then back to fourth in the order Tuesday, in an attempt to jumpstart his bat, and subsequently, their offense.

Longoria is batting .300, but has just one extra-base hit in his first 40 at-bats. As a result of his surprisingly light bat, Longoria has just four RBI. Fantasy owners have to be frustrated about Longoria's slow start because he was drafted to be one of the premier run producers. The best advice we can give to Fantasy owners worried about Longoria's empty average so far this season comes to us courtesy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, emblazoned in big, bold letters: "DON'T PANIC".

Longoria is batting .353 with runners on base through the first 12 games, but has yet to sock an extra-base hit in those situations. For his career, Longoria has been a much better batter with runner's on base, increasing his batting average from .259 with the bases empty to .296. And his extra-base hit woes have never been an issue, as he has one extra-base hit every 7.6 at-bats, compared to once ever 8.0 at-bats overall

Longoria's RBI total has been down over the past two years, after posting back-to-back 100-RBI seasons in 2009-2010. But his per-game production has remained top-notch in that span, leaving little reason for Fantasy owners to think this is a meaningful trend. All-Star talents generally don't turn into slap hitters overnight at the age of 27. Don't be surprised if Longoria posts a few multi-RBI games in the next few days to assuage your fears. 

The Rays moved third baseman Evan Longoria down in the order to the cleanup spot Tuesday in Baltimore, MLB.com reports. Manager Joe Maddon continues to tinker with the lineup after Longoria had hit third in the previous four games. 

Longoria, batting .300, hit his first home run -- and extra-base hit of any kind -- Monday in Boston. He has four RBI after 40 at-bats with 11 strikeouts. 

He's gone 2 for 13 (.154) batting third in the order and 10 for 27 (.370) in the cleanup spot. 

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe hit his second home run of the season Monday during an 8-2 win over the Angels. He went deep in the fourth inning for a solo shot off starter Joe Blanton. 

Plouffe finished the game 2 for 4 and added his third double. Batting .256, Plouffe recorded just his second multi-hit game of the year. He has four RBI. 

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria finally produced his first extra-base hit of the season Monday at Boston. Longoria tied the game at one in the fourth inning with his first homer of the season.

It ended Longoria's longest season-opening stretch without a homer at 11 games and was just the fifth homer by the Rays. But Longoria has reached base in every game this season. He's batting .300 (12 for 40) with four RBI.