MLB Player News

Ozuna went 1-for-4 with a double and three RBI in Tuesday's win over the Pirates.

Ozuna hit a two-run double -- his 14th two-bagger of the year -- in the first inning and later hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning as the Cardinals routed the Pirates 11-5. Ozuna has recorded a hit in seven consecutive games and is hitting .333 with seven home runs and 15 RBI over his last 15 games. On the season the 27-year-old is slashing .280/.321/.435 with 21 home runs, 79 RBI and 61 runs scored.

Belt is out of Tuesday's lineup against the Braves due to a sore right knee, Amy Gutierrez of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Belt has been battling the knee issue throughout September and is likely to have surgery after the season, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. It seems as though the 30-year-old will play through the injury for the final few weeks of the season, but it will likely be day-to-day whether he is actually in the lineup.

Belt is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Braves, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Belt returned to action Monday after being limited to bench duty over the weekend, going 1-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. He'll head back to the bench Tuesday as the Giants look to ease him back into action, with Austin Slater covering first base in his absence.

Ozuna went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and two runs in a win over the Pirates on Monday.

The 27-year-old continues to wield a red-hot bat, with Monday's production extending his hitting streak to six games. He's generated a quartet of multi-hit efforts over that span, leading to a .353 average over his first eight games of September. He's already smacked five home runs since returning from the disabled list.

Turner is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Reds, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

It appears to be a rare day off for Turner, who has started 25 consecutive games for the Dodgers, slashing an impressive .374/.470/.707 with seven homers, 20 RBI and an 18:15 K:BB over that stretch. Manny Machado will slide over to the hot corner in this one, allowing Chris Taylor to pick up a start at shortstop.

Blackmon went 3-for-3 with a double, walk, two runs and an RBI in Monday's 13-2 victory over the Diamondbacks.

Blackmon has gotten off to a blazing start to September, reaching base at a .452 clip through nine games while providing six extra-base hits and three steals. He'll benefit from three more games at hitter-friendly Coors Field before the Rockies kick off a nine-game road trip Friday that could hinder Blackmon's productivity.

Belt (knee) is starting at first base and hitting second Monday against the Braves, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Belt has been cleared to rejoin the starting lineup after a sore knee limited him to bench duty over the previous two games. The veteran first baseman, who is hitting just .173/.235/.227 across 23 games since returning from the disabled list in mid-August, will face southpaw Sean Newcomb in Monday's series opener.

Pederson sits for the third straight game Monday against yet another lefty in Cody Reed and the Reds.

Pederson has largely been protected against lefties all season, and that trend continues Monday with Chris Taylor starting in left field. The Dodgers currently line up to face seven straight righties starting Tuesday, so expect to see Pederson in the lineup often over the next week.

Blackmon went 3-for-4 with two solo home runs and a double Sunday in the Rockies' 9-6 loss to the Dodgers.

Blackmon has now slugged three long balls over the Rockies' past two games, matching his total from his previous 37 appearances combined. The decline in Blackmon's power production during the second half has put him at risk of missing out on a second straight 30-homer season, but it's his starker downturn in batting average that has instead proved more damaging to fantasy owners that tabbed him in the early rounds of drafts. After hitting .324 and .331 in 2016 and 2017, respectively, Blackmon's average has dropped to .282 this season, his lowest mark since his 2011 debut campaign.

Turner went 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles, a walk, two RBI and two runs Sunday in the Dodgers' 9-6 win over the Rockies.

After supplying a .280 on-base percentage over his past six games, Turner busted out of the slump in a major way in the series finale, reaching base in five of his six plate appearances. Despite the brief skid, Turner has remained hot for the most part since returning from the 10-day disabled list Aug. 2, supplying a 1.185 OPS and contributing 28 runs and 23 RBI over 33 contests during that stretch.