MLB Player News

Vargas went 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI in Monday's 13-8 win over the Phillies.

The 27-year-old doubled his homer total on the year by going yard in the fifth and ninth innings -- part of an eight-HR explosion by the D-backs that set a new club record, and a 13-HR slugfest between the two teams that set a new major-league record. Vargas is now slashing .266/.298/.413 through 42 games with 12 RBI and 16 runs.

Escobar went 4-for-5 with a double, two home runs, three runs scored and five RBI in Monday's 13-8 win over the Phillies.

The two teams combined for an MLB-record 13 long balls in total, while Escobar led the charge on a franchise-record eight for Arizona. The 30-year-old remains locked in at the plate, slashing .342/.376/.734 over his last 18 games with seven home runs, 16 runs scored and a whopping 23 RBI.

Muncy went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's 1-0 win over the Giants.

Muncy's first-inning blast into McCovey Cove held up as the difference in the low-scoring contest and may have helped him earn some new fans in light of his colorful post-game comments directed at Madison Bumgarner, who took offense with the first baseman's home-run trot. The 28-year-old reached base two more times for good measure and now maintains a .372 on-base percentage to supplement his strong power production (.236 ISO). He's not quite on pace for a second straight 35-homer campaign, but Muncy is proving that his 2018 breakout was no fluke.

Escobar went 3-for-3 with a double, two walks and a run scored in Sunday's 8-2 win over the Blue Jays.

Escobar returned to his usual third spot in the batting order after getting a day off Saturday. He's been a consistent source of offense all season and leads Arizona with a .911 OPS.

Rendon went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in a victory over the Padres on Sunday.

Rendon drove in Washington's first run with a groundout in the first inning, but it was his solo homer in the eighth that will be noted in baseball lore. The blast followed a string of back-to-back-to-back home runs to make the Nationals the first franchise in baseball history to slug four consecutive homers twice. With Sunday's performance, Rendon is now slashing .319/.423/.638 with 12 homers and 43 RBI on the season.

Moustakas went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's win over the Pirates.

Moustakas hammered a first-pitch strike in the eighth inning for a two-run homer, putting the Brewers on top 4-2. The 30-year-old has now left the yard in three of his last four contests, putting him at 20 home runs through 59 games this season.

Machado is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.

The Padres' prized offseason pickup will rest for just the second time all season, paving the way for Greg Garcia to draw a start at third base. The day off will provide Machado with an opportunity to hit the reset button after a 10-game stretch in which he went 4-for-37 at the dish.

The Giants added Longoria to the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. He'll start at third base and bat third.

Longoria was initially scheduled to get the day off, but those plans changed after Brandon Belt was scratched with a stomach illness. With Belt getting Sunday off to recover, Longoria will enter the lineup at his normal position while Pablo Sandoval moves across the diamond to first base.

Longoria is not starting Sunday against the Dodgers, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

After going hitless in seven straight games, Longoria has gone 8-for-22 over his last six. Pablo Sandoval will start at third base Sunday.

Newman is not starting Sunday against the Brewers.

Newman is the only natural shortstop on the Pirates' roster after Cole Tucker was optioned Saturday, but he apparently won't be playing every day. Jung Ho Kang starts at shortstop for the first time since 2015.