1B Anthony Rizzo went 3-for-3 with a double, triple, walk and two runs scored Monday as he recorded his eighth game of at least three hits this season. Rizzo reached base five times for the second time this season and has now hit safely in 46 of his last 55 games since May 29 with a .338 average in that span.

1B Anthony Rizzo was held out of the starting lineup Saturday after starting the previous 30 games in a row. He entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning and struck out looking. He has played 100 games this season, which is second on the team to 3B Kris Bryant. Rizzo is hitting .285 with 24 home runs and a team-leading 79 RBIs. "We rely on him so heavily," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.

The Washington Nationals addressed their struggling bullpen by acquiring All-Star closer Mark Melancon from the Pittsburgh Pirates, the teams announced Saturday.The Pirates received left-handed reliever Felipe Rivero and minor league left-hander Taylor Hearn as part of the trade.The 31-year-old, right-handed Melancon is 1-1 with a 1.51 ERA and 30 saves in 45 appearances this season. He is a three-time All-Star with a 2.65 career ERA and 151 saves in eight seasons with the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox and Pirates. He saved a league-high 51 games in 2015. Melancon is expected to serve as the closer for the Nationals after veteran closer Jonathan Papelbon struggled to close out games in the ninth over the past week.Rivero, 25, went 0-3 with one save and a 4.53 ERA in 47 relief appearances this season with the Nationals. He was 2-4 with a 3.67 ERA in 96 career games for Washington.Hearn, 21, went a combined 1-0 with a 2.79 ERA in 10 games (four starts) between the Rookie-level... [More]

1B Anthony Rizzo went 2-for-4 with his 23rd and 24th home runs of the season on Wednesday -- both off Bartolo Colon. It was his 11th career multi-homer game and second this season. Since June 18, Rizzo leads all major league first basemen in hits (37), doubles (11), home runs (nine) and batting average (.365).

1B Anthony Rizzo hit a three-run homer after fouling off six pitches -- including the last five in a row. The home run to right field was his 22nd of the year. "Don't underestimate a great at-bat by Rizzo," manager Joe Maddon said. "That was fabulous." Rizzo had an 11-game hitting streak snapped Sunday. He batted .409 during the streak. He has three double-digit hitting streaks this season, including an 11-game run from June 18-30 and a 10-game streak from June 1-13.

1B Anthony Rizzo was 1-for-4 with a double and two RBIs on Saturday and extended his hitting streak to a season-high-tying 11 games. His two-out, two-run double in the third inning was his seventh extra-base hit in his last four games. Since June 18, Rizzo leads the National League in hits (35) and average (.398) and his 11 doubles are tied for first.

For the first time in 53 years and only the second time in Major League Baseball history, four players from one team will comprise the starting infield for an All-Star Game.All four Chicago Cubs infielders -- first baseman Anthony Rizzo, second baseman Ben Zobrist, shortstop Addison Russell and third baseman Kris Bryant -- were voted as starters for the midsummer class next Tuesday night in San Diego. Only the 1963 St. Louis Cardinals previously had all four infielders in the starting lineup."That's awesome," Bryant said. "I think it says a lot about the team. Everybody in the infield's having a great year so far."Center fielder Dexter Fowler will join his Chicago teammates, making the Cubs the first team since the Cincinnati Reds' Big Red Machine in 1976 to have five starters in the lineup.Also on the NL roster will be sixth and seventh Cubs chosen -- pitchers Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester. "It will be really cool starting the game and throwing to those guys," Rizzo said. "It's really cool... [More]

1B Anthony Rizzo's 11-game hitting streak ended Friday, when he went 0-for-4 in the Cubs' 10-2 loss to the Mets. Rizzo batted .425 (17-of-40) with four homers, nine RBIs and four doubles during the streak, which was the second-longest of his career. He hit in 12 straight games from May 25-June 7, 2015. Rizzo is batting .279 with 19 homers and 58 RBIs in 76 games this season.

1B Anthony Rizzo extended his hitting streak to 11 games Thursday night with a double in the fifth inning of the Cubs' 4-3 loss to the Mets. It was the only hit in four at-bats for Rizzo, who is batting .425 (17-of-40) to lift his overall average from .259 to .284. He has four homers, four doubles and nine RBIs during the streak, which is the second-longest of his career Rizzo enjoyed a 12-game streak from May 25 through June 7, 2015. Overall this season, Rizzo has 19 homers and 58 RBIs in 75 games.

1B Anthony Rizzo hit his first career inside the park home run on Wednesday in the first inning. With two runners aboard, Rizzo hit a liner to left-center field. Left fielder Adam Duvall and Hamilton converged on the ball and nearly collided. The ball caromed off Duvall's glove and rolled on to the warning track and Rizzo raced home putting the Cubs ahead 3-0. "I was really proud of my heart rate there, coming back down," Rizzo said. "I turned on my speed, turned on the jets. Hey, it counts as much as a 500-foot one." It was Rizzo's 19th home run this season. "It counts the same as a 500-foot one," he said.

CINCINNATI -- Anthony Rizzo belted his first career inside-the-park home run in the first inning and Kyle Hendricks allowed two runs over six frames as the Chicago Cubs completed the sweep of the Cincinnati Reds with a 9-2 victory on Wednesday.This series was particularly crazy beginning with Kris Bryant's historic three-homer, two-double game on Monday, followed by a 15-inning affair the next night in which the Cubs used three pitchers in left field.The wildness continued in the first inning on Wednesday when, with two runners aboard, Rizzo hit a liner to left-center field that caromed off the glove of left fielder Adam Duvall and rolled to the warning track. Rizzo raced around the bases to stake the Cubs to an early 3-0 lead.Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton, who nearly collided with Duvall on the play, was struck on the left side of his face by the ball and had to leave the game.Rays 4, Red Sox 0ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Tampa Bay starter Matt Moore took a no-hitter into the sixth inning... [More]

1B Anthony Rizzo (back) returned after missing two games. He went 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles. He has 17 doubles this season. Rizzo did not go deep, but -- since 2013 -- leads the NL with 103 homers.

1B Anthony Rizzo's back tightness has to be a concern for the Cubs. He missed 22 games in 2014 with a similar issue. This year, he has missed two games in the past 14 days with a similar back injury.

1B Anthony Rizzo, a South Florida native, did not start because of a back injury Thursday. Rizzo entered Thursday tied for the major league lead with 10 game-winning RBIs. Rizzo's 17 homers also tied him for sixth in the NL. Rizzo is also third in the NL with 54 RBIs and fourth in number of times reaching base (119). He is batting .277 for the season but .571 over his past five games.

1B Anthony Rizzo, a South Florida native, did not start the series opener in Miami due to a back injury.

1B Anthony Rizzo is tops at his position and is the overall vote leader according to the latest National League All-Star results announced on Wednesday. Rizzo has 2.2 million votes to easily outdistance second place Brandon Belt (Giants). Cub teammates Kris Bryant (3B), Ben Zobrist (2B) and OF Dexter Fowler are the only other players to also top two million votes. On Wednesday Rizzo went 1-for-2 with a two-out single in the fourth inning to extend his hitting streak to five games.

1B Anthony Rizzo went 3-for-4 with a homer, two runs and three RBIs. Rizzo collected his team-leading 10th game-winning RBI, tied for most in the majors. He's batted .555 with two doubles, four homers and a .692 OBP in his last seven games at Wrigley Field.

1B Anthony Rizzo finished 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, an RBI, a run scored and a walk Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rizzo tallied his 50th RBI in his 65th game of the season. He leads the Cubs with six games with multiple extra-base hits this season.

1B Anthony Rizzo was hit on the left arm by a pitch in the fifth inning and it must have hurt. He kept shaking and rubbing the arm while on base, occasionally examining it for further damage. But he returned to first base for the sixth inning after the Cubs failed to score in the fifth. Rizzo was also hit by a pitch in the third inning and had a collision at second base in seventh that led to a tumble beyond the bag. Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Rizzo was fine after the game. He has now been hit a National League-leading 11 times this season.

1B Anthony Rizzo has been impressed with the voting for the All-Star game for his team. "Cubs fans are stepping up," he said Wednesday. Rizzo is not sure if he will take part in the All-Star home run contest, if asked. MLB announced Wednesday that four Cubs: Rizzo, 3B Kris Bryant, OF Dexter Fowler and 2B Ben Zobrist were within 150,000 votes of each other for the top overall spot in voting. Rizzo was held in check, for the most part, during the series. His 10-game hitting streak came to an end Tuesday?and on Wednesday he was 1-for-4 with his 15th homer, a two-run shot in the ninth.