MLB Player News

Phillies second baseman Chase Utley and first baseman Ryan Howard are not in the lineup for Sunday's matchup with the Diamondbacks.

Utley is 3 for 6 with a walk, two doubles and two RBI in two games since being moved from third to sixth in the lineup, but he'll get a break Sunday, with Andres Blanco filling in at second base and batting second.

Howard had started seven straight games coming into Sunday's contest, hitting .259/.310/.444 with one home run and three RBI in 27 at-bats during that stretch. Darin Ruf is drawing the start at first base.

The Phillies are home underdogs (+115) against the Diamondbacks Sunday, per VegasInsider.com.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt went 3 for 5 at the plate in San Francisco's 11-2 win over the Reds on Saturday.

Belt did his damage in the second inning when he crushed a Mike Leake pitch over the center field wall for a solo home run, his second of the season. 

Belt is now hitting .306 with 13 RBI in 108 at-bats this season.

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter launched his seventh home run of the season in the team's 10-inning loss to the Tigers on Saturday. Carpenter's solo shot came off David Price in the bottom of the first to tie the game at one run apiece.

This was his fourth home run in May. At this time last year, Carpenter had just one home run so he seems to have solidified his pop early on in 2015. 

Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton is arguably the most prodigious slugger in the game today.

But this is getting ridiculous.

Stanton smashed his fourth home run in four games and third tater in the last two Saturday against Atlanta. The solo belt to center field was his 11th in the past month. He was otherwise hitless in the loss.

He now owns a .555 slugging percentage on the year.

Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's matchup against the Rockies. This will be the third time this season that Gonzalez is starting a game on the bench.

Gonzalez has continued to hit well this season, and he's hitting at a nice .290 clip with six doubles and 10 RBI over his last eight games.

Justin Turner will hit cleanup for the first time this year, while filling it at first base.

For just the third time this season, Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson is not in the starting lineup. Pederson has been slumping lately at the plate, hitting just .154 with seven punchouts in his last seven games. So manager Don Mattingly has decided to give the youngster a rest for Saturday's matchup with the Rockies.

Enrique Hernandez will fill in at center field and bat leadoff on Saturday. 

Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner drove in two runs on Friday, leading his team to a 6-4 victory over the Rockies.

Turner singled in the opening frame and ripped a two-run double off Colorado starter Eddie Butler in the second inning. He finished 2 for 3 with a walk, a run scored and two RBI. He is hitting .302 on the year, with five homers, 15 RBI and a .380 on-base percentage in 28 games played.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper hit his eighth home run in his last nine games during Friday's 10-0 win over the Padres.

Harper hit the two-run home run off Shawn Kelley in the fourth inning. He finished the game 3 for 4 with two RBI. His 13 home runs lead the National League.

 Harper is now 17 for 32 in his last nine games with 18 RBI. He has raised his batting average from .245 to .317.

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton hit two home runs during Friday's 5-3 loss to the Braves.

Stanton hit his first home run in the third inning off Julio Teheran and he connected off Cody Martin in the seventh inning. Both home runs were solo shots. Stanton finished the game 2 for 4 with two RBI.

Stanton is 5 for 11 with three home runs and six RBI in his last three games.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt connected on his first home run of the season during Friday's 10-2 win over the Reds.

"I had forgotten what that feels like," he said, per MLB.com. "It's been a while."

Belt hit the three-run home run in the first inning off Jason Marquis. Belt finished the game 3 for 5 with four RBI. He also hit a double during the game.

He is now hitting .291 on the season. Before Friday's three-hit game, Belt had been 1 for 13 in his last three games.