MLB Player News

With a left-hander on the mound Wednesday, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle has juggled his lineup for the matchup against the Phillies.

Left-handed batters Gregory Polanco and Pedro Alvarez are out of the lineup, while Corey Hart covers right field and Sean Rodriguez handles first base. Josh Harrison will move up to the leadoff spot in the order.

Second baseman Neil Walker is sliding down to the seventh spot in the lineup. This is the first time all season he has hit lower than sixth in the order.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado is one of baseball's top defensive players, but he has found himself in a rut recently, committing his eighth error of the season in Tuesday night's loss. 

Machado made just nine errors in 82 games last season, but is in a stretch of 19 games where he had committed eight miscues, many of them on errant throws. Five of his errors have come in the eighth inning or later, per MASNSports.com.

"It's not turning out like it's supposed to be," Machado said. "Keep grinding, keep catching those grounders and keep making those throws."

Shortstop Jose Ramirez was one of the pleasant surprises for the Indians last season, but according to manager Terry Francona, the youngster is "pressing" this year on both offense and defense, per MLB.com. 

Ramirez's error in Tuesday's loss marked the sixth miscue in 24 games played for Ramirez, who made only four errors in 56 games last season. At the plate, Ramirez is hitting just 1-for-24 against left-handed pitching, earning him a seat on the bench. 

"He used to walk around like he owned the field," Francona said. "And the one thing we always talked about so much was his clock. Right now, I think he's definitely pressing a little bit, and I understand it."

Giants third baseman Matt Duffy provided the bulk of the offense at the plate during Tuesday's win over the Astros.

Duffy ripped a bases-clearing double in the third inning off Colin McHugh and singled in two runs in the fifth. He added another single and finished 3 for 4 with five RBI in an 8-1 victory. He is hitting .300 (21 for 70) with a home run, 15 RBI and a .333 on-base percentage this season.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado went 3 for 4 and doubled twice in Tuesday's loss to Toronto. 

Machado scored once and improved his average to .288. He has seven doubles on the season. 

Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson hit a two-run home run and drove in three runs in Tuesday's win over Baltimore. 

Donaldson went 2 for 5, increasing his average to .319. He went deep for the eighth time this year and drove in his 24th run. 

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said that although he's starting Matt Duffy Tuesday at third base, Casey McGehee, the team's regular third baseman, has not been benched, reports MLB.com.

Casey McGehee has started 23 of the Giants' 32 games this year at third, including all three of their weekend seris against the Marlins.

Duffy has served as a utility infielder for the Giants this season, starting games at all four infield positions this year.

In 84 at-bats, McGehee is hitting .179 with two homers, three doubles and seven RBI.

Unsurprisingly, Athletics first baseman Ike Davis is out of the starting lineup on Tuesday against the Red Sox. Davis left Monday's game after suffering a left quad strain. He might be available to pinch-hit, but the team has not provided an update on his status.

Rookie Max Muncy will draw the start at first base and hit sixth in the batting order. 

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe is back in the starting lineup, batting cleanup Tuesday against the Tigers. Plouffe missed the last two games while attending a funeral for his grandfather. Plouffe has been hitting well lately, batting .345 with two doubles, two home runs and nine RBI in eight games this month.

Giants center fielder Angel Pagan and catcher Buster Posey are back in the starting lineup on Tuesday against the Astros while third baseman Casey McGehee will head to the bench, the team announced.

Pagan and Posey got the day off on Sunday with Gregor Blanco starting in center and Adnrew Susac behind the plate. Pagan is hitting .322 with eight RBI in 121 at-bats this season. Posey is hitting .287 in 108 at-bats this year. 

McGehee heads back to the bench after starting all three games in the weekend series against Miami. Matt Duffy will start at third and bat eighth. 

The Giants are currently the underdogs (+145) against Houston.