MLB Player News

Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado responded positively to his benching Friday for lack of hustle by going 3 for 5 with a home run and two RBI during an 8-1 win Saturday against Pittsburgh.

Arenado gave Colorado a 3-0 lead with an RBI single in the fifth inning. He then put Colorado up 5-0 with a solo home run in the seventh -- his eighth home run this season.

''Nolan had a great game. We've all seen him do those things before,'' manager Walt Weiss said. ''He was impressive tonight to go back out there and have the game that he did. He's a special player.''

Arenado is batting .310 (13 for 42) with one triple, two home runs, four doubles, seven RBI and seven runs in his last 11 games.

''Obviously, it's hard to end on a day like yesterday,'' he said. ''Today was a good day. I was able to make my plays, get a couple of knocks and help the team win, because yesterday I showed I wasn't a team player. I'm happy today I was able to help them out.''

Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado is back in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Pirates, after he was pulled from Friday's for a lack of hustle in the fourth inning. 

Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado was pulled for lack of hustle Friday, according to the Denver Post. 

Arenado hit a weak grounder in the fourth inning, but failed to run out the pitch. He was pulled by manager Walt Weiss before the next inning. Weiss said he pulled Arenado because he "didn't meet the standard." Arenado finished 0 for 2 prior to getting pulled. 

Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado left Friday's game early, according to MLB.com.

Arenado was pulled from the game in the fifth inning. The team has not announced whether it was due to an injury. Arenado was involved in an infield groundout where he didn't hustle in the previous inning, and it's unclear if he was benched for his lack of hustle. Arenado is hitting .283/.308/.458 over 251 at-bats.

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez missed his second game in a row Friday against the Rockies, due to discomfort in his left knee. He remains day to day moving forward as a result of this injury, which has kept him out since he left Wednesday's game.

The Padres optioned infielder Jace Peterson to Triple-A El Paso Friday, in order to clear a spot on the roster.

Peterson got the call just before the All-Star break but appeared in just two games for the Padres. He walked in his lone plate appearance before being sent down.

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez was held out of the starting lineup Wednesday vs. L.A. Dodgers after leaving Tuesday's game due to knee discomfort. Josh Harrison started in Alvarez's absence.

Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado has been struggling to hit for power since returning from a thumb injury, but he didn't struggle in the third inning of a Tuesday night loss to Washington.

Arenado slammed his first homer since May 5, a two-run job against Jordan Zimmermann. Despite the power outage, Arenado does have nine hits in his last eight games.

Cubs infielder Mike Olt has been optioned to Triple-A Tuesday.

Olt has struggled this season, hitting just .139 over 187 at-bats. He's been able to provide some pop, hitting 12 home runs. Olt was optioned following Tuesday's game. He went 0 for 4, with three strikeouts. 

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez was removed from Tuesday's game with a knee issue.

Alvarez left the game with left knee discomfort. He was 1 for 2, with a double, before being removed from the game.