MLB Player News

Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon went 2 for 4 at the plate in Colorado's 4-2 loss to the Padres Saturday.

Blackmon started things off with a double in the first inning, but was left stranded at third. Then in the third, Blackmon crushed a 1-0 pitch from Brandon Morrow over the center field wall, his third of the year.

Blackmon is now hitting .300 with 12 RBI in 90 at-bats.

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter hit a walk-off sacrifice fly to give St. Louis an 11-inning win over Pittsburgh on Saturday. 

"I came up there I was waiting to see what happened. He threw the first pitch right down the middle and I figured, 'OK, I guess they're going to pitch to me,' so I was ready to hit the next one," Carpenter said. 

Carpenter went 0 for 5, but his 15th RBI of the season was the difference in the game. The hitless game after back-to-back two-hit outings dropped his average to .366.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon decided to give right fielder Jorge Soler a new outlook by moving him into the leadoff spot for Saturday's game against Milwaukee. 

"It's not about changing mechanics or trying new things, but just to think differently," Maddon said, per MLB.com. "I'm all about when a hitter is not going as he can, the last thing you want to do is change the physical mechanics. You want to change the mental mechanics first."

"He sees his name in the leadoff spot, he has a different vibe about him," Maddon continued. "The whole job I want to get across to him is, 'You're out there to score runs. Don't worry about homers, don't worry about hits. You're out there to score runs."

The move worked. Soler snapped a 6-for-35 cold spell by going 1 for 3 with a walk from the leadoff spot on Saturday. 

Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon was back at the top of the order Saturday night against the Padres.

Blackmon sat out Friday against Padres starter Ian Kennedy. DJ LeMahieu, who batted leadoff on Friday, was bumped to the No. 8 in the order.

Blackmon is hitting .290/.330/.432 with two homers and 11 RBI over 21 games.

Colorado is an underdog (+125) Petco Park, per VegasInsider.com.

For the second straight game, Justin Turner replaces Juan Uribe at third base for the Dodgers. 

Turner will make his fourth start of the year at the hot corner, batting second in the lineup. 

The Dodgers also gave a rest to shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who is out of the lineup for just the third time this year. Enrique Hernandez will start just his fourth career game at short, batting eighth in the lineup. 

"JT's been swinging good. Alex has been swinging good. Van Slyke's been swinging good. We’ve got a number of guys that are swinging good which is a good problem," manager Don Mattingly said per the Orange County Register." ... It’s a lot easier when you’re winning. I think guys are happier with what’s going on when the team’s playing well."

The Giants returned second baseman Joe Panik and first baseman Brandon Belt to the starting lineup on Saturday against the Angels. Both players received a day off on Friday.

Panik, who was the walk-off hero in the Giants' win Friday night, was back playing second base and batting second. Panik has been alternating starts with Matt Duffy over the past week.

Belt returned to first base and was batting sixth for manager Bruce Bochy on Saturday. Belt has been hitting well lately, batting .385 over his last 10 games. Although, the team is hoping he finds his power swing, as he has yet to hit a home run this year and has just five RBI.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon swapped Dexter Fowler and Jorge Soler in the batting order on Saturday against Mike Fiers and the Brewers, per the team's official website.

Soler, who has only four hits in his last 30 at-bats with 17 strikeouts, moved to the leadoff spot for the first time in his career, while Dexter Fowler was dropped to the No. 2 hole in the order. Soler went 2 for 4 on Friday. Fowler is hitting .440 (11 for 25) with a walk, a double and two RBI over his last seven games played.

Chicago is favored (-166) at Wrigley Field, per VegasInsider.com.

Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson broke open Friday's game against the Diamondbacks when he hit a grand slam off Rubby De La Rosa in the second inning to help send the Dodgers to a 8-0 win.

It was Pederson's fifth home run of the season. He finished the game 1 for 3 and is now batting .300 on the season. The four RBI were a season high for Pederson.

Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna was a perfect 4 for 4 at the plate during Friday's 4-3 win over the Phillies.

Ozuna's biggest hit came in the ninth inning when he drove in Giancarlo Stanton on a double for the game-winning run. The four hits were a season high for Ozuna. Prior to Friday's game, he had yet to collect more than two hits in any game this season.

Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon is set to sit Friday for only the second time this season. Drew Stubbs is manning the position while DJ LeMahieu will lead off.

Blackmon, who is 4-for-18 in his career against Padres starter Ian Kennedy, was hitless in his last game after four straight multi-hit performances.