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.
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.
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.
Busch went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Reds.
Busch took Cincinnati starter Zack Littell deep in the third inning, giving him 30 homers in a season for the first time in his MLB career. The Chicago first baseman has been on a power surge lately, as he now has four long balls across his last eight games. Busch should remain a key offensive cog for the Cubs as they head into the playoffs, though he figures to remain on the bench when the team faces a lefty starter.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: On bench against LHP
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Busch is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Reds.
Busch will dodge a same-hand matchup with Nick Lodolo as Carlos Santana bats seventh and plays first base. Busch is 9-for-30 (.300) with three home runs in his last eight games.
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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: Sitting against Chris Sale
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Busch is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game in Atlanta.
Busch has produced a lowly .549 OPS versus left-handed pitching this season, so he'll head to the bench for the series finale while southpaw Chris Sale takes the hill for Atlanta. Carlos Santana will step in for Busch at first base and will bat fifth.
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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