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Deep Dive: Bottom of the order propels Cubs to victory

4 years agoLance Brozdowski

After dropping two of three games to the White Sox and being outscored 18-7, the Cubs pounced on the Tigers in Detroit thanks to early production from the bottom of their lineup.

It started in the 2nd inning with two outs. The No. 8 hitter, David Bote, took a first-pitch slider from opposing starter Casey Mize to shallow right-center for an RBI single and the first run of the game.

“Just enough barrel to muscle it out and get the Cubs on the board,” Marquee Sports Network analyst Sean Marshall said on Cubs Postgame Live!

Nico Hoerner, the No. 9 hitter, followed Bote’s lead by battling through five pitches from Mize before lining a single up the middle to give the Cubs a 2-0 lead.

But one of the most important at-bats of the game came in 4th inning with Bote at the plate. As Mize crept over 60 pitches and his command wavered, Bote stayed patient at the plate. He worked Mize to a 3-2 count before seeing a slider in the upper third of the zone and letting loose. The result was a 455-foot home run, Bote’s longest of 2020 and the second longest of his career.

Even though Bote is eighth on the team in plate appearances, he sits second on the team in average exit velocity, behind only Kyle Schwarber.

Exit velocity is relevant because balls hit over a threshold of 95 mph have a much greater chance of doing damage. In 2020, balls hit 95 mph or harder have a slugging percentage of 1.088 entering Monday. Balls hit below 95 mph have a slugging percentage of only .256.

“[Casey Mize] was off the plate most of the night,” Marshall said. “And Bote wasn’t fishing until he hung that slider.”

After Bote’s home run in the 4th, Hoerner stepped into the box and continued to do more damage. He chopped a 1-1 slider to third base and hustled down the first-base line to force the Tigers’ first baseman to drop the ball on a high throw. After stealing second base a few pitches later — the first stolen base of his career — he came around to score on an RBI single from Anthony Rizzo.

Bote and Hoerner have anchored the bottom of the Cubs’ lineup most of the season. When Javy Báez and Kris Bryant kick back into gear, the Cubs lineup will be a formidable challenge for any team in the National League.

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