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Hoerner went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 7-6 win over the Dodgers.
After batting .301 in July, Hoerner has carried his strong play over into August. He has three multi-hit performances in five games this month, which has pushed his overall batting average up from .255 to .262. A career .279 hitter, Hoerner is trending in the right direction, and he should be able to rack up plenty of stolen bases if he keeps up this level of production at the plate.
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Cubs' Ryan Zeferjahn: Allows homer, earns hold Wednesday
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Zeferjahn allowed a solo home run but also retired two batters via strikeout to earn a hold in Wednesday's 7-6 win over the Dodgers.
Zeferjahn allowed a solo home run to Shohei Ohtani, which happens to even the best pitchers. The hard-throwing righty rebounded from that small blemish to tally two more strikeouts, bringing his season-long total to 77 across 53.1 innings. Zeferjahn has now recorded a hold in each of his first two appearances since joining the Cubs at the trade deadline, working ahead of Jacob Webb on both occasions. That seems to indicate that Webb has the inside track on the closer role, at least until Daniel Palencia (elbow) returns, but Zeferjahn has the stuff to be effective in the ninth inning if the Cubs decide to go in that direction at some point.
Webb tossed a scoreless ninth inning to record the save in Wednesday's 7-6 win over the Dodgers.
After starter Shota Imanaga allowed just one run in his five innings of work, Chicago's middle relievers allowed five runs in three innings. Webb then managed to slow done the imposing Los Angeles lineup for his sixth save of the season. The righty has pitched well with a 2.49 ERA and 56 strikeouts across 50.2 innings this year, and he's done a good job since stepping into the closer role. However, Daniel Palencia (elbow) is due back soon, and the Cubs also picked up Ryan Zeferjahn at the trade deadline, which clouds the back end of Chicago's bullpen a bit moving forward. At the very least, Webb has earned the opportunity to keep seeing high-leverage work, possibly as part of a closer committee.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Slows down Dodgers for win
Rotowire
Imanaga (8-9) allowed one run on eight hits across five innings to earn the win in Wednesday's 7-6 victory over the Dodgers. He had no walks and struck out six.
Imanaga was challenged by a stout Los Angeles lineup, but he managed to scatter his eight hits allowed and mostly stay out of trouble. The only damage against the lefty came on a Shohei Ohtani leadoff home run. Imanaga continued his strong recent play, as he's allowed no more than two earned runs in any of his last five starts, and he's posted a 25:3 K:BB across 29.2 innings during that span. He'll carry a solid 3.60 ERA and 1.09 WHIP into his next appearance, which is currently scheduled to come next Wednesday on the road against another tough lineup in Washington.
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Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong: Paces offense with big game
Rotowire
Crow-Armstrong went 3-for-5 with a double, two home runs and four total RBI in Wednesday's 7-6 win over the Dodgers.
Crow-Armstrong continued his stellar season with his first two home runs of the month, bringing him to 26 long balls overall. In five August games, the star outfielder is now slashing a robust .412/.545/.941, continuing a run of strong play that dates back to June following a slower start to the year. Crow-Armstrong's big game Wednesday came with Shohei Ohtani in the other dugout, and those two players seem to be the prohibitive favorites at the moment in the National League MVP race.
The Cubs optioned Kelly to Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday.
Kelly will give up his spot on the 26-man active roster to right-hander Kevin Gausman, who has joined the Cubs after being acquired from the Blue Jays on Sunday. During his brief stay in the big leagues, Kelly tossed 1.1 scoreless innings in his lone relief appearance.
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Cubs' Pedro Ramirez: Exiting lineup Wednesday
Rotowire
Ramirez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.
Ramirez will head to the bench after going 1-for-11 with a walk and a stolen base while starting in each of the Cubs' last three contests. He'll give up his spot in the lineup to Tyrone Taylor, who draws a start in center field while MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong gets a day off from playing defense but sticks in the starting nine at designated hitter.
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Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong: Serving as DH on Wednesday
Rotowire
Crow-Armstrong will bat leadoff and start at designated hitter Wednesday against the Dodgers.
The Cubs will give Crow-Armstrong a day off his feet, but he'll remain in his usual spot in the batting order. Tyrone Taylor will cover center field and bat ninth for the Cubs.
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Cubs' David Peterson: Will start Thursday
Rotowire
Peterson is slated to start Thursday's game against Toronto at Wrigley Field, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.
Though trade-deadline pickups Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes (fibula) are slated to make their first starts for the Cubs this weekend, Peterson will keep his spot in the rotation for now. The left-hander tied his season high with eight strikeouts in his most recent start last Saturday against the Yankees and owns a 4.36 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 22:10 K:BB in 33 innings over his first six starts with the Cubs since being acquired from the Mets on June 25.
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Cubs' Dansby Swanson: Launches homer vs. Skubal
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Swanson went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Tuesday's win over the Dodgers.
This was Swanson's second consecutive multi-hit performance, and he took Tarik Skubal deep in the third inning for his 17th long ball of the season. The veteran shortstop is hitting .262 with a .712 OPS since the All-Star break, though this was his first homer in that span -- and first since July 1, snapping a homerless streak that extended for 25 games and 89 at-bats.
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Cubs' Ryan Rolison: Earns win in relief
Rotowire
Rolison (6-1) earned the win in relief Tuesday against the Dodgers after pitching a perfect inning, striking out one.
Rolison got the final out in the sixth inning and recorded two more outs in the seventh before being lifted. He didn't need too many pitches to do so, as he tossed 10 of his 14 pitches for strikes. The 29-year-old southpaw has been pitching well of late, allowing just one earned run across eight appearances and 9.2 innings since the All-Star break. He has a 10:3 K:BB in that span.
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Cubs' Javier Assad: Tosses 5.2 innings in no-decision
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Assad didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Dodgers, allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out three over 5.2 innings.
Assad fared well opposite Tarik Skubal, and he ended just one out shy of recording what would've been his first quality start since mid-June. It remains to be seen if Assad will stay in the rotation following the deadline acquisitions of Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes, but as of now, he's lined up for Tuesday on the road against the Nationals. Assad owns a 3.58 ERA across 19 appearances (10 starts) and 75.1 innings with the Cubs in 2026. This is the third time in four seasons he has made at least 10 starts.
Manager Craig Counsell announced July 8 that Martin (elbow) has resumed a throwing program at the Cubs' facility in Arizona, MLB.com reports.
The Cubs haven't provided another update on Martin's status in nearly a month, making it unclear whether the left-hander suffered a setback in his recovery from a left flexor strain or is simply being ramped up slowly. Martin turned in a 2.16 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 10:2 K:BB in 8.1 innings over his eight appearances prior to hitting the injured list April 26.
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Cubs' Phil Maton: In midst of three-week rest
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Cubs manager Craig Counsell announced July 21 that Maton will rest for roughly three weeks after requiring a platelet-rich plasma injection to address right knee tendinitis, MLB.com reports.
On the shelf for the third time this season due to the knee issue, Maton appears on track to be re-evaluated next week. Even if the PRP injection has resolved Maton's symptoms, the right-hander will likely be ramped up slowly. The veteran reliever submitted a 6.18 ERA and 1.81 WHIP over 27.2 innings in his 31 appearances before landing on the injured list July 20.
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Cubs' Shelby Miller: Facing hitters in Arizona
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The Cubs announced Wednesday that Miler (elbow) has been throwing off a mound and facing hitters at the team's complex in Arizona, MLB.com reports.
Miller has seemingly progressed about as well as the Cubs could have hoped since undergoing surgery Oct. 13 to repair a torn right UCL and flexor tendon. Though the Cubs' main focus is ensuring that Miller is back to 100 percent heading into spring training, he looks like he could have a chance at making it back from the 60-day injured list at some point in September. A clearer target date for his return could emerge once he eventually moves his rehab program from Arizona to Chicago.
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