MLB Player News
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Matt Carpenter DH | STL
Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Out again Friday
Carpenter is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Padres.
No injury has been reported with Carpenter, but he will be held out for a second straight game despite a team off day Thursday, so there is at least some reason for concern about his status. Timmy Edman will man the hot corner and hit leadoff in Carpenter's place.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Giants' Brandon Belt: Back in leadoff spot
Belt will hit leadoff in Friday's game against the Diamondbacks, according to Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News.
Belt is hitting just .203 in June, but he also owns a .380 OBP this month and a .355 OBP on the season, which has led manager Bruce Bochy to give him a shot at or near the top of the order of late. Belt will hit leadoff Friday for the third time in four games, and he hit out of the second spot in the other contest.
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Jesse Winker DH | NYM
Reds' Jesse Winker: Out against southpaw
Winker is not in the lineup for Friday's game versus the Cubs.
Winker has an .882 OPS in June but will head to the bench Friday with left-hander Cole Hamels on the mound for the Cubs. Phillip Ervin will start in left field and bat seventh in his absence.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Giants' Brandon Belt: Homers in loss
Belt went 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk in Thursday's loss to the Diamondbacks.
Belt hit his 10th long ball of the season, this time off rookie starter Alex Young in the fourth inning. Unfortunately, the run was the first and last of the night for the Giants. The 31-year-old has now reached base safely in eight straight games to improve his line to .270/.354/.528 with 39 runs scored and 31 RBI.
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Charlie Blackmon RF | COL
Rockies' Charlie Blackmon: Collects three hits in loss
Blackmon went 3-for-5 with a double, a triple, two RBI and a run scored during Thursday's 12-8 loss to the Dodgers.
Blackmon doubled in his first at-bat and later added a two-run triple, with another base hit sandwiched in between. He came in with just two hits in his last 17 at-bats, but he's a much stronger hitter at home and displayed his affinity for Coors Field once again in this one. Blackmon will face a tough matchup in the second game of the series against Hyun-Jin Ryu on Friday.
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Bryce Harper 1B | PHI
Phillies' Bryce Harper: Goes yard Thursday
Harper went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Thursday against the Mets.
Harper took Zack Wheeler deep in the sixth frame for his 14th homer of the season. Though he has a disappointing .465 slugging percentage through 353 plate appearances, he now has four extra-base hits in his last six starts. It's worth noting that all of that damage has come with the Phillies at home, where Harper has hit significantly better to this point in the campaign.
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Alex Dickerson DH | ATL
Giants' Alex Dickerson: Retreats to bench
Dickerson is not in Thursday's lineup against the Diamondbacks, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Dickerson has started six straight games since joining the Giants last week, slashing .429/.500/.857 with one home run, 10 RBI and a stolen base during that stretch. In his absence, Tyler Austin is starting in the outfield and hitting third.
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Bryce Harper 1B | PHI
Phillies' Bryce Harper: Returns to three hole
Harper will start in right field and bat third Thursday against the Mets.
After a four-game run as the Phillies' leadoff man, Harper ceded those duties to Scott Kingery at the beginning of the week and has since returned to the lineup spot he's occupied for most of the season. Harper has gone 0-for-6 over the past two contests but has at least drawn three walks.
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Alex Dickerson DH | ATL
Giants' Alex Dickerson: Doubles in loss
Dickerson hit cleanup and went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to Colorado.
Dickerson was also gunned out trying to steal second, making him 1-for-2 on stolen base attempts this season. The 29-year-old has gotten off to a strong start with his new club, slashing .429/.500/.857 with six extra-base hits and 10 RBI in just six contests. Dickerson had missed nearly three full seasons with a major back injury, but the outfielder showed some promise before going down in 2016 (10 homers and five steals over 84 games with the Padres that year). The veteran could be worth a flier for owners in need of pop, as his hot start should keep his name in the lineup on an offensively challenged Giants squad.
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Franmil Reyes DH | WAS
Padres' Franmil Reyes: Goes yard twice in Baltimore
Reyes went 2-for-5 with two homers and three RBI in Wednesday's 10-5 win over the Orioles.
He took Dylan Bundy deep in the third inning and Shawn Armstrong in the fifth, leading the way in a five-homer barrage for the Padres. Reyes now has 22 homers and 39 RBI through 76 games on the year to go with a .247/.297/.547 slash line.