MLB Player News

It's no longer an experiment. Kole Calhoun is now the permanent cleanup hitter for the Angels.

That was the pronouncement of Mike Scioscia, per the Orange County Register. Calhoun is back in that spot for the Monday game in Toronto after batting cleanup in five consecutive games in late April and early May.

Calhoun has certainly not hit for the power one might expect from a cleanup hitter. He has just three home runs - none since April 23. But he has been productive. He has 18 RBI in 129 at-bats and a strong slash line of .302/.359/.434.

The Angels have flipped players in two prominent lineup spots for Monday's matchup with the Blue Jays, as shortstop Erick Aybar will lead off while right fielder Kole Calhoun bats cleanup.

Aybar will lead off for the ninth time this season. He's spent most of the year batting fifth or lower, but he was the team's cleanup hitter on Saturday for the first time this season and reprised the role Sunday.

"What Erick doesn't bring in patience, working counts, he brings in just athleticism and still gets on base at a rate which hopefully will set the table for Mike (Trout) and Albert (Pujols) moving forward," manager Mike Scioscia said, per MLB.com. "And also, we have Johnny Giavotella pushed back to ninth, to try to connect him with Mike. Hopefully there will be some table-setting there that's happening, and we'll get to the big guys in our lineup. "

Calhoun has made 28 starts in the leadoff spot, but he did bat cleanup five times in a row starting on April 30, with Aybar serving as the leadoff man in all five games. The team went 1-4 during that stretch, losing four straight games before going back to Calhoun at the leadoff spot.

"As much as we really like Kole in the leadoff spot, and in front of Mike, I think what we're presented with right now just makes the most sense to go with it this way," Scioscia said. "Guys have had a lot of time to get into their game and aren't there yet, so we need to start to take a little pressure off our pitching staff."

The Angels are road favorites (-123) in Toronto on Monday, per VegasInsider.com.

Phillies second baseman Chase Utley and first baseman Ryan Howard are not in the lineup for Sunday's matchup with the Diamondbacks.

Utley is 3 for 6 with a walk, two doubles and two RBI in two games since being moved from third to sixth in the lineup, but he'll get a break Sunday, with Andres Blanco filling in at second base and batting second.

Howard had started seven straight games coming into Sunday's contest, hitting .259/.310/.444 with one home run and three RBI in 27 at-bats during that stretch. Darin Ruf is drawing the start at first base.

The Phillies are home underdogs (+115) against the Diamondbacks Sunday, per VegasInsider.com.

Astros first baseman Chris Carter went 1 for 4 at the plate in Houston's 6-5 win over the Blue Jays on Saturday.

Carter, who also struck out three times, ripped a three-run home run off of Jeff Francis in the sixth inning, his sixth of the season.

"We need (Carter) to be productive," manager A.J. Hinch said to the Houston Chronicle. "Unfortunately in baseball when you look at averages and you look and the season as a whole it might look ugly for him for a while.

"It's taken (Carter) a lot of at-bats to get into this range numbers wise in terms of batting average, on-base percentage, things like that. So if you can really evaluate based on quality plate appearances, you're starting to see two out of four, three out of four. We'd like to get four out of four out of him on a nightly basis rather than look at the whole season, see that his numbers are down and then come to a conclusion that way."

Carter is now hitting .158 with 16 RBI in 119 at-bats this season. He has also struck out 54 times in 35 games this season.

Diamondbacks All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt went 1 for 4 with his 10th home run of the season in Saturday's loss to the Phillies. Goldschmidt's two-run shot came in the top of the fifth to cut his team's deficit to 4-3.

Goldschmidt now has six hits (four for extra bases) in his last seven games. 

Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores hit his second career grandslam, as the Mets pulverised the Brewers 14-1 on Saturday. Flores' slam was his team-leading sixth home run of the season and came during the team's 10-run fourth inning.

"I was looking for something up," Flores said to NJ.com. "It was a fastball. He threw it right down the middle, and I was ready for it. I put a good swing on it.

"A good feeling," he said of hitting his team-best sixth home run of the year. "Every time you hit a homer it's a good feeling, but with the bases loaded and in this situation, it feels good. As a team and for myself."

Flores, who went 2 for 4 with four RBI on Saturday, is now hitting .250 on the season as he continues to be the Mets' primary option at short.

Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores has struggled on defense so far this season. Manager Terry Collins was hoping his bat would step up, but instead he's struggled there as well, according to ESPN.com.

"If he had 11 home runs and was hitting .285 right now, there would not even be a discussion," Collins said. "He'd be driving in a lot of runs."

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo went 3 for 7 in Friday's 12-inning win over Pittsburgh. Rizzo extended his hitting streak to eight games and increased his average to .341. 

Rizzo hit a solo home run, his eighth of the season, and drove in two runs, giving him 22. 

Angels manager Mike Scioscia said he's thinking about moving up shortstop Erick Aybar in the lineup to leadoff while dropping down right fielder Kole Calhoun towards the middle, reports the Orange County Register.

Aybar, who's primarily hit fifth or sixth this season, has been on a recent tear, batting .417 (15 for 36) over his last 10 games.

Calhoun has hit leadoff in 25 of the Angels' 34 games this season, hitting .314 with three homers and 18 RBI.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo went 1 for 2 with an RBI in Thursday's 6-5 win over the Mets and was hit by a pitch twice, the second for the major league-leading 11th time this season.

"Getting on base is the name of the game," Rizzo said while wearing a large ice bag on his thigh after Thursday's game, per MLB.com. "I don't like getting hit by any means, but I have no idea [why it's happening]."

The Cubs' single-season mark for getting hit by pitches is 17, and the first baseman was hit 15 times last season.

"Hopefully, it stops at 11," Rizzo said.

Rizzo has hit .336/.470/.597 with seven home runs, 20 RBI and seven stolen bases in 119 at-bats.