1B Anthony Rizzo went 3-for-5 with his 16th homer, two RBIs and three runs scored, tying his career high with a 12-game hitting streak. He is now 5-for-5 leading off games as he batted first for the fifth time in a row and fifth time of his career. "If we win ballgames, I'll be the leadoff hitter for the rest of my career," Rizzo said, smiling. "But no, the objective is the pitchers are going to throw strike one. They want to get into a groove. You've got to be ready to hit."

1B Anthony Rizzo was 1-for-4 with a two-run single in the ninth. He also walked and scored in the first, but that could have been a bigger inning for him. He led off the game with a blast to right field that cleared the seating and one-bounced into the Allegheny River. It was initially called a homer, then reversed by the umpires to a foul ball. Cubs manager Joe Maddon was so livid that the initial call did not stand and was not reviewed that he argued until he got ejected. Rizzo thought it was the wrong call. "That was absolutely a home run," he said. "There is no way it could have gone over the pole foul because this is one of the shortest right fields in the league. I hit it too hard for it to have time to go foul. I respect the umpires and I never like to criticize them because I know they give their very best, but they got that one. At least we won the game and that's all that really matters."

NEW YORK -- The defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs are underwater.They suffered a 9-4 loss to the Mets at Citi Field on Wednesday night to fall to 32-33. At this point a year ago, they were 45-20.This defeat was particularly stinging. The Cubs held a 4-1 lead on Kyle Shwarber's two-run home run in the top of the fourth inning, and their relief pitchers, to date the best-functioning part of the organization, gave up six runs in four innings.Chicago is fortunate to be playing in the NL Central. They go into play on Thursday in second place, just two games behind the Milwaukee Brewers. They are eight games off the pace for the second wild card."We've earned the right to be in this position. We've played well enough to be a .500 club," manager Joe Maddon said. "We have a nice group and I believe in our group, but we have to prove it on the field."Anthony Rizzo said, "We're battling, grinding and that's what it is until we take off. ... I don't think it's too late. "Go back to 2015... [More]

1B Anthony Rizzo continued to take a liking to the leadoff spot Wednesday, when he led the game off with a homer for the second straight game in the Cubs' 9-4 loss to the Mets. Rizzo, who never started a big league game at leadoff before Tuesday, homered on the second pitch he saw Tuesday before going deep against Mets RHP Matt Harvey on the first pitch Wednesday night. Manager Joe Maddon indicated Tuesday that he wasn't committed to using Rizzo in the leadoff spot beyond the series against the Mets that ended Wednesday, though his immediate success there could change Maddon's plans. The homer was the only hit in five at-bats Wednesday for Rizzo, who is batting .252 with 15 homers, 41 RBIs and five stolen bases in 64 games this season.

NEW YORK -- The defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs are underwater.They suffered a 9-4 loss to the Mets at Citi Field on Wednesday night to fall to 32-33. At this point a year ago, they were 45-20.This defeat was particularly stinging. The Cubs held a 4-1 lead on Kyle Shwarber's two-run home run in the top of the fourth inning, and their relief pitchers, to date the best-functioning part of the organization, gave up six runs in four innings.Chicago is fortunate to be playing in the NL Central. They go into play on Thursday in second place, just two games behind the Milwaukee Brewers. They are eight games off the pace for the second wild card."We've earned the right to be in this position. We've played well enough to be a .500 club," manager Joe Maddon said. "We have a nice group and I believe in our group, but we have to prove it on the field."Anthony Rizzo said, "We're battling, grinding and that's what it is until we take off. ... I don't think it's too late. "Go back to 2015... [More]

1B Anthony Rizzo made his first career appearance in the leadoff spot a memorable one Tuesday night, when he homered on the second pitch he saw in the first inning and finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs in the Cubs' 14-3 win over the Mets. Manager Joe Maddon hoped batting Rizzo first would spark an offense that scored just 13 runs in the previous five games, and Rizzo made Maddon look prescient by homering on to the black tarp beyond centerfield. He also extended a seven-run second inning by drawing a bases-loaded, two-out walk immediately before 2B Ian Happ hit a grand slam. Rizzo laced an RBI double in the third inning before grounding into a double play in the fifth inning and flying out in his final at-bat in the seventh inning. Maddon said he would bat Rizzo leadoff again in Wednesday's series finale. Rizzo is batting .253 with 14 homers, 40 RBIs and five stolen bases in 63 games this season.

1B Anthony Rizzo was 2-for-3 with a two-base hit and two RBIs on Wednesday against the Marlins. He hit a two-out, two-run double in the third inning and now has a team-leading 18 two-out RBIs. Rizzo is batting .316 with 19 RBIs in 31 home games this season.

1B Anthony Rizzo was 2-for-5 with a homer Tuesday, and he tied a season high with four RBIs. He hit a game-deciding, three-run home run in the fifth inning. He improved to 11-for-29 with five homers and 12 RBIs in his career off Marlins LHP Jeff Locke, his second most against any pitcher and trailing only Wily Peralta in both categories. Rizzo's 16 two-out RBIs are the most on the team.

1B Anthony Rizzo finished 3-for-4 with a double and a run Sunday night against the Cardinals. The performance marked Rizzo's second three-hit game of the season. He is hitting .236 with 12 home runs and 30 RBIs in 54 games, but most of his damage has come at Wrigley Field. In his past 12 home games, he is hitting .400 (16 of 40) with three doubles and five home runs.

1B Anthony Rizzo clearly wasn't happy when he was hit by a pitch by Padres RHP Luis Perdomo leading off the first inning Wednesday. It marked the second time in the series that Rizzo was hit by a pitch. But he merely looked at Perdomo before heading to first. Rizzo was 0-for-10 in the series but scored two of the Cubs' five runs. He leads the major leagues with 12 hit-by-pitches this season.

1B Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch during the Cubs' first-inning rally Monday. It marked the 11th time this season that he has been hit by a pitch. He leads the major leagues in the category.

1B Anthony Rizzo has hit 33 homers off southpaws since 2013, which is tops among National League left-handed hitters. Rizzo, though, came up empty against LHP Alex Wood and the Dodgers relievers, going 0-for-3 with a walk.

1B Anthony Rizzo reached base four times, going 3-for-3 with two home runs, two runs scored and two RBIs as well as an intentional walk. Rizzo had his 14th career multi-homer game and first of the season. He passed teammate Kris Bryant for the team lead in homers with 11. His two homers marked the second time of his career with two off a left-handed pitcher in the same game.

1B Anthony Rizzo was 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs on Tuesday. He has gone 7-for-24 with three home runs and seven RBIs on the seven-game home stand. Rizzo also recorded his 200th and 201st RBI at Wrigley Field.

1B Anthony Rizzo clubbed his first career homer at Fenway Park, a two-run shot in the fourth inning Sunday. Rizzo, once a top prospect in the Red Sox's farm system, launched an 0-2 curveball from RHP Steven Wright clear over the Cubs' bullpen in right field. Rizzo entered the game 6-for-28 with an RBI in seven prior games in Boston. Rizzo was 1-for-5 on Saturday.

1B Anthony Rizzo was 2 for 4 with four RBIs. He hit a two-run homer in the eighth to bring Chicago within a run. He has homers in four of the past six games. He has 20 career homers against Pittsburgh, tied for the most he has against any opponent (Cincinnati).

1B Anthony Rizzo had the longest active hitting streak (12 games) in the National League until Monday. Now he has posted back-to-back 0-for-4s, the first time this season Rizzo has gone hitless in successive games..

1B Anthony Rizzo walked twice, scored twice and hit a 429-foot foul ball into the Allegheny River beyond right field. But his 12-game hitting streak, the longest current streak in the majors, came to an end. He was the only starter to go without a hit.

1B Anthony Rizzo's homer on Sunday at Cincinnati was his third in three games. He can match his career-high streak of homering in four straight games on Monday in Pittsburgh. Among his four career hits against projected Pirates starter Chad Kuhl are a double, a triple and a home run. Rizzo also has a 12-game hitting streak, matching his career high.

CINCINNATI -- Willson Contreras hit his first career grand slam and Anthony Rizzo and Jason Heyward each hit three-run shots, lifting the Chicago Cubs to a 12-8 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on a chilly Saturday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.Contreras went 3-for-4 with a double, four RBIs and four runs. Heyward also had four RBIs. The home run barrage helped Jake Arrieta (3-0) earn the victory despite allowing four runs in the first. Arrieta struck out eight and didn't walk a batter, but allowed five earned runs and a pair of home runs.The Cubs (10-7) have won four straight and 20 of 24 against the Reds (9-9), who've lost four straight. Joey Votto hit a three-run homer and Eugenio Suarez hit a solo shot to briefly put Cincinnati ahead in the first. Suarez added a solo shot in the eighth off Justin Grimm to snap a 14 2/3-inning scoreless streak for Chicago's bullpen. Yankees 11, Pirates 5PITTSBURGH -- New York has been searching for more offense on the road and found it against... [More]