Matt Shaw and Pete Crow-Armstrong hit solo shots for the Cubs, who entered tied with Milwaukee for first place in the NL Central and the best record in the majors.

With now just over a week to go ahead of the MLB trade deadline, real reports of discussions between teams are starting to surface rather than just rumors or id

Vinnie Pasquantino hit two homers and drove in four runs to lead the visiting Kansas City Royals to an 8-4 win over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday.

Witt sat out the series finale after a brief injury scare the night before. During a plate appearance on Tuesday, the 25-year-old’s leg appeared to buckle slightly. Manager Matt Quatraro said postgame that Witt felt some discomfort in his knee but downplayed the severity, calling it “nothing.”

The Royals are hoping they can show enough over the next week to keep trade candidate Seth Lugo in Kansas City.

Royals catcher Salvador Perez continued his incredible run of success at Wrigley Field and reached a significant milestone.

The Kansas City Royals placed infielder/outfielder Nick Loftin on the seven-day concussion injured list and recalled outfielder MJ Melendez from Triple-A Omaha before Wednesday afternoon’s series finale against the Cubs in Chicago.

Crow-Armstrong sat out Monday’s series-opening loss to the Kansas City Royals with a bruised right knee he sustained on a slide in Sunday’s game. Manager Craig Counsell had expressed optimism that the 23-year-old could play after a one-game reprieve.