MLB Player News

Carpenter is out of the lineup Saturday against the A's.

It's a little odd to see Carpenter left out especially against a right-hander, but there has been no indication from the team that an injury is in play. Carpenter has been going strong since his return from the DL earlier this month (16 straight starts dating back to Aug. 8) and it seems the Cardinals simply don't want to push their luck. Jedd Gyorko will man second base Saturday as Greg Garcia leads off.

McCutchen (ankle) is in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Brewers.

An awkward turn around third base Friday provided a bit of a scare, as McCutchen was favoring his left ankle immediately afterward, but he stayed in the game and will not be forced to miss a start. McCutchen is putting together his best month of the season, slashing .300/.424/.486.

Belt went 2-for-4 with a double, a pair of RBI and a run scored in Friday's win over Atlanta.

Belt was moved up to fifth in the order after being demoted from third to seventh for the past two games. Manager Bruce Bochy likely moved him out of the three-hole in an effort to take pressure off his struggling first baseman. It appears to have paid off in the short-term with Belt collecting three RBI in the three games since the lineup shift. Interestingly enough, he has posted his lowest batting average (.245) and slugging percentage (.453) while batting third this season (201 at-bats), as opposed to batting fourth, fifth or sixth where those totals are nearly 50 points higher (229 combined at-bats). It may be that Belt is pressing too hard when he is in a more prominent spot in the lineup, or it simply may be coincidence. Whatever the case, this is one of the rare instances where a fantasy owner may actually be glad his batter has been moved lower in the order.

Harper went 2-for-4 with a double, two-RBI triple and a run in Friday's 8-5 victory over the Rockies.

The prolific slugger continued his recent stretch of hot hitting, with Friday's effort representing his fourth consecutive two-hit outing. Harper also has four RBI over his last two games, with his seventh-inning triple, his first of the year, plating Jayson Werth and Daniel Murphy. Harper's bat has particularly come alive in August, during which he's slashed .354/.442/.569 with 16 RBI over 65 at-bats.

McCutchen, who went 1-for-4 with a walk Friday, appeared to injure his left ankle while rounding third base but remained in the game.

The outfielder tested his ankle following the end of the inning and everything checked out, but it may be something to keep an eye on. Remarkably, McCutchen's .250 batting average is the highest it's been since June 9 -- he's slashed .300/.424/.486 in 86 August plate appearances.

McCutchen went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and two RBI singles -- including the game-winning hit in the 10th inning -- against the Brewers on Thursday.

He provided all the offense for the Pirates, including opening the scoring with his first-inning homer -- No. 18 on the year. Although this has been a highly disappointing season for McCutchen on the whole, we've seen a resurgence out of him recently -- over the last 13 games, he's hitting .333 with three homers, 11 RBI and a couple steals. It wouldn't exactly be shocking to see the long-time star streak to the finish line.

Winker is one of a handful of Reds prospects expected to get the call when rosters expand on September 1.

Winker has been a good on-base threat at Triple-A Louisville, but he still hasn't found the ability to hit for power, slugging just .380 on the season.

Pederson is out of the lineup Friday versus the Cubs.

With the left-handed Mike Montgomery taking the mound for Chicago, Pederson will head to the bench and give way to Enrique Hernandez in center field. Pederson will likely be back in the lineup Saturday, as Jason Hammel is slated to pitch for the Cubs.

Pederson is out of the lineup Thursday against the Giants, J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group reports.

The Dodgers are once again rolling out their right-handed-heavy lineup with San Francisco starting another left-hander in Matt Moore. Enrique Hernandez starts in center field in place of Pederson and the two players will likely continue on in a platoon situation for the foreseeable future.

Belt was dropped to seventh in the batting order Wednesday, going 0-for-3 with a walk in a loss to the Dodgers.

Belt has cooled off at the plate in the second half of August (.231, no homers and two RBI over last 10 games) after hitting three homers through the first 10 games of the month. Manager Bruce Bochy may have moved him down the order in an effort to take the pressure off his slugging first baseman, or it may have simply been a matchup play with a left-hander on the mound. Either way, Belt is one of several Giants whose cold bats have resulted in a 2-8 record over the club's last 10 games. Batting lower in the order (especially for an on-base machine like Belt) will result in fewer scoring opportunities. Thursday's series finale against the Dodgers will feature right-hander Ross Stripling, so we'll see if Belt's lineup movement was temporary or not.