DAVID ROSS

Good morning, Chicago. Here are some of the top stories you need to know to start your day.

Three new spaces for D.C. music — the Owl Room, the Runaway and Eckington Hall — are up and running.

Cody Bellinger, a one-time National League MVP with the Los Angeles Dodgers, reportedly found a new team to play for on Tuesday -- the Chicago Cubs.

Aaron Judge remains a free agent as baseball's winter meetings continue in San Diego.

Albert Pujols hit his 695th career home run in the eighth inning and Miles Mikolas tossed eight scoreless innings to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 2-0.

Albert Pujols collected home run No. 695 in the eighth inning and Miles Mikolas tossed eight shutout innings to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-0 win over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. Pujols drilled the two-run, pinch-hit shot off reliever Brandon Hughes (2-2).

Javier Assad pitched four scoreless innings in his major league debut and combined with four relievers on a five-hitter as the Chicago Cubs cooled off the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 in the first game of a doubleheader.

Albert Pujols hit career homer No. 693, Jordan Montgomery pitched a one-hitter and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 1-0 for their season-high eighth straight victory.

The Philadelphia Phillies acquired right-hander Noah Syndergaard, veteran reliever David Robertson and center fielder Brandon Marsh in three trades.

When it comes to defense, Chicago Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman says he is "going all out always to make every play.”.

Willson Contreras drew a standing ovation in perhaps his last home game at Wrigley Field, then keyed an early burst as the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 for their season-high sixth straight win.

Nick Castellanos' first season in Philadelphia has been a struggle, and his frustration boiled over Saturday night. Nico Hoerner homered early and scored the tiebreaking run in a five-run 10th inning that sent the Chicago Cubs to a 6-2 victory over Castellanos and the Phillies. Castellanos was booed by many in the crowd of 38,542 during another rough night at the plate.

Anthony Santander hit a two-run double to spark Baltimore’s three-run first inning, Spenser Watkins and four relievers scattered six hits and the Orioles extended their winning streak to 10 games with a 7-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

Come Monday, there is going to be a little more room in big league bullpens, from Seattle to Tampa Bay, and plenty of places in between.

Come Monday, there is going to be a little more room in big league bullpens, from Seattle to Tampa Bay, and plenty of places in between. Major League Baseball is moving forward with its oft-delayed plan for a 13-pitcher limit on active rosters. The move could affect the game in a variety of ways, from more position players taking the mound to a few more trips to the minors for pitchers with options.

Willson Contreras had three hits and stole a base in his first game against younger brother William, helping the Chicago Cubs beat the Atlanta Braves 6-3.

The Chicago Cubs became the first team in 23 years to stop a losing streak of 10 or more game while ending an opponent’s winning streak of at least 10 games, beating the Braves 1-0 to end the Braves’ 14-game run.

Manny Machado lined a single for his 1,500th hit and hit a two-run homer in a four-RBI night to help the San Diego Padres beat the reeling Chicago Cubs 19-5.

Dansby Swanson and the Braves will try for their 10th straight win when they host Pittsburgh.

Matt Swarmer earned his first big league win and Frank Schwindel homered in a three-hit showing to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 6-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the first game of a doubleheader.

Paul Goldschmidt homered to extend his hitting streak to 25 games, Corey Dickerson went deep twice, and the St. Louis Cardinals pounded the Chicago Cubs 14-5.

Kyle Farmer homered and had tied his career high with five RBIs to power the Cincinnati Reds to their high-scoring game in 23 years, a 20-5 rout of the Chicago Cubs.

The scraped-up White Sox hope third baseman Yoán Moncada can make his season debut when Chicago opens a three-game home series against Cleveland.

Clayton Kershaw dominated over seven innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the struggling Chicago Cubs 7-0 in the opener of a split doubleheader.

Alfonso Rivas had three hits and five RBIs, and the Chicago Cubs stopped a four-game slide by pounding the Pittsburgh Pirates 21-0.

Chicago Cubs reliever Keegan Thompson was suspended for three games on Monday for hitting Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Andrew McCutchen with a pitch. Cubs manager David Ross was suspended for one game by Major League Baseball. Thompson and Ross also were fined an undisclosed amount.

It's opening day in Major League Baseball and a new season has brought a new look.

Connor Dawson is a psychologist, gatekeeper, analyst and strategist.

Major League Baseball is stepping up its experimentation with an electronic communication channel for calling pitches.

A person familiar with the situation says the Chicago Cubs and star Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki have agreed to an $85-million, five-year deal.

The Chicago Cubs took the wrecking ball to their championship core. While Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber turn their attention toward playoff games with new teams, the Cubs come into the offseason with a long list of issues to address. The Cubs made the playoffs five times in that stretch.

Make it a very sweet 16 for the St. Louis Cardinals.

The St. Louis Cardinals set a franchise record with their 15th straight win, boosted when catcher Yadier Molina and center fielder Harrison Bader helped pull off a wild double play in an 8-5 win over the Chicago Cubs.

The surging St. Louis Cardinals emphatically matched a team record with their 14th straight win, pounding the Chicago Cubs 12-4 in the second game of a doubleheader behind Tyler O’Neill’s three-run homer and a pair of solo shots by Lars Nootbaar.

Manny Piña homered twice, Eduardo Escobar and Jace Peterson also connected, and the Milwaukee Brewers clinched their fourth straight postseason berth with a 6-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday night. The Brewers won for the seventh time in nine games to ensure themselves at least a wild card after San Diego and Cincinnati lost earlier in the day. Milwaukee's magic number to lock up the NL Central title is three over St. Louis.

Bryce Harper had three hits, drove a three-run homer and had four RBIs to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 17-8 win over the Chicago Cubs.

The Miken factory in Caledonia, Minnesota, is one of the town's largest employers. However, the factory is expected to move its bat production to China. Kris Van Cleave shows how it will impact the community.

Kris Bryant drew a pair of standing ovations in his return to Wrigley Field, then Evan Longoria and Brandon Belt homered in the seventh inning to send the San Francisco Giants over the Chicago Cubs 6-1 for their fifth straight win.

Chicago Cubs manager David Ross and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer missed the team’s 6-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates after they tested positive for COVID-19.

Chicago Cubs manager David Ross and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer have tested positive for COVID-19.

Yasmani Grandal homered twice and drove in eight runs in his return from the injured list, and the Chicago White Sox beat the sloppy Chicago Cubs 17-13.

Salvador Perez hit two of Kansas City’s five home runs in the Royals’ 6-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday.

Miguel Cabrera’s 500th career homer could be just a few swings away.

Brian Goodwin led off the 10th inning with a two-run homer, and the Chicago White Sox regrouped after Craig Kimbrel blew a three-run lead against his former team to beat the rebuilding crosstown Cubs 8-6 at Wrigley Field.

Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said the city will work with Toledo's arts commission and the artist to replace the mural.

Brad Miller hit three home runs in a game for the first time in his career, and the Philadelphia Phillies routed the sinking Chicago Cubs 8-0.

Boris Johnson has been cleared of breaching parliamentary rules over his luxury holiday in Mustique after MPs overruled the findings of the standards watchdog. While criticising the Prime Minister for not providing a full explanation of how his trip to the Caribbean island was funded, the Committee on Standards accepted that his account was now "accurate and complete". It came after Kathryn Stone, the Commissioner for Standards, had earlier found that Mr Johnson had breached the MPs' code for no

Anthony Rizzo, Joc Pederson and Nico Hoerner each had two hits and an RBI to help the Chicago Cubs beat the Philadelphia Phillies 8-3, ending an 11-game losing streak.

Highly touted Milwaukee prospect Aaron Ashby got roughed up for seven runs in the first inning of his big league debut, but Luis Urias homered twice as the Brewers rallied to rout the Chicago Cubs 15-7 for their eighth straight win.

Zach Davies and three Cubs relievers combined for the seventh no-hitter in the majors this year — matching the most in a season since 1900 — as Chicago blanked the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0.

Major League Baseball will begin its crackdown against pitchers using sticky substances, with umpires making regular, random mound checks starting on Monday.

Beginning Monday, pitchers will be ejected and suspended for 10 games if caught using foreign substances to doctor baseballs.

Jacob deGrom was pulled from a second straight start with an arm injury, this time leaving after three perfect innings with right shoulder soreness, but the New York Mets bullpen stepped up to finish a three-hitter in a 6-3 win over the Chicago Cubs.

Zach Davies allowed just one hit in six scoreless innings, Anthony Rizzo homered and drove in four runs, and Patrick Wisdom went deep again for the Chicago Cubs as they defeated the San Diego Padres 7-1.

Manny Machado and Brian O’Grady each homered and had three RBIs to lead the San Diego Padres over the Chicago Cubs 9-4 in the opener of a three-game series between National League contenders.

Javier Báez lined a two-run homer, Anthony Rizzo had two doubles among three hits and the surging Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 6-1 on for their third straight win and ninth in 10 games.

Patrick Wisdom hit his third homer in two games, Willson Contreras also went deep and the surging Chicago Cubs beat San Diego 4-3 after Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. left with an injury.

David Bote homered, Adbert Alzolay wriggled out of several jams while pitching into the sixth inning and the surging Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 1-0.

Jon Lester and Kyle Schwarber are back in Chicago with the Washington Nationals for the opener of a four-game series against their former team.

Jon Lester is set to start for the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field after spending the past six seasons with the Chicago Cubs.

Cincinnati reliever Amir Garrett has been suspended for seven games by Major League Baseball.

Clayton Kershaw lasted one inning in the shortest start of his stellar career in the opener, Trevor Bauer didn’t get through the fifth in the nightcap, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 to sweep a split doubleheader.

Cubs manager David Ross has said he’s “very optimistic” that Chicago and Illinois officials will allow fans into Wrigley Field by opening day. Ross also acknowledged that he has no inside information. “They don’t call me on those things,” he said. “I’ve been on a couple calls that have been encouraging to say the least. But that’s way above my head.

A UPS driver loads packages to be delivered onto a dolly from a United Parcel Service (UPS) all-electric vehicle in Sacramento, California, U.S.,Stifel has downgraded UPS stock, which has been on a strong move upward after better-than-expected earnings. Shares of the world's largest package delivery company soared more than 9% last week after UPS reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings, driven by high demand for Next Day Air. UPS has been investing billions of dollars to make a faster and more efficient network. Ross said although the investments working well for the company and the stock, the spending will prevent margins from expanding in the near-term. Ross said fears about e-commerce giant Amazon are "somewhat overblown" because Amazon seems to be adding to the network density for UPS.