MLB Player News

Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera went 3 for 4 in Sunday's win over Cleveland. Cabrera drove in three runs, including a two-run home run in the sixth inning. 

"You don't have to do too much," Cabrera said to MLB.com. "If you're trying to say, 'OK, I'm trying to hit a double, home run,' it's not going to happen. When you've got speed in front of you and they get on base, you have to take advantage, make something happen. We did that a lot today and it worked for us."

Cabrera is now hitting .377 with three home runs and 13 RBI this season. 

Tigers right fielder J.D. Martinez drove in two runs in Sunday's 8-6 win over Cleveland. Martinez doubled and went 1 for 4 on the day, bringing his average to .263.

Martinez now has 14 RBI for the season.  

Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper went 1 for 4 with a solo home run in his team's 6-2 loss to the Marlins Sunday.

Harper kicked off the scoring with his second-inning home run, but it wasn't enough for the Nationals to avoid a sweep at the hands of their division rivals. The home run was his first of the week but already his fifth of the season. Harper has hit .270/.420/.524 with five home runs, 11 RBI and 17 walks in 63 at-bats.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt will see more time in left field as manager Bruce Bochy looks for a way to get Belt and catchers Buster Posey and Andrew Susac in the lineup at the same time, CSN Bay Area reports.

Belt drew a start in left field last Sunday for the first time since 2012, and it appears he'll see more work in the outfield moving forward. However, the impending return of right fielder Hunter Pence could also create a playing-time crunch between Belt, Susac and outfielder Nori Aoki.

Cubs right fielder Jorge Soler has struck out 17 times over his last eight games after managing just nine strikeouts in his first eight games, but manager Joe Maddon says there's nothing wrong with his swing, MLB.com reports.

"He was doing really well in the beginning and then he started to expand [his zone]," Maddon said of Soler. "There's nothing wrong with his swing -- he just has to organize his strike zone.

"He's a little bit eager," Maddon said. "He's had a lot of guys in scoring position. He's also done some really nice damage."

Soler has gone hitless in three straight games heading into Sunday's action, giving him a .273/.338/.439 line with two home runs and nine RBI in 66 at-bats.

Catcher Kurt Suzuki, DH Kennys Vargas and right fielder Torii Hunter were not included in the Twins' Sunday lineup. 

Suzuki was replaced by Chris Herrmann, who started his fourth game at catcher, batting eighth.

Oswaldo Arcia moved over from left to replace Hunter. Eduardo Escobar picked up his fourth start of the year in left, batting sixth.  

Eduardo Nunez played Dh for the first time this year, batting fifth. 

Athletics left fielder Mark Canha is out of the lineup for the second straight game on Sunday. Craig Gentry gets his first start of the season in left in Canha's place. 

Gentry has had five starts in center and two in right. 

The A's are -150 money line favorites at home against Houston. 

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen is in the midst of a 0-15 slump in the past five games he's played in. McCutchen's batting average is down to .175 while striking out five times in this span. 

"That's baseball … it's a game of adjustments," McCutchen said, via MLB.com. "I'll get there, it's a matter of time," McCutchen said. "I'm not focused on the outcome, just on the feeling. And I'm feeling good, so the outcome will be there. Long as I feel good, I'll get good results."

McCutchen and the Pirates take on the Diamondbacks Sunday at 4:10 p.m.

Blue Jays shortstop Jose Reyes is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game at Tampa Bay. 

Reyes has started at short in 15 of the team's 18 games, including five straight. He'll be replaced by Ryan Goins, who is making his third start at shortstop. Goins has also started games at second and left field. 

Goins will hit ninth in the lineup. The Blue Jays are +122 money line underdogs at Tampa.

It took Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton 10 days this season to get his booming bat going. But he has certainly made up for lost time.

Stanton not only slugged his fifth homer in the last 10 games in a waltz Saturday over Washington, but he singled, doubled and walked to send his slugging percentage soaring to a season-high .569.

He was involved in the rout throughout. He doubled in a run and scored in the fourth, walked and scored in the sixth, then put the cherry on top with a 419-foot clout in the eighth.