MLB Player News

Cubs third baseman Mike Olt has been working on a new approach at the plate over the last week, and he's happy with the early returns, per ESPN. He is batting .261 (6 for 23) with four home runs and eight RBI in his last six games.

"I'm not worried about the hits, they'll come," said Olt, who is batting .187. "I was happy with my approach in every at-bat [Monday against the Cardinals]. Had a plan going into the game and didn't second guess myself."

Scuffling Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe is catching a break Saturday against Detroit ace right-hander Max Scherzer.

Plouffe is hitless in his last 19 at-bats. His last hit was recorded on May 5.

Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado's hit streak has been snapped at 28 games.

Arenado walked in one plate appearance, but went hitless in three other at-bats. He struck out, grounded out to first and lined out to first. Arenado did manage to set the franchise record for 28 consecutive games with a hit. He's hitting .315/.342/.517 in 149 at-bats.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado hit his first home run of the season Friday, in a 4-3 win over the Astros.

Machado, who has gotten off to a slow start since returning from a knee injury, was 1 for 4 with one RBI and one run scored, on a solo home run. He also struck out once, while raising his batting average to .161 in 31 at-bats.

Machado has his first home run and extra-base hit out of the way, and still has just one RBI in eight games.  

Cubs infielder Mike Olt has a new approach at the plate, and the results are starting to show, according to MLB.com on Friday. Olt has homered in back-to-back games, including a grand slam on Thursday. He has four hits in his last 12 at-bats, improving his batting average from .156 to .184 over that span.

"I was being overaggressive, then I was being under-aggressive," Olt said. "I was kind of in-between, I wasn't committing myself to my approach, so I just kind of stood back and relaxed. And when I go out there and I have that approach, I stick with it, instead of being indecisive."

Cubs infielder Mike Olt homered for the second game in a row Thursday, in a 12-5 win over the White Sox.

Olt was 2 for 4 in the game, with the big blow coming on an eighth-inning grand slam. He scored just once, while adding a strikeout as well.

Olt continues to have contact issues, but now has six home runs in 28 games. He has also drive in 16 runs and scored nine in 76 at-bats, while striking out 28 times. 

Cubs third baseman Mike Olt hit a solo home run during Wednesday's 8-3 loss against the White Sox, snapping a streak of 10 games without a home run. It was his fifth home run.

Olt has homered three times in his last 15 games (12 starts), but he is not hitting well over that stretch, batting .130 (6 for 46). His three other hits in his last 15 games have been singles. Olt also has 21 strikeouts and seven RBI since April 16.

The Rockies got a strong performance from the No. 9 spot in the batting order Wednesday, as DJ LeMahieu went 3 for 3 in a 9-2 win over the Rangers.

LeMahieu, who had just three hits in his previous seven games, had a pair of singles and one triple in three at-bats Wednesday. He also closed the game out with a hit-by-pitch, reaching base all four times and scoring twice, while driving in one run.

LeMahieu is now hitting .294/.365/.353 in 102 at-bats on the season. 

Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado did not wait long to extend his hitting streak to a franchise-record 27 games Wednesday, in a 9-2 win over the Rangers.

 Arenado opened the game with a two-run double in the first inning to extend his streak, after waiting until the seventh inning the previous night. He added a couple of insurance hits, as he finished the game 3 for 5 with two RBI.

Arenado is off to a great start, and is now hitting .324/.346/.535 with six home runs and 26 RBI in 36 games. 

Royals infielder Danny Valencia came to life Wednesday, recording his first three-hit game of the season in an 8-0 win over the Padres.

Valencia went 3 for 5 in the game, with an RBI single in the first. He also added a double later, and also scored once in the win.

Valencia is hitting .273/.294/.394 in 10 appearances as a part-time player this season.