Nico Hoerner couldn’t assist however snigger with Chicago Cubs first base coach Mike Napoli when he received on after his game-tying stroll.
They realized Napoli didn’t have Hoerner’s handguard protector he wears on base due to the Cubs sending 12 batters to plate within the fifth inning Wednesday night time in opposition to the White Sox.
“Good problem to have that go through twice and there’s equipment issues,” Hoerner chuckled.
Hoerner’s bases-loaded stroll with two outs introduced dwelling the go-ahead run to cap a six-run inning in opposition to Sox pitchers Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly. It represented the kind of method that fueled the Cubs’ comeback in a 10-7 victory on a muggy night at Guaranteed Rate Field. They erased the 7-2 lead the Sox constructed via 4 innings.
Miles Mastrobuoni efficiently reached primarily based on a swinging strikeout-turned-wild pitch to attain a run and maintain the fifth inning alive. Yan Gomes’ pinch-hit hit by pitch arrange Mike Tauchman with the bases loaded. Tauchman labored a full-count stroll tie the sport, which Hoerner replicated on 5 pitches for the lead. Ian Happ’s and Cody Bellinger’s back-to-back dwelling runs within the eighth offered respiratory room en path to the Cubs’ fifth straight win.
It’s the kind of efficiency over the previous week that may sway the path the Cubs take forward of Tuesday’s commerce deadline. The affect of their play will not be misplaced throughout the clubhouse.
“As players you want to do everything on your end that you can and the wins count the same now as it did in May, but these games do feel different with that, there’s no doubt,” Hoerner mentioned. “It’s a chance to simply embrace a state of affairs the place you’re enjoying significant baseball, and that’s actually what all of us need, proper? It is an actual issue and it’s one thing we’re all conscious of.
“I think we’ve handled it in a pretty mature way of controlling our end of it day by day and we’re giving absolutely our all and I would love, love to play with this group for an extended period and see what that looks like.”
The Cubs (50-51) haven’t been this near .500 since June 24 in London. They recorded 9 stolen bases and 6 dwelling runs throughout their two-game sweep of the Sox.
“I think winning teams — teams that win the World Series, teams that play deep in October — they are able to score in different ways,” Hoerner mentioned. “Obviously, power is a huge part of that. Nice to have that show up more than we’ve had in some recent stretches, but you have the ability to run, the ability to just make contact. I feel like we’ve got a group that can kind of do all things when we’re clicking.”
The offense bailed out Marcus Stroman, who has struggled to regain the command he displayed through the first three months of the season. Since June 25, when he exited with a blister in his London begin, Stroman owns a 8.00 ERA, together with seven runs allowed over 3 1/3 innings Wednesday in opposition to the Sox. His 24 earned runs in that span (27 innings) practically equates to the overall earned runs he surrendered in his first 16 begins (25 in 98⅔ innings).
Until that time, Stroman had led the majors in high quality begins. He’s recorded just one such outing in his final six begins.
As the Cubs proceed their upward pattern, they want Stroman to get again on monitor. He depends on really feel with how his physique strikes on the mound and the rhythm he builds off that. His inconsistencies heart, partly, on his lack of ability to recapture his repeatable supply. If the Cubs are going to make a run, they want a greater model of Stroman.
Ironing out the consistency of his slider and getting that pitch locked in once more is a key to Stroman being again on monitor.
“Not great at all,” Stroman mentioned of his outing in opposition to the Sox. “Been kind of struggling a little bit mechanically: timing, tempo, rhythm, just very inconsistent right now on the mound.”
Javier Assad’s efficiency in aid of Stroman gave the Cubs an opportunity on the comeback. He stranded Stroman’s two runners within the fourth and tossed an ideal backside of the fifth after the Cubs reclaimed the lead.
The Cubs protection didn’t assist Stroman at instances. It appeared they’d Andrew Benintendi picked off within the second inning when he began to steal second base however pulled up, prompting catcher Tucker Barnhart to throw behind him. As Benintendi received right into a rundown, Bellinger didn’t throw to second base, and the Sox outfielder reached second base safely and scored on Tim Anderson’s single to place the Sox forward 3-2.
Tauchman picked up a ball late on a would-be fly out for Benintendi within the fourth inning, which fell for successful to place runners on first and second with one out. Benintendi would come round to attain, a part of a four-run fourth for the Sox.
But good groups discover a solution to chip away and keep in video games even when the sport is trending poorly. With the sweep of the Sox, the Cubs head to St. Louis for his or her four-game collection making the case to the entrance workplace that this group ought to keep collectively.
“We believe in this clubhouse for sure,” Bellinger mentioned. “A lot of winners in this clubhouse and we’re playing good baseball, and we’re excited to just keep going, continue playing our game.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com