MLB Player News

Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner went 3 for 5 with two doubles and a home run in Friday's win over the Mets. 

Turner hit in his sixth straight game. He's 13 for 24 with a pair of three-hit games and a four-hit outing over that stretch. He's also homered in two of the last three. 

Turner drove in two runs and has scored in six of the last seven games. 

On May 23, Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen had a multi-hit game with a homer. He did the same on June 23.

So perhaps it was meant to be that on Thursday - July 23 - he again achieved that feat. McCutchen, who had not blasted off as part of a multi-hit game over the past month, singled and scored in the first inning and turned a 4-1 lead into a 6-1 lead with a two-run tater in the seventh.

His big game ended a 4-for-24 mini-slump and sweetened his slash line on the year to .289/.389/.496.

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter went deep on Thursday for his 10th home run of the season. The third-inning, two-run blast, his only hit of the game, gave the Cardinals a 4-2 lead, and they would hold on for the 4-3 win over the Royals.

After going 135 at-bats between home runs, Carpenter has now hit two in his last 35 at-bats. But he has just three other hits over that same stretch, giving him a .143 average over the nine games. 

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games, but he did something Wednesday that he had not done previously during that stretch. He knocked one over the fence for the first time since June 20.

Belt blasted his 10th homer, a 413-foot solo shot in the sixth inning that tied the game. He also walked twice in improving his on-base percentage to a strong .353.

Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon will get a day off, as he's being held out of the lineup against the Rangers on Wednesday afternoon. Blackmon had started 17 games in a row, and has been a force offensively atop the Rockies' lineup.

In that 17-game stretch, Blackmon slashed .357/.416/.571 with two doubles, two triples, three home runs and 10 RBI. 

But he'll get a day of rest in the matinee affair, with Drew Stubbs handling center field and DJ LeMahieu moving up to the lead-off spot in the order.

Bryce Harper has been one of the few bright spots offensively for the Nationals, and he'll try to do some damage from the No. 3 spot in the lineup for Wednesday's series finale vs. the Mets. 

However, Harper has been better this year hitting clean-up, with a .356 average, 17 homers and 48 RBIs from that position in the lineup.

But, given the Nationals' injury situation, it's been hard to provide Harper any protection, so he's spent 11 of the last 12 games hitting third, where he's at .292 with 10 homers and 16 RBIs.

Third baseman Justin Turner put the Dodgers up early, as he knocked a two-out solo home run in the first inning. The lead wouldn't hold up however, as the Dodgers dropped the game 4-3 to the Braves on Tuesday.

The home run, Turner's 12th of the year, was his only hit of the game. Turner has managed to maintain his solid hitting this season, and he is batting .361 over his last 10 games.

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter is batting in the sixth spot in the order on Tuesday against the White Sox. This is the first time this season that Carpenter did not hit either first or second in the lineup.

Carpenter has been struggling offensively lately, batting .132 with a home run and five RBI over his last 11 games. He is also batting .198 against left-handers this year, so with the Cardinals set to face a tough southpaw on Tuesday, Carpenter was moved down in the order.

A hand specialist cleared Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton to begin dry swings Monday, reports the Miami Herald.

Stanton was expected to miss 4-6 weeks after breaking a bone in his hand. Marlins manager Dan Jennings said he was uncertain of when Stanton could return to the team.

"I don't know that there's truly a time frame," Jennings said. "He'll know and he'll tell us. One thing about Giancarlo, he's very straightforward and very honest with his own assessment of himself and where he is. He's putting together a tremendous year, and you know he wants to be back."

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard isn't in the starting lineup for Monday's game. Howard has started the last five games and 77 games on the year. 

He'll be replaced in the lineup by Darin Ruf, who gets his 14th start.