MLB Player News

Any kind of hits have been hard to come by for Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard lately, but he certainly came up with a big one - at least at the time - Monday night against the host Dodgers.

Howard smashed a three-run homer to right-center in the third inning to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead. He also fanned twice in the game.

That it was his lone hit is no surprise. Howard is batting .100 (3-for-30) over his last 10 games as his average has plunged to .218.

Blue Jays first baseman Chris Colabello smacked his eighth home run of season during Monday's 4-2 loss to the White Sox.

Colabello hit the solo shot off Chris Sale in the third inning. The home run was his only hit in three at-bats.

Prior to Monday's loss Colabello was hitting .333 with three home runs and 10 RBI in his last 17 games.

The National League All Star reserves and pitchers were announced on Monday evening, and there was no room for the reigning National League MVP.

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw was not selected for the All Star team, although he's one of five candidates to take the final spot on the roster in the Final Vote. 

Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant made the team as an injury replacement for the Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton. Bryant is one of two rookies on the team, along with Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson. 

The Pirates sent two starting pitchers to the All Star team for the first time since 1960. MLB wins leader Gerrit Cole and fellow Pittsburgh starter A.J. Burnett will both be making their first appearance. 

National League reserves are:

Catchers: Yasmani Grandal, Dodgers; Yadier Molina, Cardinals
First basemen: Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers; Anthony Rizzo, Cubs
Second basemen: DJ LeMahieu, Rockies; Joe Panik, Giants
Third basemen: Nolan Arenado, Rockies; Kris Bryant, Cubs
Shortstop: Brandon Crawford, Giants
Outfielders: Andrew McCutchen, Pirates; Joc Pederson, Dodgers; A.J. Pollock, Diamondbacks; Justin Upton, Padres

National League pitchers are:

Madison Bumgarner, Giants; A.J. Burnett, Pirates; Aroldis Chapman, Reds; RHP: Gerrit Cole, Pirates; Jacob deGrom, Mets; Zack Greinke, Dodgers; Mark Melancon, Pirates; Shelby Miller, Braves; Jonathan Papelbon, Phillies; Francisco Rodriguez, Brewers; Trevor Rosenthal, Cardinals; Max Scherzer, Nationals; Michael Wacha, Cardinals

The five candidates for the Final Vote are:

Johnny Cueto, Reds; Jeurys Familia, Mets; Carlos Martinez, Cardinals; Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers; Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies

Angels first baseman C.J. Cron enjoyed one of the best weekend series' of his baseball career.

Cron went 4 for 5 with a RBI and two runs on Sunday against the Rangers. The performance was just one day removed from a 3 for 4 outing on Saturday.

Over his last three games, Cron is hitting .571 with eight hits, a home run and eight RBI.

Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun enjoyed yet another monster performance during Sunday's win over the Rangers.

Calhoun went 2 for 5 with a home run and four RBI. He hit a three-run blast, his ninth of the season, during a four-run fifth inning.

Over hos last eight games, Calhoun is hitting a whopping .324 with 11 hits, three home runs and 14 RBI.

The National League starters for the All-Star Game were announced Sunday, and leading the way after an impressive first half is Nationals slugger Bryce Harper, who racked up nearly 14 million votes to pace the field. 

Harper entered Sunday's game with a .344 average, 25 home runs and 60 RBIs, numbers that have him squarely in the conversation for the Triple Crown. He'll be joined in Cincinnati by players from an array of teams, unlike the AL's Royals-heavy squad. 

Catcher: Buster Posey, Giants
First baseman: Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks
Second baseman: Dee Gordon, Marlins
Third baseman: Todd Frazier, Reds
Shortstop: Jhonny Peralta, Cardinals
Outfield: Bryce Harper, Nationals
Outfield: Matt Holliday, Cardinals
Outfield: Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins 

Second baseman Wilmer Flores must love the California air, as he had another impressive outing Sunday as the Mets rolled to an 8-0 victory over the Dodgers. 

Flores, hitting fourth in the lineup, was 4-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs and a run scored. For the three-game series, Flores was 10-for-13 with five RBIs, helping to raise his average from .233 to .258. 

In the prior seven games before the Mets played the Dodgers, Flores was 4-for-27. 

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo was not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins, reports MLB.com.

Rizzo was replaced at first by Mike Baxter, who will bat seventh. Rizzo is hitting .107 with one double and two RBI in his last eight games.

The Cubs are favored (-140) over the Marlins on Sunday.

Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun enjoyed another productive night at the plate on Saturday. Calhoun went 2 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored in the 13-0 win over the Rangers.

Calhoun chipped in with a solo home run, his eighth of the year, in the sixth inning. He has homered twice in his last seven ballgames.

Angels slugger C.J. Cron enjoyed a career-night at the plate on Saturday. Cron, who was serving as the designated hitter, went 3 for 4 with a career-best six RBI and a run scored, leading the Angels to a 13-0 win over the Rangers.

Cron had an RBI single in the second inning and a sacrifice fly in the third. He continued his big night with a three-run home run, his third of the year in the sixth inning, followed by a run-scoring double in the eighth.

This was by far the best game of Cron's career, as his previous high was three RBI in a single game.