Cubs Takeaways: What we learned as Ian Happ sparks offense in win
The Cubs entered Tuesday looking to cleanse their palette after rare, back-to-back losses.
Ian Happ and the Cubs strong offense helped do that. The Cubs beat the Phillies 8-4 on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park to even the three-game set ahead of Wednesday’s series finale.
The Cubs (41-26) rallied twice in the victory and hit four home runs. Here are three takeaways from the win:
Happ-y night
The Cubs offense has been the story of the season so far – that’s what happens when you’ve scored the second-most runs scored in baseball. But that doesn’t mean everyone has been tearing the seams off the baseball.
Ian Happ entered Tuesday’s contest with a .706 OPS, 73 points below his career mark.
A two-homer game helps in boosting that number.
The switch-hitting outfielder went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two walks. That performance boosted his OPS 36 points to .742. He’s had a solid road trip – he’s slashing .281/.361/.688 (1.049 OPS) with four home runs and eight RBI.
The improvement at the plate is important for the Cubs’ leadoff hitter. He’s the prototypical modern-day leadoff hitter. He gets on base and has some pop to go with it. That’s why it’s so important to get him going – having Happ going stron at the top of the lineup should lead to only more success for those two big poppers behind him – ahead of Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki.
Reese’s pieces (Part I)
The Cubs received contributions up and down the lineup Tuesday night. Eight of their nine starters reached base. And, while they won by four runs, this game was close through much of it.
The Cubs’ backup catcher helped create separation with a pair of big moments. We’ll get to the second one in a bit.
Reese McGuire hit a groundball to second with one out in the sixth inning. It appeared to be an inning-ending double play, but McGuire hustled and beat out the throw, extending the frame. Happ hit his second home run of the game a batter later, giving the Cubs the 5-4 lead.
The Cubs’ hustle on the basepaths has been a key team dynamic this season. They’ve hustled to beat out double plays and groundouts and that’s led to extra opportunities, added runs and more wins.
It helped again on Tuesday night, and it was done by a guy who joined the team just last month. But these aren’t principles that were instituted in mid-March when the team opened the season in Japan. No, this was emphasized in early February when the team first reported for spring training and when McGuire was first in the organization.
Reese’s pieces (Part II)
McGuire wasn’t done making major contributions. He had an RBI double two innings later to add the first of three insurance runs in the eighth.
The 30-year-old backstop has been a solid addition in the catcher corps after Miguel Amaya’s oblique injury. He’s hitting .269 with an .807 OPS in 7 games for the Cubs.
The Cubs’ catching tandem of Carson Kelly and Amaya was a strength to start the season. So, when Amaya went down, there were understandably concerns about how that would affect that position group.
But this is a former first-round pick and a former top-100 prospect playing a position that can often take some time to develop. McGuire has helped quell any queries for now as a fill-in for Amaya.
