MLB Player News

Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon set the pace for his offense Wednesday, hitting a home run to lead off the top of the first inning in his team's 6-3 win over the Padres.

Blackmon's home run was the first of five in the game for the Rockies, who scored all six of their runs on the five blasts. He finished the game 2 for 4 and has now hit .294/.342/.475 with 14 home runs, 50 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 337 at-bats.

Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson returned to Triple-A Albuquerque Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Pederson was on the disabled list for about two weeks while recovering from a shoulder injury. He has hit .319/.437/.568 with 17 home runs, 42 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 273 at-bats with Albuquerque.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen has been on a run-producing tear recently, and he drove in two more runs in a 5-4 loss to the Cardinals Tuesday.

McCutchen went 1 for 3 with a walk in the loss, but made his lone hit count. He clubbed a two-run home run in the fifth inning to put the Pirates up briefly, before the Cardinals came back to win it.

McCutchen has drive in seven runs over the last five games, bringing his overall total to 56, good for fifth in the National League. He is hitting .319/.419/.546 with 14 home runs in 88 games. 

Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon provided all of the team's scoring with one swing Tuesday, in a 2-1 win over the Padres.

Blackmon went 2 for 4 in the game, and the big hit came in the third inning, when he clubbed a two-run home run. He scored once and drove in two runs, while striking out twice in the win.

Blackmon's home run was his first since June 12, and his 13th of the season. He is hitting .291/.340/.465 in 333 at-bats. 

Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna delivered a two-run home run in the ninth inning of his team's 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks Tuesday.

Ozuna went 2 for 4 and hit a double in the game, but his big contribution came against Diamondbacks closer Addison Reed in the ninth inning, driving a ball over the center field wall with his team down to its final out. Ozuna owns a 14-game hitting streak as well as a .279/.326/.467 line with 15 home runs and 51 RBI in 323 at-bats.

On Sunday, Major League Baseball revealed the National League reserves for the 2014 All-Star Game, which will be held on July 15 at Target Field in Minneapolis.

The following players were selected as reserves:

C Jonathan Lucroy, Brewers
C Devin Mesoraco, Reds
1B Freddie Freeman, Braves
2B Dee Gordon, Dodgers
2B Daniel Murphy, Mets
SS Starlin Castro, Cubs
3B Todd Frazier, Reds
3B Matt Carpenter, Cardinals
IF/OF Josh Harrison, Pirates
OF Charlie Blackmon, Rockies
OF Hunter Pence, Giants
OF Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins

On Sunday, Major League Baseball revealed the National League starting lineup for the 2014 All-Star Game, which will be held on July 15 at Target Field in Minneapolis.

The following players were selected as starters by the fans:

C Yadier Molina, Cardinals
1B Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks
2B Chase Utley, Phillies
SS Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies
3B Aramis Ramirez, Brewers
OF Andrew McCutchen, Pirates
OF Carlos Gomez, Brewers
OF Yasiel Puig, Dodgers

RHP Johnny Cueto, Reds
LHP Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
RHP Zack Greinke, Dodgers
LHP Madison Bumgarner, Giants
RHP Adam Wainwright, Cardinals
RHP Tyson Ross, Padres
RHP Jordan Zimmermann, Nationals
RHP Julio Teheran, Braves
RHP Craig Kimbrel, Braves
LHP Aroldis Chapman, Reds
RHP Francisco Rodriguez, Brewers
LHP Tony Watson, Pirates
RHP Pat Neshek, Cardinals

Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna singled with the bases loaded in the sixth inning Sunday at St. Louis, driving in two runs. He finished 2 for 4 with one walk during an 8-4 win.

Ozuna extended his hitting streak to 12 games. He's batting .348 (16 for 46) with two home runs, three doubles, six RBI and 10 runs in that span.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is batting just .222 (4 for 18) in five games since returning from the disabled list. Harper said he agrees with manager Matt Williams' decision to drop him from second to sixth in the lineup while he works on his timing at the plate.

"I think it's going to take a little time to get back into it. I'm trying to have good at-bats and not chase bad pitches," Harper said. "I'm trying to get in a groove again and trying to get going. With two months off, it's kind of tough trying to get back and do things."

Harper, however, is pleased with his progress, especially after hitting an opposite-field single Saturday against the Cubs.

"When I hit the ball the opposite side, that's huge," Harper said. "I can hit the ball to left pretty well and feel good about it. That's a good sign. We won the ballgame yesterday and that's the biggest thing. That's all I ever care about. I know my swing is going to come. It will get there. If we win a ballgame, it will be a lot easier to get going."

Cubs prospect Jorge Soler, who has been sidelined since late May due to a hamstring injury, was activated off the disabled list at Double-A Tennessee Sunday.

Soler had been on a rehab assignment with the Arizona League Cubs (rookie), where he hit .391 (9 for 23) with one home run, three doubles and six RBI in seven games.