Cubs' Michael Busch: Smacks fourth homer of postseason
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Busch went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's win over the Brewers in Game 4 of the National League Division Series.
Busch put the game away with his left-on-left homer off Robert Gasser in the eighth inning, which pushed Busch's playoff OPS to 1.162. His four homers this postseason lead the majors -- one more than Vladimir Guerrero and Teoscar Hernandez. It's still possible Busch starts Game 5 on the bench if the Brewers go with a lefty opener, but he should enter as soon as a right-hander takes the mound for the opposition.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Likely mid-game entrant in Game 2
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Busch is not in the lineup Monday for Game 2 of the NLDS against the Brewers, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
The Brewers are starting a left-handed opener in Aaron Ashby, so the Cubs are going with the right-handed-hitting Justin Turner at first base and in the leadoff spot. Per Montemurro, Busch is likely to replace Turner after the latter receives one plate appearance and the Brewers bring a right-hander into the game. Busch has homered in each of his last two postseason contests.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Pops first postseason homer
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Busch went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's wild-card win over the Padres.
Busch gave the Cubs an insurance run with his home run to lead off the seventh inning. It marked the first postseason home run of his career. Busch went 4-for-10 in the three-game series against the Padres.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Monster day in Saturday's win
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Busch went 4-for-4 with a walk, a double, a triple, two home runs and four RBI in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Cardinals.
The first baseman traded a cycle for a multi-homer game as he finishes out the regular season on a heater. Over his last 16 games, Busch is batting .339 (19-for-56) with eight of his career-high 34 homers on the season, along with six doubles, a triple, 13 runs and 14 RBI. The 27-year-old slugger has become a fixture in the leadoff spot against right-handed pitching, a role he should retain when the Cubs begin their playoff run in the wild-card round Tuesday against the Padres.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Launches another home run Friday
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Busch went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, a home run, an additional run scored and two RBI in Friday's 12-1 win over the Cardinals.
Busch was one of four Chicago players to go deep as the Cubs routed their rivals from St. Louis. The powerful first baseman has homered six times in his last 13 games, upping his season total to 32 long balls. Busch has tacked on an .844 OPS and 86 RBI in what's been an impressive offensive campaign for the 27-year-old.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Blasts 31st home run Tuesday
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Busch went 2-for-4 with a walk, a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 10-3 win over the Mets.
Busch has been on a power surge with five home runs across his last 11 games, pushing him to a career-high 31 long balls for the season. The left-handed slugger continues to do most of his damage against righties, as he's sporting an .875 OPS and has hit 27 of his homers in those matchups, though Wednesday's shot came against New York southpaw Sean Manaea.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Goes deep again in three-hit game
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Busch went 3-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run, two doubles and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Pirates.
Busch took Pittsburgh ace Paul Skenes deep to lead off the game, and he added two doubles to round out an excellent fantasy performance. The Chicago first baseman has now homered in consecutive games and three times in his last four contests. He's up to 29 long balls for the season, which is a new career best and tied for the team lead with Pete Crow-Armstrong.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Launches 28th home run Monday
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Busch went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Monday's 4-0 win over the Pirates.
Busch is now riding a five-game hitting streak, and he's gone deep twice during the stretch. The Chicago first baseman has already set a new career high with 28 long balls this season. Busch has also tallied a career-best 79 RBI, and he's established himself as a reliable leadoff hitter against righties, as he's sporting a .267/.346/.517 slash line in those matchups.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Idle against southpaw
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Busch is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.
With lefty Andrew Alvarez on the hill for Washington, Busch will retreat to the bench. Carlos Santana will fill in for Busch at first base and bat fifth.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Triples, scores in win
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Busch went 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Rockies.
Busch tallied his second straight two-hit game at Coors Field, and he also delivered his fourth triple of the season in the victory. The Chicago first baseman continues to feast against right-handed pitching, posting a .279/.359/.547 slash line in 362 at-bats. Due to his strong platoon splits, Busch is the Cubs' regular leadoff man against righties, but he often hits the bench against southpaws.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Scores twice in blowout win
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Busch went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 12-1 win over the Angels.
He was overshadowed by Kyle Tucker, who homered twice, and Reese McGuire, who drove in five runs, but Busch still managed to produce good numbers in the easy win. The first baseman is riding a six-game hitting streak, during which he's batting .348 with six RBI. Overall, he's slashing .263/.343/.495 with a career-high 24 home runs and 74 RBI. Busch remains a good fantasy option as Chicago's leadoff man against righties.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Off to slow start in August
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Across nine games this month, Busch is slashing just .133/.161/.267 with a 32 percent strikeout rate.
Outside of a nice game Saturday where Busch went 2-for-5 with a double and a home run, the first baseman has gone just 2-for-25 with nine strikeouts in August. Busch's overall slash line is a much healthier .263/.348/.500, and the 27-year-old should receive ample opportunities to turn things around as Chicago's primary leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching. He has a robust .921 OPS against righties this season.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Pops homer in win
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Busch went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run, a double and a second run scored in Saturday's 9-1 win over the Cardinals.
Busch opened August just 2-for-21 over his first seven games of the month. The first baseman broke out with a long ball in the second inning that stretched the Cubs' lead to 5-0. He's now at a .266/.351/.505 slash line with a career-high 22 homers as well as 64 RBI, 52 runs scored, four stolen bases, 16 doubles and three triples through 110 contests this season.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Taking seat against lefty
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Busch is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Reds.
The left-handed-hitting Busch started in the Cubs' previous matchup against a lefty starter (the Orioles' Trevor Rogers) on Friday, but manager Craig Counsell is not yet ready to deploy the 27-year-old versus same-handed pitching on a full-time basis. Justin Turner will spell Busch at first base as the Cubs go up against southpaw Nick Lodolo on Monday.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Hits leadoff home run Wednesday
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Busch went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 10-3 win over the Brewers.
Busch started the game with a home run against Milwaukee starter Freddy Peralta, and while he didn't do anything from there, it was still a helpful effort for fantasy managers. The first baseman is settling in as Chicago's top leadoff option against righties, and he's having a productive season overall with 21 long balls and an .882 OPS across 102 games. The 21 homers matches Busch's total from last year, which was his first season with the Cubs.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Reaches three times in loss
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Busch went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Monday's 8-4 loss to the Brewers.
As has become the norm recently against opposite-handed pitching, Busch batted leadoff with Milwaukee starting rookie righty Jacob Misiorowski. Busch has been tremendous in those matchups with a .958 OPS, 18 home runs and 56 RBI, while he frequently sits against southpaws. Even in this platoon arrangement, the 27-year-old has been able to be an impactful fantasy performer all season.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Getting rest Saturday
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Busch isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Yankees.
Busch went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts and a walk in Friday's loss, putting an end to what had been a six-game hitting streak. He'll get a chance to refresh Saturday while Justin Turner starts at first base, batting eighth.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Tallies three hits, homer Saturday
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Busch went 3-for-5 with a double, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 8-6 loss to the Cardinals.
A day after going deep three times for the first time in his career, Busch tacked on another long ball as he continued his strong season. The slugging infielder is now up to 18 home runs, 11 of which have come in 29 games since the beginning of June, and he's closing in on his career high of 21 long balls. Busch also has an impressive .293 batting average and .939 OPS, and he remains an offensive threat against right-handed pitching.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: On bench Friday
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Busch is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Astros.
Busch will cede to Justin Turner against left-hander Brandon Walter. In his last nine games, Busch is 12-for-34 (.353) with a pair of home runs.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Resting against lefty
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Busch is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Cardinals.
St. Louis is starting lefty Matthew Liberatore, so Busch will head to the bench while Justin Turner starts at first base in his stead. Busch has been good this season with an .869 OPS, 12 home runs and 44 RBI through 72 games, but he's gone just 4-for-33 with 10 strikeouts against southpaws, so he will likely continue to be a platoon player who plays primarily against righties.
