MLB Player News

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard has been slumping lately and struggling all year against left-handers. The result is that he is out of the lineup Saturday against Atlanta southpaw Alex Wood.

Howard has just two hits in his last 21 at-bats in dropping his average from .231 to .221. He is batting just .131 (8-for-61) against lefties this season.

White Sox desiganted hitter Jose Abreu extended his hitting streak to six games with a pair of extra-base hits on Saturday against the Orioles.

Abreu went 2 for 4 with a triple and a double. Over his six game hit streak, Abreu is hitting .320 with eight hits, two doubles, two home runs and four RBI.

Blue Jays first baseman Chris Colabello hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning of Saturday's loss to Detroit. 

Colabello went 2 for 4 and snapped a five game extra-base-hit drought. He hit his seventh homer and drove in his 31st run. He's now hit in four of the last five games. 

Mets second baseman Wilmer Flores went 3 for 4 in Friday's win over the Dodgers. 

Flores was 1 for 14 in his previous four games. He broke out of the mini slump with his first three-hit game of the season. 

Flores tied the game with an RBI single in the fourth inning and set up the winning run with a ninth-inning single. 

Astros designated hitter Jon Singleton drove in three runs in Friday's win over Boston. 

Singleton went 1 for 6 and scored once. He drove in a run on a grounder early in the game and plated two in the tenth inning on a two-run single. 

Singleton stole his first base of the year. He's hit in three straight games. 

Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun went 2 for 5 with four RBI in Friday's 8-2 win over the Rangers. Calhoun hit a pair of doubles, including a three-run two-bagger in the second inning.

In his last six games, Calhoun is batting .280 with three doubles and eight RBI. 

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu hit a solo home run in the third inning for the only run in a 1-0 win over Baltimore. 

Abreu hit his 14th homer of the year and drove in his 44th run. It was just his second homer and fifth RBI since June 13. 

The home run tear of Marlins first baseman Justin Bour continued Friday against the host Cubs. He blasted one in the sixth inning to break a 1-1 tie and give his team a victory.

Bour has gone yard once in each of the last four games to give him 10 on the season. Five of his last seven hits have gone the distance.

"To homer in any park is cool," said Bour, per MLB.com. "But it is very nice that it came at an opportunity to help us win the game."

He was the only player in the game, however, to total two hits.

Monumental struggles at the plate and a battle in a National League park have Indians first baseman Carlos Santana out of the lineup Friday night in Pittsburgh. Brandon Moss will play the position instead.

Santana continues to confound with his keen eye and inability to make consistent solid contact. He ranks second in the American League with 54 walks, yet is batting just .211 with 55 strikeouts in 256 at-bats.

Marlins first baseman Justin Bour hit a home run for the third-straight game during Thursday's 5-4 win over the Giants.

The three-run shot came off Matt Cain in the fifth inning. It was his only hit in three at-bats. He also walked once.

Prior to Thursday's win, Bour had been hitting .207 with three home runs and six RBI in his last nine games.

"That was a situation where the guys in front of me did a great job of getting on base," Bour said, per MLB.com. "I'm not really looking to hit a home run in that situation. I'm looking to get the next guy up and fortunately it went out for me."