MLB Player News

Arraez went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Friday's 7-0 win over the Mets.

Arraez led off the bottom of the first inning with a homer and added an RBI single in the third to stretch the Padres' lead to 6-0. The long ball was his first in a month, though the infielder has been productive in August, hitting .299 (23-for-77) over 18 contests. For the season, he's up to a .306/.339/.382 slash line with four homers, 36 RBI, 67 runs scored and six stolen bases over 121 games between the Padres and the Marlins.

Crow-Armstrong went 2-for-3 with a solo homer and a second run scored in Friday's 6-3 win over the Marlins.

Crow-Armstrong got the Cubs on the board in the third inning when he raced around the bases in 14.1 seconds for an inside-the-park homer. That's the third-fastest time around the bases recorded since 2015, with Byron Buxton being the only player to do it faster. Crow-Armstrong is being given plenty of opportunities to showcase his impressive tools, starting 25 straight games in center field and slashing .287/.321/.525 with three homers, 11 RBI and five stolen bases.

Musgrove (4-4) allowed one hit and struck out nine over seven scoreless innings to earn the win over the Mets on Friday.

Musgrove needed just 75 pitches (58 strikes) to get through seven frames in his best start of the campaign. That was his highest pitch count in three starts since returning from a bone bruise and bone spur in his right elbow. The 31-year-old trimmed his ERA from 4.97 to 4.43 in the process, and he's added a 1.26 WHIP and 60:18 K:BB over 65 innings across 13 starts this season. Musgrove's workload may remain limited in his next projected start, which is expected to come in St. Louis.

Amaya went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and two runs in Friday's 6-3 win against the Marlins.

Amaya went deep in consecutive games for the first time in his career after hitting a grand slam in Thursday's win over the Tigers. The 25-year-old has taken over as the Cubs' regular catcher, starting 15 of 19 games in August while slashing .271/.286/.563 with four of his seven home runs on the season, and 13 RBI of his 31 RBI.

Happ went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer in Friday's 6-3 win against the Marlins.

Happ took Max Meyer deep in the third inning for his 23rd home run of the season. Happ has been particularly good on the road of late, with four home runs in his last seven games away from Wrigley Field. The 30-year-old has been in the middle of a power surge with six homers in his last 13 games and nine overall since the All-Star break.

Lopez earned the save in Friday's 6-3 win over the Marlins, throwing a perfect ninth inning and striking out two batters.

Lopez was brought on to protect a 6-3 lead and looked great as he recorded his fourth save of the season. He has picked up two of the last three saves for the Cubs, with Porter Hodge collecting the other, and the two figure to be manager Craig Counsell's top high-leverage options down the stretch. The 31-year-old Lopez has been lights out since joining the team in June, pitching to a 0.79 ERA over 22.2 innings.

Meyer allowed three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two batters over six innings in a no-decision against the Cubs on Friday.

Meyer looked good, registering his first quality start since April 13. The 25-year-old had struggled since being called up July 27, pitching to an 8.10 ERA and allowing four or more runs in his last four games prior to Friday. Meyer will not be facing an innings restriction the rest of the way and should be given plenty of opportunity to find his footing.

Hendricks didn't factor into the decision Friday against the Marlins, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks across 4.2 innings. He failed to strike out a batter.

Hendricks has a rough start to the season but has looked somewhat better of late, allowing three runs or fewer in seven of eight starts since the beginning of July with a 4.54 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 21:11 K:BB in 39.2 innings. With Jordan Wicks (oblique) closing in on his return from the IL though, the 34-year-old Hendricks could get bumped from the rotation for a Cubs team that remains on the fringes of the wild-card race in the NL and could begin focusing on the future down the stretch.

Freeland (3-6) took the loss against the Yankees on Friday, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 6.2 innings.

Freeland pitched well but was burned by two homers while the Rockies couldn't muster any offense against Carlos Rodon. The southpaw threw a season-high 106 pitches and worked into the seventh inning for the fifth time in his past 10 starts. On the season, he owns a 5.70 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 62:23 K:BB across 79 innings and lines up to face the Marlins at home next week.

Blackburn was diagnosed with a right hand contusion after getting hit by a comebacker during Friday's game against San Diego.

Blackburn appears to have avoided a significant injury, but he's scheduled to undergo further testing Saturday. Once the results of those tests come back, a clearer picture will emerge regarding his status for his next start -- tentatively scheduled to come Thursday in Arizona. Blackburn has a 5.18 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 21:7 K:BB through 24.1 innings since joining the Mets.