MLB Player News

Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson and shortstop Enrique Hernandez both hit home runs in Wednesday night's 5-4 loss to the Marlins. 

Both hit their home runs in the fifth inning. Hernandez hit a two-run homer and Pederson hit a solo shot. The Dodgers scored three runs in the inning. 

For Pederson, that's his 10th homer of the season. Hernandez hit his first of the year. 

Mariners designated hitter Brad Miller went 2 for 4 with a walk, a double, a home run and two RBI in his team's 4-2 loss to the Padres Wednesday.

Miller wouldn't be denied Wednesday, smacking a solo home run in the fifth inning to cut his team's deficit to 2-1 and adding an RBI double in the ninth to make the game 4-2. However, the rest of the team was unable to find any scoring magic, leaving the Mariners with the loss.

Miller has hit .250/.318/.427 with two home runs, 11 RBI and three stolen bases in 96 at-bats, but he's 4 for 7 with three doubles and one home run in a pair of games against the Padres.

Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez left Wednesday's game against the Twins with an injury, according to MLB.com. 

Martinez was spotted grabbing his back in the dugout. Rajai Davis pinch-hit for Martinez in the sixth inning. 

With Charlie Blackmon receiving a night of rest, the Rockies inserted Corey Dickerson in the leadoff spot for Wednesday's contest against the Angels, per the Denver Post.

Dickerson is hitting .313 (31 for 99) with five homers and 16 RBI over 27 games. He will bat leadoff for just the second time this season.

Colorado is an underdog (+155) against Los Angeles in Anaheim.

Pirates slugger Andrew McCutchen had claimed throughout the first month of the season that his problems at the plate were the result of a faulty swing rather than a faulty left knee.

Perhaps he is proving himself right.

McCutchen has finally broken out with 10 hits in his last 26 at-bats, including a two-home homer Tuesday night against Philadelphia. It marked his first home run to center this season.

"I said that when things aren't going well that it has nothing to do with my knee," McCutchen told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "It just had to do with the fact that I wasn't playing like I should be playing. It was just a matter of time. When things get going, they're going to get going."

McCutchen hit .194 in April for only the  second sub-.200 month in his career. His average has crawled up from .185 to .229 since May 5.

Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper and manager Matt Williams were both tossed by home plate umpire Rob Drake in the seventh inning of Wednesday's game against Diamondbacks.

Harper was ejected after he struck out on a check-swing to end the top of the seventh. Williams was also tossed after arguing with Drake. Harper doubled in the second inning and finished 1 for 3 with a walk and a strikeout. He is hitting .308 on the season with 12 homers and 31 RBI.

The Twins gave slugger Kennys Vargas the night off Wednesday night against the Tigers, per MLB.com.

With Vargas out of the lineup for the second time since Sunday, the club moved Eddie Rosario to left field, Aaron Hicks to center and moved Eduardo Escobar to designated hitter.

Minnesota is considered an underdog (+121) against left-hander Kyle Lobstein and the Tigers. The current Twins roster is hitting .348 (8 for 23) against the Southpaw.

Phillies' Darin Ruf is starting in left field and batting cleanup on Wednesday against the Pirates. Ruf was out of the lineup each of the last two games with a right-hander on the mound. Ruf is batting just .137 against righties this year. 

But with left-hander Francisco Liriano on the bump Wednesday, Ruf will look to break out of a 6-for-30 slump over his last 10 games. 

Ben Revere will slide over and play center field and Ryan Howard moves down to fifth in the batting order on Wednesday. 

Giancarlo Stanton murdered a fast ball on Tuesday and sent it out of Dodger Stadium in the Marlins' loss.

Dodgers left fielder Scott Van Slyke didn't even move when the ball shot over his head.

Stanton became the fourth player ever to hit a home run out of Dodger Stadium, joining Willie Stargell (twice), Mike Piazza and Mark McGwire.

The homer was Stanton's eighth of the year and the RBI was his 30th.

Bryce Harper launched another home run Tuesday, connecting for a two-run blast in the Nationals’ loss to the Diamondbacks.

After hitting six homers over a three-game stretch (Thursday-Saturday), Harper did not homer in his last two before Tuesday.

He now has seven homers over his last six games and 12 overall for the season, tops in the National League.