MLB Player News

Clint Hurdle has compared Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez to Travis Snider and Josh Harrison in justifying his move to bench the former again Wednesday.

"He's not outplaying Harrison," he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Snider's a hot bat that's in the lineup."

Alvarez is leading the major leagues in errors, including 21 on bad throws, and owns a stat line of .238/.309/.437.

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez is out of the lineup for the second game in a row Wednesday against the Giants, despite the team facing a right-handed pitcher yet again. He has started just one of the team's last six games, though it is not yet clear if the knee injury that bothered him last week is still an issue.

"The Thing" has a hold on Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez - and it could cost him his starting job.

"The Thing" in baseball parlance is an inexplicable inability to throw accurately to the point it becomes a mental block. Alvarez has 23 errors this season, more than any player in any position in the major leagues, and 21 have come on throws. He has hidden when the media has come around to ask him about it, according to the Beaver County Times.

Alvarez has apparently allowed the problem to affect his hitting. He has not had a multi-hit game since July 10 and has just five hits in his last 25 at-bats. He has not scored or driven in a run in the last six games as his stat line has been weakened to .238/.326/.407. Despite cutting down a bit on his strikeouts this season, his production has suffered, though he has still managed 15 home runs and 47 RBI.

Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado hit his ninth home run Sunday against the Pirates.

Arenado struck on the first pitch he saw in the seventh inning. While facing Tony Watson, Arenado took a 93 mph fastball out to center for the solo shot. He also walked during the game. Arenado finished 1 for 4, with one run scored and one RBI. 

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez returned to the starting lineup Sunday against the Rockies after missing three straight starts with a knee injury. Alvarez is batting .222 with two doubles, two home runs and five RBI in 18 July games.

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.