MLB Player News

All five of Ruf's starts this season have come against left-handed pitchers. He is batting .278/.381/.333 with five RBI and two runs in 18 at-bats.

He made the team due to a monster spring training and presumably solid summer camp, and he also survived the first round of roster cuts Thursday. As long as he keeps getting on base at a strong clip against southpaws, the playing time should still be there, and he should eventually start hitting for power.

Winker went 2-for-4 with a double and a strikeout in Thursday's 13-0 loss to Cleveland.

Winker was rung up on a bad called third strike in the sixth inning and it looked like he might have been ejected by the home-plate umpire, but only manager David Bell was tossed from the game. By sticking around, Winker was able to notch his first multi-hit game of the season; he accounted for two of the team's three total hits. We'll see if this showing earns Winker his first start of the season against a lefty, either Friday against Eric Lauer or Saturday against Brett Anderson.

Blackmon went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk Thursday against the Giants.

Blackmon took Caleb Baragar deep in the seventh inning for his second home run of the season. He's swung the bat well to open the campaign, and extended his hitting streak to 10 games with this performance. Overall, Blackmon has 12 RBI and nine runs scored to go along with a .375/.392/.542 line across 51 plate appearances to begin the season.

Dickerson is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rockies.

He'll retreat to the bench with southpaw Kyle Freeland on the mound for the Rockies. The righty-hitting Hunter Pence will replace the lefty-hitting Dickerson in the Giants outfield.

Belt is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rockies.

Belt will take a seat with the Giants facing a left-handed starting pitcher (Kyle Freeland) in a day game after a night game. Belt was able to take advantage while starting in the first three games of the series at Coors Field, going 4-for-12 with a home run, a double, two runs and three RBI.

Pederson went 2-for-3 with two home runs, five RBI, three runs scored and a walk in Wednesday's win over the Padres.

Pederson delivered a complete performance Wednesday, launching a two-run shot in the second and later adding a three-run shot in the sixth -- he also chipped in another run scored in the fifth following an RBI single from Will Smith. Pederson has hit safely in four of his last five appearances and accounts for three homers in his last three games.

Belt went 2-for-4 with a double, a three-run home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Rockies.

His first long ball of the year was a big one, as it turned a two-run deficit into a one-run lead for San Francisco. Belt missed the start of the season with an Achilles injury and it looks like he may be a strict platoon player at this point -- sharing time with Wilmer Flores -- but he is seeing the ball well through five games (five walks, two extra-base hits) and is locked into the heart of the order against righties.

McCutchen is out of the lineup for Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader versus the Yankees, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

McCutchen started in left field and batted leadoff during the matinee, going 0-for-3 with two runs and two walks. Jay Bruce will take over in left field for the Phillies in Game 2.

Harper (undisclosed) is starting in right field and batting third in Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Yankees, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

The 27-year-old made an early exit from the matinee after being looked at by the athletic trainer, but it was apparently a precautionary move with the Phillies holding an 11-3 lead. Harper was productive during Game 1 before exiting, going 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, two runs and a walk.

Harper was removed from the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader for an undisclosed reason, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Harper was looked at by a trainer after reaching base during the fifth inning but was able to remain in the game. However, the 27-year-old was pulled in the sixth inning, which could simply be a precautionary measure with the Phillies leading 11-3 at the time. His status for Game 2 is unclear. Prior to his early exit, Harper went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, two runs and one walk.