MLB Player News

Skenes (10-10) took the loss Tuesday, giving up three runs on seven hits and three walks over 3.2 innings as the Pirates were downed 4-1 by the Cubs. He struck out six.

The young right-hander hurt his Cy Young case with his shortest outing of the season, one that got off to an ominous start when Michael Busch led off the game with a solo homer. Despite the stumble, Skenes still leads the NL in strikeouts (209) and ERA (2.03) and sits third in innings with 181.2, and his 0.96 WHIP is second only to the Padres' Nick Pivetta (0.95). Skenes lines up to make one more start before the end of the season, on the road in Cincinnati next week.

Kelly is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

Kelly will head to the bench for the day game after he started behind the plate Monday and Tuesday while going 3-for-9 with a double. Reese McGuire will handle catching duties for the Cubs in the series finale.

Kittredge worked a scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Pirates, though it was Brad Keller who got the ninth and the save.

Keller earned a one-out save Monday and then received a more conventional opportunity a night later, with Kittredge working the seventh inning. Kittredge recorded the Cubs' first three saves after Daniel Palencia (shoulder) hit the injured list, but it appears that Keller is in the closer mix as well. That gives both veteran relievers a temporary boost in fantasy value, though it may be hard to predict who manager Craig Counsell will turn to in the ninth for any given contest. Kittredge has at least earned the opportunity for more high-leverage work, as he has a 2.89 ERA and 26 strikeouts across 18.2 innings with Chicago since joining the team at the trade deadline.

Reynolds is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Cubs.

Reynolds will get a routine day off while he's in the midst of a 4-for-31 stretch at the plate over his last eight contests. Nick Yorke will start in right field and bat seventh for the Pirates.

Suzuki (illness) will start in right field and bat fifth in Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

After being held out of action for each of the last five games due to a bout with bronchitis, Suzuki has finally made enough improvement in his recovery to re-enter the Chicago lineup for the series finale. With Kyle Tucker (calf) still on the injured list, Suzuki will pick up a start in the corner outfield, which will keep the designated-hitter spot open up for the hot-hitting Moises Ballesteros.

Horton (11-4) allowed just one run on three hits across five innings to earn the win in Tuesday's 4-1 victory over the Pirates. He walked one and struck out six.

Horton outdueled Pittsburgh ace Paul Skenes, who allowed three runs in just 3.2 innings of work. The Chicago rookie hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in any of his last 11 starts, and he has a dazzling 0.93 ERA during that stretch. Overall, Horton has a 2.66 ERA and 1.10 WHIP across 115 innings this season, which makes him a strong contender for the National League Rookie of the Year award at the end of the year. The 24-year-old lines up to take the hill again Sunday against the Reds.

Gore came away with a no-decision in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against Atlanta, allowing two hits and three walks over 5.1 scoreless innings. He struck out five.

Matched up against fellow left-handed ace Chris Sale, Gore rose to the occasion, tossing 56 of 92 pitches for strikes before leaving the mound in a 0-0 tie that wasn't decided until the 10th inning. Gore hasn't seemed overly affected by the bout of shoulder inflammation that sidelined him briefly in early September, and through two outings since coming off the IL he's given up two runs in 10.1 innings with a 9:5 K:BB. He'll look for his first win since Aug. 10 in his final start of 2025, a rematch with Atlanta on the road early next week.

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.

Irvin (8-13) took the loss in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against Atlanta, coughing up five runs on eight hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out five.

All five runs crossed the plate in the fourth inning as the right-hander blew an early 2-0 lead, with the bad frame including homers off the bats of Jurickson Profar and Matt Olson. Irvin hasn't won a game since late July, dropping eight straight decisions while posting a horrific 9.00 ERA, 1.86 WHIP and 27:18 K:BB over his last nine starts and 42 innings. He's likely to make one more trip to the mound before mercifully putting his 2025 season to bed, lining up for a rematch against Atlanta on the road early next week.

Olson went 3-for-10 with a double, a triple, a home run, two runs scored and four RBI in Tuesday's doubleheader sweep of the Nationals.

After launching a solo shot off Jake Irvin in the matinee, Olson played hero in the top of the 10th inning in the nightcap with a bases-loaded triple. The first baseman has been on an absolute tear of late, batting .478 (11-for-23) over his last five games with eight of those hits going for extra bases (three doubles, a triple and four homers). On the year, he's up to 27 homers and 91 RBI in 152 contests, giving him a shot at his fifth career 30-HR campaign and fourth career 100-RBI season.