MLB Player News

Athletics left fielder Mark Canha went 3 for 4 with a home run and three RBI in his team's 6-5 loss to the Angels Thursday.

Cahna's two-run homer in the seventh inning was his team's only extra-base hit of the game and started Oakland's climb back from a 6-0 deficit. They were able to rally for three runs in the ninth, including one on an RBI single by Canha, but saw the game end on a leaping play by Angels center field Mike Trout with the bases loaded.

Canha has slowed down considerably after a hot first week, but Thursday's performance was a big step back in the right direction. He has hit .279/.329/.412 with two home runs, 10 RBI and two stolen bases in 68 at-bats.

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter collected two hits and scored three runs during Thursday's 9-3 win over the Phillies.

Carpenter went 2 for 3 during the game with two walks. He also drove in one run and is batting .372. Carpenter has multiple hits in three of his last four games.

Phillies left fielder Darin Ruf smacked his second home run of the season during Thursday's 9-3 loss to the Cardinals.

Ruf connected off pitcher Tim Cooney in the third inning for a solo home run. He finished the game 2 for 3 with one walk and one strike out.

Perhaps unsurpisingly, Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar was not in the starting lineup on Thursday against the Tigers. Escobar left Wednesday's game against the Indians after being hit by a pitch in the face and has been diagnosed with a left cheek contusion.

Christian Colon made the start at shortstop on Thursday. Colon has had limited playing time in 2015 and is hitting .269 (7 for 26) with a double and a stolen base.

Left fielder Alex Gordon will move up to the leadoff spot in the lineup for the first time this season. Escobar has been the Royals' leadoff hitter in all but two games in 2015. Gordon is currently ranked ninth in the American League with a .413 on-base percentage. 

Escobar is hoping to return to the Royals lineup on Friday or Saturday, according to the Kansas City Star

Athletics left fielder Mark Canha will return to the starting lineup and bat seventh Thursday afternoon against the Angels. Canha was sidelined since Friday after he was held without a hit over his last nine at-bats. He is hitting .250 (16 for 64) with one home run and seven RBI in 16 games.

Phillies second baseman Chase Utley received a day of rest Thursday afternoon against the Cardinals. Utley has gotten off to an ice-cold start this season, hitting .114 (8 for 70) with two homers, 11 RBI and one stolen base in 21 games.

The team will have Darin Ruf bat third for only the second time in his career, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Ruf has not been in the starting lineup since April 23. He is hitting .139 (5 for 36) to start the season.

Philadelphia is considered an underdog (+160) at St. Louis, per VegasInsider.com.

Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson batted in the leadoff position for the first time in his career on Wednesday, and he did not disappoint. Pederson led off the Dodgers' half of the first inning with his fourth home run of the season. He also walked once and struck out once as the Dodgers defeated the Giants 7-3.

Pederson entered Wednesday's contest with the third-best on-base percentage in the National League, and with usual leadoff hitter Jimmy Rollins struggling, manager Don Mattingly moved Pederson from the eighth spot to the top of the lineup.

"Obviously, he's handled that eighth spot," Mattingly said, per the Los Angeles Times. "It's really a tough spot for a young player, with that pitcher behind you. We're not asking him to do anything differently. I know everybody makes a big deal out of lineup changes and things, but you're not doing anything differently.

Pederson is slashing .348/.500/.826 with three home runs and six RBI over his last 10 games.

Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton went 2 for 4 with three RBI in Miami's 7-3 win over the Mets Wednesday.

Stanton did his damage in the first inning when he crushed a Bartolo Colon pitch over the left field wall for a two-run homer, his sixth of the year. He added another RBI on an infield single in the fifth.

Stanton is now hitting .284 with 21 RBI to lead the majors in 81 at-bats.

Tigers right fielder J.D. Martinez only contributed one hit to the slugfest Wednesday in Minnesota. But it was one heck of a hit.

Martinez smashed one of four Detroit home runs in the victory. His solo blast in a four-run sixth that tied the game landed over the fence in left.

He has six home runs and 15 RBI on the year and a fine .545 slugging percentage.

If it was just about anyone else, it would be a ridiculous day at the plate. But what Tigers superstar Miguel Cabrera did Wednesday has become practically mundane for him.

Cabrera went 3-for-4 (yawn). What made his afternoon in Minnesota exceptional was that he slammed two home runs to give him five on the season and three in the last four games.

His explosion started slowly with a mere run-scoring double in the fourth inning. He then rocketed a 446-foot blast to center in the sixth and a 430-foot shot to center in the ninth. By the time the dust settled, his slash line stood at .370/.453/.630.

Cabrera has 17 RBI on the year.