MLB Player News

Phillies first baseman Darin Ruf made just his second start in the cleanup slot Monday and rewarded manager Ryne Sandberg's decision by going 3 for 5 with a double and two runs scored in his team's 5-2 win over the Braves.

Ruf, who's other start as a cleanup hitter came in the first week of the season, saw himself bumped to the No. 3 spot over the weekend, and after going 3 for 7 with a walk and a home run in two games in that role, he was in the No. 4 slot Monday.

Ruf had just a .139 batting average and .506 OPS heading into the weekend but is now hitting .229/.296/.438 with two home runs and five RBI in 48 at-bats.

Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter has been off to a hot start this season. 

However, in Monday night's 10-9 win over the Cubs, Carpenter's bat was missing in action. Carpenter finished the game 0 for 5 with two strikeouts. This is only the fourth time this season in 24 games that Carpenter has gone without a hit. 

This is also the first time in 2015 that Carpenter recorded less than two hits in five at-bats in a single game. 

He now holds a slash line of .347/.412/.624. 

Athletics left fielder Mark Canha went 1 for 4 with a home run and two RBI in his team's 8-7 loss to the Twins Monday.

Canha gave his team a brief lead with a solo home run in the top of the sixth, but the Twins were able to score four runs in the bottom half of the inning to take the advantage. Canha then added a second RBI on an eighth-inning groundout. He's hit .284/.348/.469 with four home runs, 14 RBI and two stolen bases in 81 at-bats.

Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson went 1 for 4 at the plate in Los Angeles' 4-3 loss to the Brewers on Monday. Pederson did his damage in the first inning, crushing a lead off home run off of Kyle Lohse, his seventh of the season.

Pederson moved his average to .270 with 16 RBI in 74 at-bats.

Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said that shortstop Brad Miller may move around in the defense and that he is "Not the forgotten man. He's certainly not the culprit in all of this," according to the Seattle Times.

Miller has started 23 of the Mariners' 25 games this year at shortstop but, with the call up of Chris Taylor, he's not in Monday's starting lineup.

Miller is hitting .250 this season with a .301 on-base percentage for the 10-15 Mariners.

Although he exited Sunday's game with light headness, third basman Matt Carpenter is in the Cardinals' starting lineup on Monday, batting second.

Kolten Wong received a rest and was not in Sunday's lineup for the Cards but returns Monday, playing second base and batting seventh.

Struggling catcher Yadier Molina, who's been dealing with knee soreness, will not start Monday as Tony Cruz gets the nod at catcher and will hit eighth.

Cubs right fielder Jorge Soler was given the day off on Monday against the Cardinals. Soler had started each of the Cubs' first 23 games of the season, and with just seven hits in his last 34 at-bats, he seemed due for a rest, though he is riding a modest three-game hitting streak.

Manager Joe Maddon said that while Monday's break was just to give the right fielder a breather, the team will monitor him as the weather heats up, ESPN reports. Soler has previously dealt with leg issues.

"Dehydration is the thing I'm always concerned with," Maddon said. "The hotter it gets the more and more I'm worried about that kind of a thing. We have to be really proactive the next couple of weeks making sure we don't run anyone into the ground."

Chris Denorfia replaced Soler in right field, while Chris Coghlan moved up to the second spot in manager Joe Maddon's batting order. 

Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen continued to struggle in Sunday's extra-inning loss to the Cardinals. The former MVP went 1 for 7 on the afternoon, dropping his season batting average to a paltry .193. He has just seven hits over his last 38 at-bats.

The slow start through the first month of the season is rather uncharacteristic for McCutchen, who owns a lifetime .260 batting average in March/April. He has been bothered by a knee injury since spring training, though he has started all but two games for the Pirates this season.

Indians outfielder Michael Brantley had a two-RBI single and double during a 10-7 win Sunday vs. Toronto. He also had two runs and two walks.

Brantley has hit safely in four straight games and has at least one RBI in four straight games as well.

Since returning from a back injury April 17 -- which kept him out six of seven games from April 8-15 -- Brantley is batting .381 (24 for 63) with one home run, seven doubles, nine runs, 11 RBI, seven walks and three stolen bases in 16 games.

Rockies leadoff hitter Charlie Blackmon delivered two solo home runs on Sunday in a loss to the Padres.

The outfielder also homered on Saturday and now has five for the season.

"We had good, competitive at-bats," Blackmon said. "Results-wise, we did well against him [Shields] -- we scored quite a few runs, Nolan had some good at-bats to drive in three off of him. We came to play and put it on him a little bit with the sticks, more than we were expecting."

His 3 for 5 day raised his average to .316.