MLB Player News

Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez tied things up in the ninth inning Monday by smacking a pinch-hit solo home run, but his team would go on to lose 5-4 in 10 innings.

Martinez drove his first home run of the season over the center-field wall on the second pitch he saw Monday to erase his team's deficit, but the Tigers weren't able to score again before the Indians' walkoff home run in the 10th inning. Martinez has hit .250/.295/.425 in 40 at-bats.

Indians outfielder Michael Brantley went 2 for 4 with a walk and a walkoff home run in his team's 5-4, 10-inning win over the Tigers Monday.

Brantley came up with two outs and no one on in the bottom of the 10th inning and smacked a home run to right field to end the night for both teams. He has hit .292/.365/.522 with nine home runs and 33 RBI in 161 at-bats.

Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter reached base five times Sunday against the Braves.

Carpenter singled in his first at-bat before walking in his next three plate appearances. He added another single in his final at-bat. Carpenter finished 2 for 2, with one run scored and no RBI. Carpenter is hitting .265 in 170 at-bats.

Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera made his presence felt at the plate on Sunday, driving in two runs in a 6-2 victory over the Red Sox in Boston.

Cabrera lined a single to shallow left field in the third that drove in a run and had a sacrifice fly in the fifth. He added a double and another single and finished 3 for 4 with a run scored and two RBI, improving his batting average to .316 on the year. He is second in the American League RBI (39), eighth in slugging percentage (.532) and seventh in OPS (.888).

Left fielder Michael Brantley was one of the Indians' few bright spots in a 13-3 loss to Oakland on Sunday. Brantley went 2 for 3 with a solo homer, two walks, a run scored and two RBI.

He has a team-high eight homers and 32 RBIs and has raised his average to .287/.354/.497.

Athletics designated hitter Yoenis Cespedes drove in a career-high five runs as Oakland routed the Indians 13-3 on Sunday. Cespedes was playing DH due to a balky hamstring.

Cespedes had a pair of two-run doubles in five at-bats, and he also drove in a run with a grounder.

For the first time this season, Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton did not find his name in the starting lineup Sunday against the Giants. He was replaced by Ed Lucas in right field.

Stanton has failed to record a hit in just one of 17 May games. He is batting .410 (25 for 61) with one triple, four doubles, four home runs, 12 RBI, 10 runs and 13 walks in May.

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes served as the designated hitter Sunday in order to rest his hamstring, according to the Bay Area News Group.

Cespedes missed a few games in late April due to hamstring issues, and isn't 100 percent yet. The team plays six straight games on artificial turf during the upcoming week, so manager Bob Melvin wants to get ahead of the issue. Artificial turf is said to be harder on legs than grass.

Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton, whose career-high 17-game hitting streak ended Friday, homered and tripled in Saturday's 5-0 win over the Giants. Stanton's two-out triple in the third was his first since Sept. 15, 2012.

His solo homer in the seventh gave him 12 long balls and a major-league leading 43 RBI this season. Stanton is hitting .320/.407/.615 after Saturday's 2-for-4 performance.

Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera belted his seventh home run Saturday against the Red Sox.

Cabrera stepped to the plate in the third inning with the bases empty. On the third pitch of the at-bat, Cabrera homered on a 94 mph fastball from John Lackey. Cabrera also singled and doubled during the game.

He finished 3 for 5, with one run and two RBI.