After delivering in the clutch, Nico Hoerner let loose, unleashing a celebratory scream. His two-out, two-run double in the seventh inning had turned a one-run deficit into a one-run lead, and it proved to be the game-winner.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely one of the bigger swings of the year for me, personally; it just felt like it was a moment to seize,\u201d Hoerner said after the Cubs\u2019 4-3 victory Sunday over the Rays. \u201cThis group has done a lot throughout the year to put us in a strong place, and regardless of the standings, finishing with positive energy and excitement .\u2009.\u2009. is a big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Indeed, these Cubs would like to finish strong. A division title is seemingly out of reach, thanks to the Brewers\u2019 second-half surge, but they\u2019re in position to secure a wild-card spot and embark on the type of October run they\u2019ve eyed for months.<\/p>\n
To do that, however, the offense needs to be there.<\/p>\n
It has been inconsistent since the All-Star break, a dramatic difference when compared to the first half, when the Cubs were one of the elite run-scoring teams in the majors.<\/p>\n
Before the break, they ranked second in scoring and averaged 5.3 runs. They entered Sunday 27th in scoring in the second half and have a 4.1-runs-per-game mark after the win.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve won back-to-back series, but the run-scoring questions aren\u2019t going anywhere, not with the stars who carried the lineup in the first half absent, physically and in terms of their production.<\/p>\n
Pete Crow-Armstrong has slumped miserably since the start of August, hitting .162 in his last 38 games, including an 0-for-12 showing in three games this weekend. Kyle Tucker had an extended slump of his own and is on the injured list with a strained calf. Seiya Suzuki has a .204 average since the break and missed this series with an illness.<\/p>\n
Still, that hasn\u2019t sunk the Cubs, who have one of the best records and showed this weekend that they can win without their big boppers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the story of 162 for every team,\u201d Hoerner said. \u201cIt\u2019s rare you get to roll out the same perfect lineup. Obviously, the best version of us has a healthy Seiya and Tuck in there, there\u2019s no hiding that. But it\u2019s a true team effort, and we\u2019ve done a nice job of that throughout the year.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s worth wondering whether there will be enough offense to win in October if Crow-Armstrong, Tucker and Suzuki stay quiet. After combining for 67 homers in the first half, that trio only has 10 since the break.<\/p>\n
But while the team\u2019s pitching staff has played a huge part in keeping the wins coming, Hoerner, Dansby Swanson, Michael Busch and Ian Happ, among others, have taken turns delivering.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first half, it felt like it was \u2018The Tucker and Pete and Seiya Show,\u2019\u2009\u201d bench coach Ryan Flaherty said before the game. \u201cIn the second half, a lot of the unheralded guys have really kept this team [afloat] and put us in the position we\u2019re in right now. That shouldn\u2019t go unnoticed.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was Hoerner\u2019s turn against Tampa Bay, and though he might be one of the \u201cunheralded guys,\u201d he also has been one of the best hitters in baseball by one measure, entering with a .297 batting average that ranked eighth in the majors and second in the National League.<\/p>\n
It might be hard to stay \u201cunheralded\u201d if he wins a batting title.<\/p>\n
But whether Hoerner ends up wearing that crown at season\u2019s end, it\u2019s going to take contributions from all over the lineup to deliver enough runs and enough wins to make the Cubs a postseason success.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what a team is,\u201d manager Craig Counsell said. \u201cThat\u2019s what good teams do. In baseball, it can\u2019t be one guy. .\u2009.\u2009. You\u2019re going to need everybody to do it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just step up and find a way to win. And there\u2019s nobody better than Nico and Dansby at figuring out things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crow-Armstrong, who was the breakout star of baseball\u2019s first half, is batting .162 since the beginning of August after going 0-for-12 in a weekend series against the Rays.<\/p>\n
Rizzo and a rebuilt Cubs team brought perennial expectations to Wrigleyville that the current crop of North Siders carry as they look to snap a postseason drought and return to winning ways.<\/p>\n
The Cubs threw a party for Rizzo, who improbably almost caught a home-run ball in the bleachers during the afternoon-long remembrance of his on- and off-field impact on the franchise.<\/p>\n
Hoerner’s two-out, two-run double flipped Sunday’s game and gave the Cubs a series win.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":93158,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n