MLB Player News

Smith went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Friday's 6-4 loss to the Cubs.

Smith started the scoring with a blast off Jameson Taillon in the third inning. Prior to Friday, Smith had gone 0-for-9 with a walk and two strikeouts over his previous three games. The catcher is batting a solid .266 with a .729 OPS, three homers, 14 RBI, 11 runs scored and no stolen bases over 24 contests this season. The Dodgers have a good problem in trying to balance playing time between Smith and Dalton Rushing, who has been even better at the dish with seven home runs in just 35 plate appearances. That's a battle that Smith is winning for now, though he may get more off days during his slumps if Rushing's bat stays hot as well.

Sheehan allowed one run on four hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out 10 over 6.1 innings in a no-decision versus the Cubs on Friday.

Sheehan was dialed in, throwing 64 of 101 pitches for strikes in his best and longest outing of the season. He was in line for the win, but the Dodgers' bullpen wasn't able to protect the lead. Over five starts, Sheehan has a 4.78 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 28:9 K:BB across 26.1 innings. He displayed strikeout potential in 2025 with a 10.9 K/9 over 73.1 innings in the regular season, and most of his struggles early in 2026 can be attributed to a .294 BABIP, compared to .246 last year. Sheehan's next start is projected to be on the road in St. Louis.

Peralta (1-3) took the loss Friday against the Rockies, allowing two runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out eight batters in 5.2 innings.

It wasn't Peralta's most efficient outing, as he worked through just 5.2 innings on 95 pitches, but it could be argued he still deserved better as he allowed just two runs. The 29-year-old hasn't allowed more than three runs in a start since his first in a Mets uniform, but the run support hasn't been there in that time as he holds an 0-3 record in his past five starts. The encouraging part was that the strikeout stuff was there for the right-hander, as he fanned a season-high eight batters, giving him 36 in 32.1 innings so far. His next scheduled chance to add to those numbers will be Thursday against the Nationals.

Bregman went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-4 win over the Dodgers.

This was his first homer since March 29 versus the Nationals. Bregman's blast tied the game at 4-4 in the eighth inning to help the Cubs in their comeback effort. While he hasn't been hitting for much power, he's gotten on base in 13 of the last 14 games, batting .328 (20-for-61) with a 7:11 BB:K in that span. Bregman is up to three homers, 10 RBI, eight runs scored, three doubles, one triple and a stolen base while batting .266 with a .735 OPS through 26 contests on the year.

Swanson went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, a triple, a hit-by-pitch, four total RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 6-4 win over the Dodgers.

Swanson started the Cubs' comeback effort with a two-run triple in the seventh inning. He added a two-run homer in the ninth to put his team ahead for the first time in the game, and Corbin Martin was able to make that lead stand. Swanson is 5-for-17 with three extra-base hits and nine RBI over his last five games. For the season, the shortstop is batting .209 with an .802 OPS, six homers, 21 RBI, 22 runs scored, a double, a triple and a steal over 26 contests.

Senzatela earned the save Friday against the Mets, allowing no runs on no hits and no walks while striking out one in 1.2 innings of work.

Senzatela was tasked with cleaning up a mess in the eighth inning after Jaden Hill lasted just 0.1 innings and allowed two runs on four hits. With runners on first and second and just one out, he induced a line-drive double play to escape the eighth. Then, with closer Victor Vodnik experiencing some trouble lately and Senzatela at just two pitches, the 31-year-old was trusted to pitch the ninth inning, and he worked a clean frame. It's just the latest example of the hot start that he's been on this season, allowing just one earned run in 18 innings pitched with 18 strikeouts. As a result, it wouldn't be surprising to see him earn more save chances as the season rolls on.

Martin struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Friday's 6-4 win over the Dodgers.

Martin has allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out two over four scoreless innings in the majors this season. The 30-year-old right-hander is getting steady usage since the Cubs selected his contract from Triple-A Iowa last Saturday. The Cubs' bullpen is in flux currently since Daniel Palencia (lat), Caleb Thielbar (hamstring), Phil Maton (knee) and Hunter Harvey (triceps) are all on the injured list. Martin is one of four pitchers to log a save for the Cubs this season, and only Thielbar has multiple saves despite the team's first-place standing in the NL Central. It's unclear if Martin will be called on again for save chances in the near term, but he's pitched well enough to earn some additional looks in the late innings.

Taillon allowed four runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four over five innings in a no-decision versus the Dodgers on Friday.

Taillon gave up a three-run home run to Will Smith in the third inning, which was the bulk of the damage. This was the third time in five outings Taillon has surrendered at least four runs, and it's also the third time he's walked at least three batters. The veteran right-hander now has a 4.55 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 25:12 K:BB across 27.2 innings this season. He's projected to make his next start on the road versus the Padres.

House went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI in Friday's 5-4 loss to the White Sox.

House took a Jordan Leasure slider over the fence to lead off the top of the eighth inning to tie the game 4-4. It was House's third long ball of the season and first since April 6. He's now got a six-game hitting streak and owns a .240/.284/.375 slash line with 10 RBI, 12 runs scored, one stolen base and a 6:32 BB:K across 102 plate appearances.

Lorenzen (2-2) earned the win Friday against the Mets, allowing one run on seven hits and no walks while striking out three batters in seven innings.

Lorenzen had his longest outing of the season Friday, throwing seven strong innings and allowing just one run in by far his best start of the year. The 34-year-old hasn't struck out more than four batters in a start this season, and that streak continued Friday, but the right-hander didn't walk anybody and worked through seven innings on just 90 pitches by pitching to contact. Despite the strong start, his season-long numbers still are a bit inflated, as he holds a 5.97 ERA and a 1.85 WHIP in 28.2 innings on the season. His next start is scheduled for Thursday against the Reds.