Busch went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 12-1 win over the Angels.
Busch was overshadowed a bit by Kyle Tucker, who homered twice, and Reese McGuire, who drove in five, but the former still managed to produce in the easy win. The first baseman is now riding a six-game hitting streak, during which time 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: Delivers key hit Wednesday
Rotowire
Busch went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Brewers.
Busch had half of the Cubs' four hits as a team -- including the key hit of the game -- a three-run double in the bottom of the third inning that erased a 1-0 Milwaukee lead. The Chicago first baseman is batting only .185 this month, though he is now riding a modest three-game hitting streak, with extra-base knocks in his last two contests. Busch should remain Chicago's primary leadoff hitter against righties.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Off to slow start in August
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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: Homers in win
Rotowire
Busch went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Thursday's 3-0 win over the Cardinals.
Busch's second-inning homer stood as the game winner, and he later came around to score again in the fourth. The 27-year-old has enjoyed a stellar June, going deep six times with 16 RBI and a .994 OPS across 21 games. On the season, he's slashing .273/.363/.506 with 13 home runs, 46 RBI, 36 runs scored and four steals over 284 plate appearances.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Resting against lefty
Rotowire
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.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Belts three-run bomb
Rotowire
Busch went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Saturday's win over the Mariners.
Busch deposited a ball into the Wrigley Field bleachers during the third inning. The first baseman is in the midst of a breakout season, slashing .272/.367/.509 with 28 extra-base hits and 44 RBI through 71 games.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Doubles, scores in win
Rotowire
Busch went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Sunday's 3-2, 10-inning win over the Pirates.
Busch continued his steady, impressive season, as he's now batting .295 this month and .265 for the year. The infielder also has a solid .861 OPS, and he's been a mainstay near the middle of Chicago's lineup. Busch remains vulnerable against left-handed pitching, but he has plenty of fantasy value as a dangerous run producer against righties.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Getting day off
Rotowire
Busch is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.
Busch went 3-for-17 with a pair of home runs while starting in each of the Cubs' last four games, but as per usual, he'll take a seat with a lefty (Jesus Luzardo) starting for the opposition. Justin Turner will spell Busch at first base.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Swats solo blast
Rotowire
Busch went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Tuesday's win over the Phillies.
Busch took Mick Abel deep to center in the fourth to push the Cubs in front 3-2. Busch now has four homers in nine games during June and has at least a hit in 11 of his last 12 games, slashing .325/.400/.725 over that span. Despite being hot at the plate, Busch has not received many plate appearances versus left-handed pitching and may find himself on the bench the next two days with the Cubs set to face Jesus Luzardo and Andrew Heaney.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Getting breather Friday
Rotowire
Busch is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Tigers.
Busch will get the night off Friday against ace lefty Tarik Skubal, after making four straight starts at first base. The 27-year-old Busch is riding a seven-game hit streak, and he's 10-for-23 with two homers and a 4:3 BB:K during that stretch. Justin Turner will bat eighth and play first base Friday.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Sitting against southpaw
Rotowire
Busch is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.
Busch will sit for the third time in five games, with all of his absences coming against left-handed pitching. The Cubs appear to be viewing Busch as a pure platoon player, as he's logged just 25 plate appearances against lefties all season and is slashing just .143/.280/.190 in those matchups. Justin Turner will replace Busch at first base.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Goes deep in loss
Rotowire
Busch went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run in Friday's 7-2 loss to the Mets.
Chicago's offense came on solo home runs by Kyle Tucker and Busch, with the latter recording his seventh long ball of the season and second in May. Busch has mostly struggled this month with a .192 batting average and 27.6 percent strikeout rate across eight games. Overall, he has a more respectable .258 average to go along with a strong .860 OPS.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Getting afternoon off
Rotowire
Busch is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.
Justin Turner will pick up the start at first base in place of Busch as the Cubs go with an extra right-handed bat to counter Giants southpaw Robbie Ray. Busch has logged 19 plate appearances against lefties this season and is batting .188 with one extra-base hit (a double) in those matchups.
