MLB Player News
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Trevor Larnach LF | MIN
Twins' Trevor Larnach: Tallies four knocks in rout
Larnach went 4-for-6 with two doubles, a run and an RBI in an 11-4 victory against San Diego on Wednesday.
Larnach was a big part of a Minnesota offensive explosion that included 18 hits. It was the outfielder's first game this season with more than two knocks, and the big performance increased his season batting average from .243 to .253. Wednesday marked the first four-hit effort of Larnach's career.
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Luken Baker DH | ARI
Cardinals' Luken Baker: Homers off bench in win
Baker hit a two-run home run in his lone at-bat in Wednesday's 10-6 extra-inning win over the Brewers.
Baker provided a game-tying blast in the seventh inning to knot the score at 4-4 in his first major-league at-bat of the season. The slugger slashed .209/.313/.314 with two homers and 10 RBI over 33 games in the majors last season, and he was slashing .231/.345/.535 with 32 homers and 79 RBI across 108 contests with Triple-A Memphis prior to his call-up Tuesday. Baker figures to be a short-side platoon option at designated hitter as well as a top bench bat whenever a southpaw reliever enters for an opponent. He may not get many starts, however, as starting catcher Willson Contreras is typically the DH when the Cardinals face lefty starters.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Closing in on 40-40 campaign
Ohtani went 2-for-5 with a triple and a stolen base in Tuesday's 6-3 victory versus Seattle.
Ohtani laced a triple in the third inning and added a single in the eighth. Following his final hit, the slugger swiped second base for his 38th theft of the campaign. Ohtani also has 39 home runs through 124 games, so he appears to be a lock for the sixth 40-40 season in MLB history. He has a legitimate shot at MLB's first 50-50 campaign, as he's currently on pace for 50 homers and 48 thefts.
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Jerar Encarnacion LF | SF
Giants' Jerar Encarnacion: Falls into platoon role
Encarnacion will start in right field and bat fifth in Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Earlier this month, Encarnacion appeared to have taken hold of a full-time role while dabbling between designated hitter and the corner outfield, but he looks to have moved into a short-side platoon role following Grant McCray's promotion from Triple-A Sacramento last Wednesday. Each of the right-handed-hitting Encarnacion's last three starts have come against left-handed pitching, while he's been excluded from the lineup in each of the Giants' last four matchups with right-handed pitchers.
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Matt Carpenter DH | STL
Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Provides offense off bench
Carpenter hit a two-run home-run as a pinch hitter in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Brewers.
Carpenter was activated earlier in the day after a minimum-length stay on the injured list due to a back strain. He's played in just seven games since the All-Star break, going 4-for-10 with two homers, five RBI and four runs scored in those contests. The 38-year-old is expected to remain in a bench role most of the time, while Alec Burleson and Willson Contreras continue to garner most of the at-bats at designated hitter. Carpenter is slashing .261/.336/.414 with four homers, 13 RBI, 14 runs scored, five doubles and no stolen bases over 125 plate appearances.
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J.D. Martinez DH | NYM
Mets' J.D. Martinez: Slugs 14th homer
Martinez went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's loss to the Orioles.
The veteran slugger got hold of a Burch Smith fastball in the eighth inning and drove it over the fence in right-center field, bringing the Mets to within two runs, but it was as close as they got in an eventual 9-5 defeat. Martinez has gone yard in back-to-back games, giving him 14 homers on the year, but through 17 games in August he's slashing just .211/.318/.439 as the 37-year-old continues to struggle to provide consistent offense.
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Ryan O'Hearn 1B | PIT
Orioles' Ryan O'Hearn: On bench against lefty
O'Hearn is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets.
The Mets are bringing a left-hander (Sean Manaea) to the hill for the third straight game, and the lefty-hitting O'Hearn has been on the bench for each of those contests. O'Hearn could be a candidate to replace starting left fielder Austin Slater or designated hitter Eloy Jimenez at some point during the contest once Manaea exits.
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Joc Pederson DH | TEX
Diamondbacks' Joc Pederson: RBI in five straight
Pederson went 1-for-2 with a walk, an RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Marlins.
Pederson made Miami starter Edward Cabrera pay for a first-inning balk, as he connected on a run-scoring single to put the Diamondbacks on top early. It was the fifth consecutive game with a run driven in for Pederson. He later stole his sixth base of the season, tying the career high he set in 2016.
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Ryan O'Hearn 1B | PIT
Orioles' Ryan O'Hearn: On bench again Tuesday
O'Hearn is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mets, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Jose Quintana is the second straight lefty to start for New York, so O'Hearn finds himself on the bench again Tuesday. Eloy Jimenez is batting fifth as the designated hitter as the two continue to platoon the position.