MLB Player News

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt finished just a home run shy of hitting for the cycle Friday night during a 14-10 win at Miami. Belt drove in a run and scored four times in the game.

Belt went 4 for 6 as he hit his 26th double and third triple of the season. He singled twice and now has 50 RBI for the Giants to go with his .279 batting average.

Few players have been hotter than Belt of late. The first baseman has an 11-game hitting streak working. He's gone 19 for 44 (.432) on the streak thus far with four home runs, four doubles and nine RBI.

Cardinals second baseman Matt Carpenter had a productive day at the plate as he reached base five times in Thursday's 6-5 win in extras over the Pirates.

Carpenter reached on an infield single in the opening frame. He then doubled in the fourth and tripled in a run in the fifth. He singled again in the ninth and fell a home run shy of the cycle as he went 4 for 5 with a walk, two runs scored and one RBI.

Carpenter is hitting .411 (21 for 51) with five RBI in his last 11 games. He has a .315/.385/.480 slash line with nine homers and 58 RBI in 467 at-bats.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt went 2 for 5 with his 14th home run in his team's 6-5 loss to the Nationals Wednesday.

Belt extended his hitting streak to nine games while raising his line to .273/.351/.471 in 359 at-bats. All three slash statistics are season highs for the 25-year-old.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is back in the team's starting lineup Wednesday against the Giants. 

Harper was not in Tuesday's starting lineup because he had the flu. He was able to pinch hit during the game. Harper is hitting .262/.361/.507 at-bats. 

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton called his struggles "mind-blowing," according to the Miami Herald. 

Stanton is missing his second game on the team's road trip. He expressed his frustration with all his numbers. "There's no one thing. (It's) everything, even defense. It's just one of those mind-blowing things," Stanton said. 

In 278 at-bats, Stanton is hitting .237/.351/.439. 

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton is not in the club's starting lineup Wednesday against the Royals. 

Stanton will be replaced in right by Justin Ruggiano. In 278 at-bats, Stanton is hitting .237/.351/.439.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen had another strong performance Tuesday, in a 4-3 loss to the Cardinals in 14 innings.

McCutchen went 2 for 5  with a home run, his 17th of the season. He drove in two runs and scored one, while walking once and striking out twice. He has seven multi-hit games in the month of August, and is batting .471 with two home runs and nine RBI in 11 games. 

Cubs general manager Theo Epstein told the Chicago Sun-Times Tuesday that outfield prospect Jorge Soler is still healing from a stress fracture/tibia, but will not be able to return to Class A Daytona in time. Soler still has a chance to appear in the Arizona Fall League before the season is over.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is out Tuesday because he's dealing with the flu.

Harper will be replaced by Scott Hairston in left. There was some speculation Harper was out due to his struggles against lefties this year, but that's not the case. He would be in the lineup if he was not sick.

Harper is hitting .262/.359/.507 in 282 at-bats. 

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is not in the team's starting lineup Tuesday against the Giants. 

Harper will be replaced in left by Scott Hairston. Harper is hitting .262/.359/.507 in 282 at-bats.