CHICAGO — The Cubs returned from an off day hoping to kickstart another series in winning fashion and solidify their playoff standing.
Mission accomplished.
The Cubs’ bats erupted with the wind blowing out at Wrigley Field, beating the Washington Nationals 11-5 to take the first in a three-game set. The win moves the Cubs (81-60) 4.5 games up on the San Diego Padres for the top spot in the NL Wild Card and moves them five back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. Both teams play later on Friday.
The Cubs’ magic number to clinch a playoff berth is 13, and the number to seal the top spot in the Wild Card is 18.
Here are three takeaways from the win over the Nationals (56-84):
PCA’s time away
Much like Kyle Tucker during the last homestand, Cubs manager Craig Counsell hoped some time off could help reset another one of his struggling stars: Pete Crow-Armstrong.
[Kyle Tucker injury update: Cubs slugger remains out vs. Nationals]
Counsell had the centerfielder sit out the past two days, hoping the time off could help him reset both mentally and at the plate after hitting .163 with a .448 OPS in August and the first game in September.
“It is one of those things where it’s a gut feel, it’s a gut decision for sure,” Counsell said before the game. “There’s data in front of it that’s suggesting that maybe it’s time to do it. You’re just looking at the person and the player. You’re talking to coaches, and people down here, and it’s what the player needs, what’s best for the player.
“You’re often kind of doing it at maybe a lower point for the player.”
Like with Tucker, the move seemed to help offensively.
Crow-Armstrong finished 2-for-3 with two RBI, a stolen base and two sacrifice flies. The results aren’t the eye-popping ones he had in the first half, but the underlying metrics were encouraging. Both of his singles were hit over 100 mph.
In August, his hard-hit rate (balls hit at 95 mph or harder) had dropped 37.3 percent, the lowest of any month of his season. So, the results weren’t the home runs that were flying all over the place in the first half, but hitting the ball hard is always a welcome sign, especially with October nearing. Getting Crow-Armstrong back in a groove offensively by then is music to the Cubs’ ears.
Windy City
The 32,320 fans at Wrigley Field experienced something a bit rare.
No, it wasn’t wrestling superstar CM Punk, who threw out the first pitch and sang the seventh inning stretch – it was the winds at The Friendly Confines, which were blowing out for just the 16th time this season and the first since August 16.
Even if you didn’t know, one look at the scoreboard could have told you that as the teams combined for 16 runs. Wrigley Field plays entirely differently on days like Friday. Entering the series opener, games where the wind was blowing out produced generated 12.9 runs per game, while contests where it was blowing in mustered just 7 runs. A pitcher’s paradise that became a hitter’s haven on Friday.
The Cubs’ offense looked more like the first-half version, they were creating multiple scoring opportunities, cashing them in and driving the ball out of the park. Even Nico Hoerner hit one deep, just his sixth home run of the season.
The offense bookended the day with a pair of home runs – Dansby Swanson’s three-run blast in the first broke the game open, and Ian Happ’s solo shot in the bottom of the eighth put the cherry on top of a nice offensive day for the Cubs.
It’s hard to definitively say the offense has gotten its mojo back, but Friday was a good step, nonetheless.
Assad’s role
Javier Assad’s final line was a bit deceptive.
It’s not a quality start and four earned runs see his ERA balloon to 4.62 on the year, but Assad was solid and probably had some bad luck in the earned run department. Two of those runs probably should have stayed off the board. Crow-Armstrong lost a ball in the sun in center field that led to a triple instead of the final out of the frame and Luis García Jr. hit a two-run home run after that.
Assad covered 16 outs, a valuable number in a not-so-friendly pitcher’s environment. His performances are important for the Cubs down the stretch. The rotation has been the best in baseball by ERA since July 1 (3.26), and Assad has helped step in for injuries in that department (Jameson Taillon). But Assad is unlikely to crack a playoff rotation when October comes, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t valuable.
“I still think we have to be cautious of the innings puzzle for the last 22 games,” Counsell said before the game. “And so I think Javi certainly provides solutions from that end, and an important part of that solution.”
And continued strong performances could mean he could be an “out-getter” as Counsell calls them, out of the bullpen come October. He’s pitched in both roles in his career, with 23 of his 75 major league games coming in relief.
If he continues to pitch well, he could be a multi-inning weapon for Counsell come the postseason.