MLB Player News

Carpenter went 3-for-4 with one run scored and two RBI in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Braves.

Carpenter has responded well to dropping out of the leadoff spot, and he now has back-to-back multi-hit games for the first time this season. The 33-year-old's .222/.335/.389 slash line can still clearly use some work, but he appears to be trending in the right direction with a .305 average and three home runs over his last 10 games.

Blackmon (calf) remains out of the lineup Saturday against the Orioles.

Blackmon left Thursday's game with a calf issue and did not appear in Friday's contest. He remains day-to-day. David Dahl will be in right field again Saturday, with Ian Desmond starting in center.

Turner will sit as expected Saturday against the Pirates.

Turner was pulled early Friday for rest and was not expected to start Saturday. The issue appears to be simply one of regular maintenance, as he hasn't been reportedly dealing with any specific injury. Max Muncy will start at third base Saturday, with Matt Beaty getting the nod at first base.

Reyes is not in the lineup Saturday against the Blue Jays.

Reyes is hitting .303 with nine homers in his last 24 games. Josh Naylor will start in right field.

Carpenter went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-2 loss to Atlanta.

The veteran slugger only has seven homers on the year, but three of them have come in the last seven games. Carpenter's .210/.327/.381 slash line and 15 RBI through 49 games are well below expectations, but a shift down to fifth in the order behind the likes of Paul Goldschmidt and Marcell Ozuna might be just what he needs to kick-start his production.

Turner was pulled early from Friday night's game against the Pirates for rest purposes, and he's not expected to play Saturday, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Turner is just 3-for-19 with a pair of RBI over his last seven games, so perhaps skipper Dave Roberts has sensed that his starting third baseman needs a day or two to rest. Max Muncy could draw the start at third base Saturday, which would open up a slot for David Freese at first.

Belt isn't in Friday's starting lineup against the Diamondbacks, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Belt will take a seat with the lefty Robbie Ray set to toe the rubber for the opposition. Tyler Austin draws the start at first base and will bat cleanup in Belt's absence.

Blackmon (calf) won't play Friday against the Orioles, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports.

As expected, Blackmon will take a seat Friday as he continues to battle a calf issue. "He's feeling better, but is still sore," stated skipper Bud Black. "This is truly day-to-day, there's still no timetable of when we think he's going to be in the lineup."

Pederson is out of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Pirates.

Pederson will sit against a right-hander for the second time this week, though it once again is the result of the opposing team using an opener. Matt Beaty will start in left field and bat leadoff Friday.

Carpenter is starting at third base and batting fifth Friday against the Braves.

Carpenter has led off for the Cardinals in all but one of his 45 starts this season -- he also batted third May 2 -- but drops to fifth Friday after slashing .162/.295/.378 in his last 11 games. Manager Mike Shildt said earlier in May he was sticking with the 33-year-old at the top of the order for the time being, but Dexter Fowler and his .413 OBP will enter the leadoff spot Friday. It's been a season-long struggle for the veteran third baseman, as Carpenter's .686 OPS would be the worst of his career for a full season by a significant margin.