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Levine: Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo Are In MVP Battle

By Bruce Levine--

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Cubs are front and center in the battle for the National League MVP award.

At this point, it's a three-horse race, and two of them play at Wrigley Field: Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo and third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant. They're also joined by Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy. Rockies infielders Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story have been impressive too, but their team hasn't had as much success.

Rizzo has been the heart and soul of the Cubs offense for the past four seasons. He was in the mix for the MVP award last season before fading in the last two months of the season, losing 40 points on his batting average. With the addition of several veteran players and the maturation of other youngsters, the burden is no longer on Rizzo to carry the Cubs offense, and he's been strong all season.

Bryant has continued to hone his overall skills in an impressive way. First and foremost, he's cut down on his strikeouts. After striking out 199 times as a rookie in 2015, the 24-year-old Bryant is on pace to cut that ugly number by about 20 percent. In his team's first 102 games, Bryant has already equaled his total of 26 homers from last season.

After the Cubs' 12-1 win against the Mariners on Friday, Rizzo was tied for the NL lead in RBIs with 79. He has eight games this season with three or more hits. Rizzo's hitting .286 with a .964 OPS, which is third in the NL.

Bryant has 68 RBIs, which is good for eighth in the NL. Since June 27, he's hitting .352 and has reached safely in 24 of 28 games in that span. .Bryant is one of two NL players with at least 25 home runs and 25 doubles this season, with Arenado being the other. Bryant's hitting .289 with a .942 OPS (fifth in NL) for the season.

The Cubs dynamic duo has a friendly wager on the season's statistical production. They won't divulge what the bet or prize is at the end of the season, though.

"They do play off of each other so well," manager Joe Maddon said Friday after Bryant collected three hits and Rizzo had three RBIs. "I watched them sit in the dugout prior to the game. They are always together there."

Maddon doesn't get into individual award conversations too often. In this case, he sees the evolution of possibly the next 40 homer/100 RBI players in one lineup here in Chicago for years to come.

"Hitting two-three right now, it is a pretty nice situation," Maddon said. "They are both coming up with ample opportunities to drive in runs. With Dexter (Fowler) back and getting on base, it really feeds those hitters."

Rizzo may have a slight edge over Bryant and Murphy for now in the MVP race, but it will be fun to watch this battle for the final two months.

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.

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