The Cubs avoided a sweep and ended a stretch of five losses in six games.
Following a rough week and really difficult start to the weekend, the Cubs needed a spark Sunday afternoon. They got one from Patrick Wisdom, and the bullpen made sure it counted.
Entering the series finale against the Marlins having lost five of six and after getting routed twice by Miami, the Cubs offense wasn’t exactly showing signs of breaking out. Hitless after four innings but ahead by a run, the Cubs had Wisdom pinch-hit for Jason Heyward against Marlins lefty Ross Detwiler to begin the fifth.
After pushing the count full in front of a boisterous crowd of 37,158, he fouled off four Detwiler deliveries before getting credited with an infield single on the 15th pitch of the at-bat when Miami shortstop Miguel Rojas couldn’t handle Wisdom’s sharp knock. Wisdom, whose at-bat tied a 2017 appearance by Jon Jay as the longest to result in a hit by a Cub since at least 1988, eventually scored on a Joc Pederson single, giving the Cubs their second run in a 2-0 win over the Marlins.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel that energy,” Wisdom said. “That place was electric. It gives me goosebumps right now thinking about it.”
The bullpen - especially Craig Kimbrel, Ryan Tepera and Andrew Chafin - have been exciting for the Cubs. Well, effective without much excitement, and that continued Sunday as they protected the two-run lead.
Coming in after Alec Mills’ five scoreless innings, the Cubs’ top three relievers combined to throw four perfect frames. Tepera worked the sixth and seventh, Chafin the eighth and finally Kimbrel in the ninth for his 368th career save, moving him into a tie for ninth all-time with Jonathan Papelbon.
Once again, the Cubs bullpen showed why it’s been perhaps the strength of the team as it nears the halfway point of the season.
“They’re doing a phenomenal job,” manager David Ross said. “When you have a good lockdown bullpen like that it gives the offense a lot of confidence trying to come back. We’re always in the game when those guys are in there, especially when we’ve got the lead you feel like your chances of winning are really good.”
Recently, the Cubs’ chances of winning haven’t looked all that good.
Despite the well-documented issues with injuries, the Cubs had managed to find ways to grind out victories. But over the last week, some of the Cubs’ health issues seemed to be taking a toll as the lineup continues to miss contact hitters Nico Hoerner and Matt Duffy. Before Heyward scored on a third-inning passed ball by Miami catcher Jorge Alfaro, the Cubs hadn’t scored on a non-home run in a week.
That was just one of the issues the Cubs had gone through during maybe their worst stretch of the season. Yet, even with the problems, the Cubs are in a tight race with the Brewers for the National League Central lead in a division that looks winnable.
“I think for where we’re at, that we’re at the top of our division, just says a lot about our team,” Ross said.
A part of the Cubs’ formula to get through 162 games and stay atop the Central will include sparks from people like Wisdom. The bullpen, of course, will also have to play a key role, perhaps even a bigger one than normal as the Cubs rotation has struggled for length this year.
Those factors helped the Cubs salvage something Sunday after a trying few days.
“The thing that we held on for so long is starting to show, I would say in the last week,” Ross said. “Hopefully it’s just a week. If we have a bad week throughout 162 we’re going to be OK.”
from Chicago Sun-Times - All https://ift.tt/3vDteri
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