MLB Player News

Diamondbacks second baseman Chris Owings produced his first multi-hit game of the season Friday against the Giants, producing what he hopes is the spark of an offensive outburst, reports MLB.com.

"A lot of good stuff happened last night," Owings said. "It was one of those nights to kind of get out there and relax a little bit. I put a lot of pressure on myself and I just kind of watched guys have some good ABs and just tried to do the same thing and not try to do too much up there."

Owings is hitting just .152 in 33 at-bats this season, but manager Chip Hale knows he will figure it out eventually.

"We knew he could hit," Hale said. "He knows he could hit. He never let it bother his defense, which is huge for me and the team. Hopefully that'll get him going a little bit numbers-wise. But he's had good at-bats and he's going to keep battling."

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford took out a lot of frustration Thursday night at the plate with a two-run homer against Arizona that cut his team's deficit to 4-3. After all, he was hitless in his previous 24 at-bats.

Crawford, who also walked twice in the San Francisco defeat, managed to sweeten his slash line on the season to .167/.268/.333.

Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon went 3 for 5 with a double, a triple and one RBI in his team's 8-5 loss to the Rays Sunday.

It was the second three-hit performance in three games for Gordon, who wrapped two 3-for-5 lines around an 0-for-4 day during his team's series against the Rays. He's hit .346/.370/.500 with five runs scored, three RBI and three stolen bases in his first six games.

With a tough matchup against Dodgers starter Zach Greinke on tap, the Diamondbacks rested both outfielder Mark Trumbo and second baseman Aaron Hill on Sunday. 

Trumbo, who has five hits in 20 at-bats so far this season, will be replaced by Ender Inciarte in right field, while Hill will sit in favor of Cliff Pennington. Pennington is hitless in 11 career at-bats against Greinke. 

The Diamondbacks (+135) are underdogs in the series finale, per VegasInsider.com

Mets center fielder Juan Lagares has been moved to the leadoff spot for Sunday's game against the Braves.

Lagares will get the leadoff role with Curtis Granderson being replaced by John Mayberry in Sunday's lineup. The Mets are also giving second baseman Daniel Murphy and catcher Travis d'Arnaud a break from starting Sunday, with Ruben Tejada and Anthony Recker set to start against the Braves.

Manager Terry Collins indicated that while Murphy is fatigued, "his legs are fine," ESPNNewYork.com reports. Tejada was initially set to start ahead of Wilmer Flores Sunday but instead will spell Murphy at second base.

The Mets are underdogs (+104) against the Braves Sunday, per VegasInsider.com.

Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale is going with Cliff Pennington at shortstop Wednesday over Nick Ahmed, the team announced.

Pennington will make his first start of the season despite making one plate appearance in the first two games of the year. He is hitting .275 with two triples and eight RBI in 116 plate appearances in his career against the Giants.

The Diamondbacks are the favorites (-108) against the Giants.

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford homered during a 7-6 loss Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.

Crawford connected for a solo home run off Rubby De La Rosa in the sixth inning for his only hit in four at-bats. He is batting .375 (3 for 8) with one home run and two RBI through two games.

During spring training, Crawford hit .262 with no home runs, one triple, five doubles and five RBI in 22 games.

Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale will make sure to give the team's reserve position players plenty of work. 

Hale believes in matchups, and he pinch hit for Chris Owings and Nick Ahmed on Opening Day. 

Well, you know what, we've got a lot of guys who are starters on this team, so I have to figure out a way to get them all at-bats," Hale said, per MLB.com. "We don't have a DH in this league, so I have to mix and match. It's going to be tough on them at times. We've already made that clear to them that if they're not starting, they're going to get a chance to play late in the game and win the game for us

Braves infielder Pedro Ciriaco was in line to win the final spot on the major-league bench this season, but after the team acquired Cameron Maybin on Sunday, manager Fredi Gonzalez had to tell Ciriaco that he wouldn't be on the Opening Day roster, the Atlanta Journal-Consitution reports.

"You guys see it at the top level with (Craig) Kimbrel, but you didn’t see it with Ciriaco. That was tough," Gonzalez said. “Here’s a guy on Saturday, you bring him into the office and he’s scared to death, because he doesn’t know what’s going to happen. And I say, congratulations, you made the team, barring anything crazy. And he starts crying. He had expected to be sent down. I tell him he had a hell of a spring and all the reasons we’re going to go with him, and he starts crying and he goes, 'It’s the first time I’ve made an Opening Day roster.' Well, (expletive), 12 hours later he’s not on the Opening Day roster, and you’ve got to have that conversation. I mean, it’s tough sometimes."

Ciriaco, who was reassigned to Triple-A Gwinett in the wake of the Kimbrel-Maybin trade, hit .373/.387/.492 in 59 spring at-bats.

Diamondbacks starting second baseman Chris Owings was held out of the starting lineup Tuesday against the Giants in favor of veteran infielder Aaron Hill.

Owings and Hill both started in Monday's season opener. Owings was at second base, while Hill was at third base.

Owings, who won the starting job in spring training, went 0 for 3 with one strikeout, while Hill went 2 for 4 with one run and one strikeout.