MLB Player News
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Alex Blandino 1B | SF
Reds' Alex Blandino: Heads to bench Monday
Blandino is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Braves, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.
Blandino is in the midst of a modest three-game hitting streak, but he'll head to the bench for a breather after starting each of the previous four games at third base. Cliff Pennington will start at the hot corner and hit seventh in his stead Monday.
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Josh Bell DH | MIN
Pirates' Josh Bell: Provides offense off the bench
Bell collected a pinch-hit triple Sunday against the Phillies.
The triple, his first of the season, gives him three hits in his last 24 at-bats. Pittsburgh starts a six-game homestand Tuesday and Bell will face at least four right-handed starters, against whom the switch hitter holds a career slash line of .270/.346/.461.
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Justin Bour 1B | SF
Marlins' Justin Bour: Drives in two in loss
Bour went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI in Sunday's loss to the Brewers.
Bour provided all of Miami's offense in this one, driving in their only two runs while reaching three times via a walk, single and a double. The 29-year-old has reached base safely in 11 straight games, but even still, his slash line sits at just .241/.323/.466 -- a far cry from last year's .289/.366/.536. Hitting in the middle of the order, he'll continue to see plenty of opportunities to improve upon that, but run-producing and run-scoring chances may be harder to come by in general this year in Miami.
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Paul Goldschmidt 1B | NYY
Diamondbacks' Paul Goldschmidt: Stays hot vs. Padres
Goldschmidt went 2-for-2 with two walks and a run scored Sunday in the win over San Diego.
Goldschmidt is slashing .278/.429/.569 through 21 games this season, and he's recorded multi-hit performances in back-to-back days against the Padres. He'll look to make more contact moving forward as he's struck out 25 times in 72 at-bats. The Diamondbacks are set to begin a three-game series with Philadelphia on Tuesday.
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Josh Bell DH | MIN
Pirates' Josh Bell: Could come off bench Sunday
General manager Neal Huntington said Bell is available to pinch-hit Sunday against the Phillies.
Speaking on his weekly radio show Sunday, Huntington said the team is looking to give the first baseman a rest, pairing Sunday with Monday's off-day. Bell had played in every inning of Pittsburgh's first 21 games before coming out of the sixth inning of Saturday's contest as part of a double switch.
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Josh Bell DH | MIN
Pirates' Josh Bell: Takes seat Sunday
Bell is not in the lineup Sunday against the Phillies.
Bell got off to a strong start this season but has now collected just two hits in his last 23 at-bats, bringing his season average down to a .244 mark. He'll get the day off to hopefully reset, with David Freese manning first base in his stead.
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Paul Goldschmidt 1B | NYY
Diamondbacks' Paul Goldschmidt: Two more extra-base hits Saturday
Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with a triple, double, run and an RBI in the Diamondbacks' 6-2 victory over the Padres on Saturday.
With two more strikeouts Saturday, Goldschmidt's rate is up to 28.7 percent for the season, which is 6.5 points above his career rate. While the poor contact is a little worrisome, Goldschmidt hasn't seen his offensive profile take a major turn for the worse, as his .402 on-base percentage and .557 slugging percentage are roughly in line with his marks from last season.
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Freddie Freeman 1B | LAD
Braves' Freddie Freeman: Drives in two Saturday
Freeman went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Mets.
The extra-base hits were his first in eight games, but despite his recent lack of power Freeman still sports a solid .296/.446/.493 slash line on the season with two homers and 15 RBI in 20 games. With the Braves offense as a whole proving to be surprisingly dangerous so far, the first baseman should continue to see plenty of RBI opportunities as he looks to produce triple digits in the category for the first time since 2013.
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Asdrubal Cabrera 1B | CIN
Mets' Asdrubal Cabrera: Drives in two Saturday
Cabrera went 2-for-4 with two RBI in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Braves.
His bases-loaded single in the top of the eighth inning brought home the first runs of the game. Cabrera is now 11-for-25 (.440) over his last six games with a homer, four runs and seven RBI, boosting his slash line on the season to .354/.391/.608.
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Rhys Hoskins 1B | CLE
Phillies' Rhys Hoskins: Cracks three-run shot Saturday
Hoskins went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer and a walk Saturday against the Pirates.
The young slugger was the first batter to face Pirates reliever Michael Feliz, and he promptly met him with a three-run shot to left field. Hoskins is now hitting .328 with an absurd 1.127 OPS and a surprising three stolen bases.