MLB Player News

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard has gone 14 games without a walk, which is tied for the longest single-season stretch of his career without a walk, per The Philadelphia Inquirer. He has managed just three walks in 97 plate appearances this season.

Only four other players have as few walks in as many plate appearances. They are Ian Desmond (three in 103), Starlin Castro (three in 110), Alfonso Soriano (three in 101) and Allen Craig (three in 98).

Despite going 14 games without a walk, Howard has hit .327 (17 for 52) with two home runs, five doubles and 11 RBI in that span.

Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera had a productive day at the plate during Sunday's doubleheader against the Royals. He collected three hits in Game 1 before finishing 2 for 5 with a RBI and run scored in the nightcap.

Cabrera has now collected six hits over his 13 at-bats since returning to the lineup from a quadriceps injury and raised his average from .156 to .208 over that span.

Indians catcher Carlos Santana collected a couple of hits in Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader against the Royals and had an even better performance in the nightcap. He went 4 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored in the 10-3 win. All four of his hits went for singles.

Santana finished the day 6 for 9, raising his average from .345 to .388.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto collected his third double, while going 2 for 5 with one run and one RBI Sunday at Washington. Votto ended his multi-hit skid at six games, as he entered play mired in a 4-for-26 slump.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard was supposed to earn a day off Sunday, but entered the game as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning during Philadelphia's 5-1 victory over the Mets. He replaced Kevin Frandsen and went 1 for 2 with a two-run double in his first at-bat to give him multiple RBI for the fourth consecutive game.

Howard, riding a 10-game hitting streak, has 10 RBI in his last five games after driving in six runs over his first 19 games. He has driven in 23 runs in his last 13 outings against the Mets, including seven during the three-game series.

Marlins second baseman Donovan Solano went 1 for 4 and drove in a run during Miami's 6-4 victory over the Cubs on Sunday. He collected just his third RBI of the season with a two-out single in the sixth inning and ending a nine-game stretch without an RBI.

While his run production has been minimal, Solano has recorded at least one hit in nine of his past 11 games to stake his batting average at .244. However, only one of those 11 total hits has been for extra bases.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo's two-homer performance Friday against the Marlins was a result of a fix with a mechanical issue in Rizzo's swing, according to the Chicago Tribune. Manager Dale Sveum and hitting coach James Rowson found the issue while watching film on Rizzo's swing.

"I'm not going to get into specifics," Rizzo said. "But the finish was a little high, even on some of the home runs, which I didn't like. It was good (Friday). This is going to sound stupid, but the single in my last at-bat was probably my favorite one because that's my swing there -- stay inside the ball. It was a good day overall for myself and the team. It sounds dumb, but looking back at the video, the swing is where I want it to be."

Twins first base prospect Chris Colabello is batting .301 through 23 games for Triple-A Rochester. Colabello also has four doubles, six home runs, 11 runs and 17 RBI, which has helped him produce a .358 on-base percentage, .566 slugging percentage and .924 OPS.

Colabello was one of the players featured in this week's Five on the Farm portion of the Down on the Farm prospects column.

The Astros gave outfielder Chris Carter a rest Sunday in Boston against John Lackey and the Red Sox. Carter has been seeing everyday playing time. 

He went 0 for 4 on Saturday at Boston and has gone 5 for 22 (.227) over his last six games with a homer and two RBI. Carter has played in 24 games this season with five home runs and 12 RBI. He's batting .216. 

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard was absent from the lineup for Sunday's contest against the Mets after starting the previous seven games. Howard, who has pushed his batting average to .281 on the heels of a nine-game hitting streak, was replaced at first by Kevin Frandsen.