The Chicago Cubs roster is under the microscope these days.
The MLB trade deadline is at 5 p.m. Monday, and what president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and his front office do between now and then to augment this group is a constant thought in the brains of Cubs fans.
But, as Saturday’s 5-2 win over the New York Yankees at Wrigley Field showed, sometimes it’s the unheralded players and moves that play as prominent roles as the flashier ones.
Nico Hoerner delivered the game-tying solo home run in the seventh inning, and Pete Crow-Armstrong continued his incredible season with a go-ahead triple later in the frame. But it was the performances of two players — left-hander David Peterson and infielder Pedro Ramírez — who weren’t with the Cubs at the start of the season that put them in a position to win the game.
“It’s a time of year when definitely need everybody involved, and having guys like Pedro that are versatile and are playing well is really important,” Hoerner said after the win.
Two batters after Hoerner’s blast in the seventh, Ramírez coaxed a two-out, seven pitch walk. It turned the lineup over and brought Crow-Armstrong, who continues to fortify an MVP case, to bat.
“It’s two outs, nobody on base, you think, ‘Oh, it’s whatever,’” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of Ramírez’s plate appearance. “But it gets Pete up there, who knows what can happen? Pete hits the ball in the right place, it’s a little tricky down that line, so it’s a big at-bat. It’s a big at-bat and ultimately, it’s the difference in the game.”
The Yankees brought left-hander Brent Headrick to face Crow-Armstrong, but the Cubs star took an 84.1-mph slider low and away to right field for a triple that gave them the lead. Crow-Armstrong would score on Seiya Suzuki’s single a batter later.
Ramírez’s walk, though, continued a strong stretch for the rookie at an important time for his team. The Cubs’ win Saturday was their ninth straight game and just past the halfway point of a stretch of 17 games without an off day.
The 22-year-old is a versatile weapon for Counsell off the bench. His ability to play across the infield is vital during the grueling stretch. Since the 17-game span began, Ramírez has made six starts and played five positions.
Cubs pinch hitter Pedro Ramírez sliding safely into home to score on Pete Crow-Armstrong’s triple in the seventh inning against the Yankees on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, at Wrigley Field. (Melissa Tamez/AP)
That allows Counsell to rest Hoerner or Alex Bregman. And it allows Hoerner not to be taxed and be able to come up with a crucial blast down the left-field line. The home run was a bit of a surprise, not just because it was just Hoerner’s sixth of the year, but the winds at first pitch were blowing straight in at 21 mph, seemingly making Wrigley Field a pitcher’s paradise.
“With the wind blowing straight in, I didn’t know if it would stay fair or what would happen with the ball in the air,” Hoerner said. “I definitely hit it well enough for it normally to be a home run, but that’s not always the case here. So I was fortunate it stayed fair and got out.”
A hard, line-drive home run that cut through the howling wind was really the only blemish on Peterson’s night. Spencer Jones hit a 106-mph blast to left field that traveled 370 feet to give the Yankees the lead in the seventh inning, the last hitter the left-hander would face. It looked as if it would put a sour note on another terrific outing by him.
He matched a season high with eight strikeouts — he also struck out eight Yankee hitters on May 16 — and allowed just one earned run with no walks in 6 1/3 innings. Peterson induced 11 whiffs in the outing, the most since he joined the Cubs and second-most this season.
“I think tonight I felt really good about our approach,” Peterson said. “Felt really good in my mechanics and just felt like I could execute. That was the biggest thing was just being able to put the pitches where we wanted them and be able to get the ground balls, some soft contact and just get deep into the game.”
Cubs starter David Peterson delivers against the Yankees in the first inning Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, at Wrigley Field. (Melissa Tamez/AP)
Peterson has been a lifeline to the Cubs since they acquired him from the New York Mets on June 25. He has a 4.36 ERA in six starts with the Cubs, a number that’s inflated by a 10-run blowup in his second outing with the team. He owns a 1.52 ERA in his last four starts.
“He was excellent,” Counsell said. “We got him in a good place and getting into the seventh inning is really important for where we’re at right now. It’s really important with the number of games we have kind of consecutively with where our bullpen’s situated and how the opposing team can maneuver, really important.”
Peterson and Ramírez have been unexpected key cogs of late for the Cubs. And more, especially on the pitching side, figure to join in the next few days, especially as the Cubs search for more arms to finish the season and pitch deep into the playoffs.
“The starting-pitch depth I feel like at the beginning of the season, going into the year, we’re like, ‘Wow, we have so much depth,’ and then it goes fast,” Hoerner said. “It’s just taken so many bodies and people that have kind have stretched their roles. But you also find a lot of good qualities in guys within those kind of challenging times. So hopefully we’re able to kind of come out of that with a better sense of our strengths and get healthier, and that’s when you really hit the ground running.”
Andy Martinez is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.