MLB Player News

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter went deep on Thursday for his 10th home run of the season. The third-inning, two-run blast, his only hit of the game, gave the Cardinals a 4-2 lead, and they would hold on for the 4-3 win over the Royals.

After going 135 at-bats between home runs, Carpenter has now hit two in his last 35 at-bats. But he has just three other hits over that same stretch, giving him a .143 average over the nine games. 

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games, but he did something Wednesday that he had not done previously during that stretch. He knocked one over the fence for the first time since June 20.

Belt blasted his 10th homer, a 413-foot solo shot in the sixth inning that tied the game. He also walked twice in improving his on-base percentage to a strong .353.

It took a few months and a healthier back, but the 2015 version of Indians outfielder Michael Brantley is finally starting to look like the 2014 edition that placed third in the American League Most Valuable Player voting.

Brantley continued his rampage Wednesday with his first four-hit game since April 25. He fell only a triple short of the cycle in battering the Brewers.

The hits came consecutively. Brantley blasted a three-run homer in the third to knot the score at 4-4. His RBI single in the fifth gave his team the lead for good. He doubled and scored in the seventh and singled in the ninth.

Brantley has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games and is batting .415 (17-for-41) during that stretch. His .302 average is at its highest point since June 19.

Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon will get a day off, as he's being held out of the lineup against the Rangers on Wednesday afternoon. Blackmon had started 17 games in a row, and has been a force offensively atop the Rockies' lineup.

In that 17-game stretch, Blackmon slashed .357/.416/.571 with two doubles, two triples, three home runs and 10 RBI. 

But he'll get a day of rest in the matinee affair, with Drew Stubbs handling center field and DJ LeMahieu moving up to the lead-off spot in the order.

Bryce Harper has been one of the few bright spots offensively for the Nationals, and he'll try to do some damage from the No. 3 spot in the lineup for Wednesday's series finale vs. the Mets. 

However, Harper has been better this year hitting clean-up, with a .356 average, 17 homers and 48 RBIs from that position in the lineup.

But, given the Nationals' injury situation, it's been hard to provide Harper any protection, so he's spent 11 of the last 12 games hitting third, where he's at .292 with 10 homers and 16 RBIs.

Tigers right fielder J.D. Martinez went 2 for 5 with three runs scored in Tuesday's loss to Seattle. 

Martinez continued his power surge. He hit his 27th home run of the year and his seventh in the month of July. 

Tigers left fielder Yoenis Cespedes hit a two-run home run in Tuesday's loss to Seattle. 

Cespedes went 1 for 4 and snapped a six-game homer drought with his 14th of the year. 

Third baseman Justin Turner put the Dodgers up early, as he knocked a two-out solo home run in the first inning. The lead wouldn't hold up however, as the Dodgers dropped the game 4-3 to the Braves on Tuesday.

The home run, Turner's 12th of the year, was his only hit of the game. Turner has managed to maintain his solid hitting this season, and he is batting .361 over his last 10 games.

Twins outfielder Byron Buxton will be reevaluated in the next few days and may return to baseball activities by this weekend, per MLB.com.

Buxton is on the 15-day disabled list with a thumb injury.

Buxton missed time in his rehab following the death of his aunt. He is expected to return from Georgia on Wednesday, per the Pioneer Press.

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter is batting in the sixth spot in the order on Tuesday against the White Sox. This is the first time this season that Carpenter did not hit either first or second in the lineup.

Carpenter has been struggling offensively lately, batting .132 with a home run and five RBI over his last 11 games. He is also batting .198 against left-handers this year, so with the Cardinals set to face a tough southpaw on Tuesday, Carpenter was moved down in the order.