MLB Player News
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Kyle Schwarber LF | PHI
Phillies' Kyle Schwarber: Launches solo shot in win
Schwarber went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Thursday's 2-1 win over Miami.
Schwarber cracked homer No. 23 for the season and his fourth of the month of June so far. The veteran slugger has seen his average dip a bit -- he's now hitting .241 this year after batting .262 as of May 17 -- but that hasn't impeded his power production very much. Over his last 136 plate appearances (31 games), Schwarber is slashing .211/.338/.474 with eight long balls, six doubles and 20 RBI to go with 20 runs scored.
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Andrew McCutchen DH | PIT
Pirates' Andrew McCutchen: Stays hot Thursday
McCutchen went 4-for-8 with a double, a solo homer and a second run scored in Thursday's doubleheader split with Detroit.
McCutchen extended Pittsburgh's lead to 4-0 in the nightcap with his eighth homer of the year and third in seven games, a 382-foot blast off Keider Montero in the third inning. McCutchen now has at least one hit in 10 of his last 11 games, going 16-for-44 (.364) with seven extra-base hits in that span. Overall, the veteran outfielder is slashing .271/.355/.432 with 28 RBI and 24 runs scored through 263 plate appearances this season.
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Pavin Smith RF | ARI
Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Drives in three runs
Smith went 1-for-2 with two walks, a two-run home run and a sacrifice fly in Thursday's 9-5 win over the Blue Jays.
Smith clobbered his sixth home run of the season in the fifth inning off Kevin Gausman before extending the Diamondbacks' lead in in the sixth on a sac fly. Smith's .274 batting average this year would be a career best, but he has struggled at the plate in June with a .194/.381/.387 slash line, one steal, two home runs, five RBI and a 31.0 percent strikeout rate in 42 plate appearances this month.
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Trenton Brooks DH | SD
Padres' Trenton Brooks: Absent from Thursday's lineup
Brooks is not in Thursday's lineup against the Dodgers.
Brooks sat against a lefty Tuesday but will now sit with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound Thursday. Jose Iglesias will enter the lineup as the designated hitter and bat seventh.
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Ivan Herrera C | STL
Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Getting rest in Game 2
Herrera is not in the lineup for the second game Thursday's doubleheader against the White Sox.
Herrera started the previous 34 games but will take a seat for the second half of Thursday's twin bill. He went 2-for-4 with a run in the Cardinals' 5-4 win over the White Sox in the first game of the doubleheader.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Next pitching start set for Sunday
Ohtani is scheduled to make his next start as a pitcher Sunday against the Nationals in Los Angeles.
Ohtani will begin his time as a two-way player with the Dodgers with a two-start pitching week, but just like when he made his mound debut in Monday's win over the Padres, the right-hander is expected to serve as an opener this Sunday. After tossing one inning and 28 pitches Monday, Ohtani could push up to the 2-to-3-inning range and toss around 40 pitches against the Nationals, though the Dodgers haven't provided official word on what his workload might look like. According to Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com, manager Dave Roberts did note that Ben Casparius would "most likely" pitch behind Ohtani again, after Casparius previously earned the win Monday while covering 3.2 innings out of the bullpen. The Dodgers' goal is for Ohtani to gradually get stretched out enough to handle a typical starter's workload without needing to be followed by a bulk reliever, though it will probably take him at least a couple more outings for him to get there.
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Pavin Smith RF | ARI
Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Nine-game starting streak ends
Smith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays.
Arizona is facing a left-handed starting pitcher (Eric Lauer) for the first time since June 6, so Smith will retreat to the bench along with fellow left-handed-hitting regular Alek Thomas. Randal Grichuk will step in at designated hitter in place of Smith, who hit .200 with one home run and two RBI while starting each of the last nine games.
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Rafael Devers 3B | SF
Giants' Rafael Devers: Multi-hit effort in team debut
Devers went 2-for-5 with an RBI double during Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Guardians.
Devers made his Giants debut after being acquired from Boston on Sunday. The 28-year-old lined a double to right field in the third inning, giving San Francisco a 2-1 lead. He later added a single to left field in the ninth, marking his second straight multi-hit game. While he started at designated hitter Tuesday, Devers is expected to see time at first base, per Angelina Martin of NBC Sports Bay Area -- a position he declined to take reps at earlier this season with the Red Sox.
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Ivan Herrera C | STL
Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Drives in four runs
Herrera went 2-for-5 with four RBI in Tuesday's win over the White Sox.
Herrera collected a pair of two-RBI singles, and his night could have been even bigger if not for Michael Taylor robbing him of a home run to lead off the top of the fifth inning. The 25-year-old has now driven in 36 runs in just 41 games for the Cardinals this season. With Brendan Donovan moving up to the leadoff spot, Herrera appears to be cementing himself as St. Louis' new No. 3 hitter against right-handed pitching.
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Pavin Smith RF | ARI
Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Hitting above xBA
Smith went 1-for-3 with an RBI in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to Toronto.
Smith put Arizona on the board with a two-out, run-scoring single in the fourth inning. He's been largely unproductive since the middle of April, as the lefty hitter is batting .210 (25-for-119) with just nine RBI over the last 44 contests dating back to April 23. By the grace of a .406 BABIP, Smith has managed to bat .271 for the season, far outpacing a .223 expected batting average.