MLB Player News

With the Cardinals facing a left-hander on Tuesday, manager Mike Matheny has loaded his lineup with right-handed bats. Both Jason Heyward and Matt Carpenter will start the game on the bench, despite the fact that both men are hitting over .300 against southpaws this season. In fact, Heyward. is hitting better against lefties than righties (.368 vs. .196). 

Randal Grichuk will man right field and Pete Kozma is handling third base on Tuesday. Kolten Wong is the only left-handed bat in Matheny's starting lineup.

Marlins center fielder Marcell Ozuna is back in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks. Ozuna missed Monday's game due to personal reasons, but will only miss the one game.

Ozuna has been struggling at the plate recently with just eight hits in his last 35 at-bats. His return to the lineup puts Ichiro Suzuki back on the bench for Tuesday's game. 

Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna has gone home for personal reasons and will not play against the Diamondbacks, according to MLB.com.

Ozuna was scheduled to bat fifth and play center field for Miami. Ichiro Suzuki will start in center as Ozuna may need a day or so to deal with the personal issue. Suzuki will bat eighth. He is hitting .276 with three home runs and 11 RBI in 134 at-bats this season.

Marlins first baseman Justin Bour will bat fourth in the lineup on Monday against the Diamondbacks, the first time he has done so this year, the team announced.

Bour, who will make just his fifth start of the year, will replace Michael Morse at first. Marcell Ozuna, the normal cleanup hitter, will slide down to fifth.

"Putting Justin there, putting him in the four hole," manager Dan Jennings said to Fox Sports Florida. "Trying to create some left, right leverage in the lineup. Let's see what happens. As I told these guys. There are 13 position players that are going to be utilized. We'll get guys days off, we'll use the bench, we'll rest our regulars. We all need to be ready to contribute when the bell rings.

J.T. Realmuto also returns to the lineup on Monday after getting the day off Sunday.

The Marlins are currently the favorites (-122) against Arizona.

Outfielder Bryce Harper continued his torrid month for the Nationals, going 3-for-4 with a home run, three runs scored and four RBIs as Washington crushed the Padres 10-5 on Sunday. 

Harper hit his MLB-leading 14th homer in the seventh inning, already surpassing his home run total from last season. He finished just a double short of the cycle and improved his slash line to .338/.476/.729. 

"I think [Harper] is just playing," manager Matt Williams said to MLB.com. "He is understanding the strike zone. He is taking a walk when it's offered to him. When he gets guys in scoring position, he is aggressive and waiting for a good pitch to hit. That's the difference for any hitter. Somebody that has his ability, it makes a huge difference."

During the month of May, Harper is hitting .418 with nine homers and 22 RBIs, leading fans at San Diego's Petco Park to chant "MVP!"

Phillies first baseman Darin Ruf went 2 for 3 at the plate in Philadelphia's 6-0 win over the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Ruf did his damage in the fourth inning when he crushed the first pitch he saw from Josh Collmenter over the center field wall, his third of the season. Ruf is now hitting .208 with seven RBI in 77 at-bats this season.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt went 3 for 4 with a walk, a solo home run and three runs scored in his team's 9-8 win over the Reds on Sunday.

Belt scored runs in the second and third inning to help his team build a 6-1 lead by the middle of the third. After the Reds were able to rally, he then pushed his team's lead to 9-7 with a solo home run in the ninth, a run that proved critical to landing the Giants a win.

Belt has racked up three hits and a home run in each of his last three games to boost his line to .321/.392/.509 with three home runs and 14 RBI in 112 at-bats.

It's been no secret this season that Bryce Harper is having a sensational year at the plate for the Nationals, but the right fielder's defense has also been much improved, according to the Washington Post.

“I’m extremely happy with the way he’s been playing,” said first base and outfield coach Tony Tarasco. “He’s getting more and more comfortable.”

Harper had switched positions (left field to right field) this season with Jayson Werth.

“I feel great,” Harper said. “It’s a lot easier than left. Everybody talks about right being easy. I don’t know if it’s easy, but it’s a lot better than left. Left was so hard."

Phillies second baseman Chase Utley and first baseman Ryan Howard are not in the lineup for Sunday's matchup with the Diamondbacks.

Utley is 3 for 6 with a walk, two doubles and two RBI in two games since being moved from third to sixth in the lineup, but he'll get a break Sunday, with Andres Blanco filling in at second base and batting second.

Howard had started seven straight games coming into Sunday's contest, hitting .259/.310/.444 with one home run and three RBI in 27 at-bats during that stretch. Darin Ruf is drawing the start at first base.

The Phillies are home underdogs (+115) against the Diamondbacks Sunday, per VegasInsider.com.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt went 3 for 5 at the plate in San Francisco's 11-2 win over the Reds on Saturday.

Belt did his damage in the second inning when he crushed a Mike Leake pitch over the center field wall for a solo home run, his second of the season. 

Belt is now hitting .306 with 13 RBI in 108 at-bats this season.