MLB Player News

Twins shortstop Eduardo Escobar isn't in the starting lineup for Sunday's game.

Replacing him at short is Eduardo Nunez, who gets his 18th start of the year and third in the last five games. 

The Twins gave Joe Mauer a break from playing the field on Sunday. Mauer will start at DH for the 14th time this year and third time in the last seven games. 

Regular third baseman Trevor Plouffe moves across the diamond to first base to replace Mauer in the field. Plouffe gets his ninth start there. 

Regular DH Miguel Sano moves to third base for the sixth time this year. 

Giants hot-hitting third baseman Matt Duffy certainly made the most of his two doubles Saturday night against Washington.

His first cleared the bases in the third inning and provided a lead his team would not relinquish. The second drove in a run in the eighth.

Duffy has five hits and seven RBI over his last two games. His latest effort sweetened his slash line to .310/.346/.475. His slugging percentage is at its highest point since July 2.

Danny Valencia has been scratched from the Athletics' lineup on Saturday against the Orioles. Valencia had been penciled in to play third base, but he is dealing with soreness in his back and hamstring.

Brett Lawrie, who originally had the day off on Saturday, will handle the hot corner and bat sixth.

Giants third baseman Matt Duffy led the charge against Max Scherzer and the Nationals on Friday night. Duffy was perfect at the plate, going 3 for 3 with a walk and finished a triple shy of the cylce. He also drove in three runs and scored one of his own, as the Giants topped the Nats 8-5.

Duffy got the scoring started for the Giants, as he hit a solo home run in the first inning to tie the game at 1-1. He added in an RBI double in the next inning, as part of a four-run second. 

"Typically, if you can get a guy to throw pitches over the middle of the plate and take advantage of him, that's when good things happen," Duffy said, per MLB.com. "We got a few pitches over the middle and we were able to capitalize."

It's the fifth time this season that Duffy has finished a game one hit away from hitting for the cycle.

Slumping second baseman Anthony Rendon and left fielder Jayson Werth have both been benched by the Nationals for the Friday night game in San Francisco. Danny Espinosa and Clint Robinson will assume those positions, respectively.

Rendon hasn't produced a multi-hit game since Aug. 2. He is 7-for-38 since then. Werth has just five hits in 42 at-bats this month.

Reds shortstop Eugenio Suarez provided all the offense the team needed during Thursday's 10-3 win over the Dodgers.

Suarez went 3 for 5 at the plate with a team-high four RBI. His biggest hit came in the sixth inning when he smacked a three-run home run off Pedro Baez.

Prior to Thursday's win, Suarez was hitting .279 with one home run and seven RBI in his last 12 games.

Pirates first baseman Pedro Alvarez was an offensive juggernaut in Thursday's 10-5 win over the Cardinals. Alvarez went 3 for 4 with a pair of RBI. He hit a two-run home run--his 17th of the year--as part of a seven-run first inning. 

The slugging first baseman is batting .310 with two home runs and four RBI in 10 games this month.

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria went 1 for 4 in Sunday's win over the Mets. 

Longoria's single extended his hitting streak to nine straight games. He's hitting .432 over the streak. 

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado went 4 for 5 at the plate to help lead the O's to a 5-0 win over the Angels.

Machado hit his 24th home run of the season off Garrett Richards in the fifth inning. The solo shot was his only RBI in the game.

Prior to Saturday's four-hit game, Machado was hitting .277 with three home runs and six RBI in his last 16 games.