MLB Player News

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard drove in four runs in Friday's loss to Atlanta. 

Howard went 2 for 3 with a double, two runs scored and two walks. He recorded four RBI for the first time since August 7 of last year. 

Howard hit in his sixth straight game. He's batting .409 during the streak. 

Outfielder Gerardo Parra reported to the Orioles and will be active on Friday, the team announced.

Parra was acquired from Milwaukee at the trade deadline. 

To make room, the Orioles designated infielder Chris Parmelee for assignment. Parmelee was hitting .216 for the Orioles this season. 

The Astros have optioned young first baseman Jon Singleton to Triple-A Fresno on Friday. The move clears a spot for the recently-acquired Carlos Gomez, who was added to the roster Friday.

Singleton, who made his MLB debut in 2014, began this season at Triple and was recalled at the end of June. In 16 games since the call-up, the young slugger hit .205 with just one home run and 16 strikeouts.

Indians first baseman Carlos Santana cracked a first-inning home run to propel Cleveland to a 3-1 victory on Thursday, his 12th homer of the season. 

Santana connected off A's starter Chris Bassitt to dead center, driving in Michael Brantley to give the Indians a 3-0 lead. 

Santana has now hit safely in eight of his last 10 games to raise his average to .227. 

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo homered for the second consecutive game on Thursday, as he went 3 for 4 with three RBI. 

Rizzo, who also doubled in the 5-2 win over the Brewers, launched his 18th home run--a go-ahead three-run shot--in the eighth inning, with the Cubs trailing 2-0. 

Jose Abreu got the White Sox on the board early with a first-inning home run, but it wasn't enough in a loss to the Red Sox on Thursday. 

Abreu was all over a knuckleball from Red Sox starter Steven Wright, depositing it deep to right-center for a 2-0 lead. It was Abreu's 17th home run of the season, and raised his RBI total to 59. 

Abreu extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

The Mets have reportedly backed out of a deal that would have sent Carlos Gomez to the New York from the Brewers. 

Sources tell FoxSports.com that the Mets had concerns over Gomez's medical records, and decided not to follow through on the proposed deal, which would have sent Wilmer Flores and Zack Wheeler to Milwaukee. 

Gomez spent time on the disabled list earlier this season with a hip injury, but he has played all but one game since June 23. However, it seems the Mets' staff did not like what they saw in the medical report. 

There had been thought that the Brewers saw something in Wheeler's medical charts, as he had Tommy John surgery in March. But reports are saying it's Gomez's injury history that has nixed the deal. 

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt pushed his hitting streak up to 11 games with a 2 for 5 effort in the 8-4 win over the Mariners on Wednesday. Goldschmidt also drove in a pair of runs and scored a run on the afternoon.

Over the course of the streak, Goldschmidt is batting .429 (15 for 35) with a home run and five RBI. He has also walked 13 times in the 11-game span, compared to just six strikeouts.

Mets infielder Wilmer Flores has been traded to the Brewers. The Mets will receive center fielder Carlos Gomez in exchange for Flores and starter Zack Wheeler, CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman reports.

Flores, who was signed by the Mets as a 16-year-old in 2007, is in the midst of his third season in the big leagues. He entered play on Wednesday with a .249 batting average, 10 home runs and 40 RBI in 92 games for the Mets. He has seen time at shortstop and second base, though he looked much more comfortable at second. 

Neither team has officially announced the trade at this point.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo came through in the clutch with a big two-run home run in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Rockies. Rizzo's blast gave the Cubs a 3-0 lead in the third inning, and they were able to hang on for the victory.

The homer, Rizzo's 17th of the year, was his only hit of the afternoon. The young star has been struggling at the plate over the last few weeks, as he's hitting just .132 with two RBI over his past 10 games. His season average has dropped from .294 to .279 over that stretch.