In a punchless offensive effort to seal a home sweep at the hands of the Phillies Thursday, the Cubs’ season-long struggles against right-handed pitching were at the forefront.
The North Siders entered Friday’s matchup with Guardians right-hander Cal Quantrill with a .714 OPS versus righties, ranking 18th in MLB. They finished it with Guardians catcher David Fry pitching the bottom of the eighth of a 10-1 blowout win.
Seeking left-handed balance from midseason call-ups in outfielder Mike Tauchman and now Jared Young platooning at first base with Trey Mancini, Cubs manager David Ross noted the importance of the two lefties, who were front and center in both a two-run third inning and four-run fourth. Young singled in the third before Tauchman’s walk loaded the bases for the middle of the Cubs order, and Young followed up with a two-run triple in the fourth before Tauchman singled him home.
“Through that winning stretch we were going through, those left-handed bats were really important to balance out [the lineup],” said Ross. “We were really heavy right-handed at the top early on and we’ve swung the bat really well against lefties. That left-handed bats coming alive as of late has really sparked our offense.”
Draft prep begins
Saturday begins the Cubs’ formal meetings in preparation for the MLB Draft, which starts July 9.
Owning the 13th overall pick and a $8,962,000 total bonus pool, the Cubs are firmly outside the window where Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews or Wyatt Langford will fall to them after starring in the College World Series final. And despite expecting the next few years to represent a window of contention, vice president of scouting Dan Kantrovitz said there’s no directive to seek players with shorter development paths.
“I don’t think it’s something you ignore,” Kantrovitz said of the team’s short-term goals. ”But I’ve never been a part of a draft where it’s a major factor.”
Perhaps not coincidentally, mock drafts have connected the Cubs to high school players, with ESPN projecting them to take Florida shortstop Arjun Nimmala and Baseball America projecting Massachusetts left-hander Thomas White, respectively. In the last two years, the Cubs have used their pool money creatively to land high-ceiling prep players in the second round for over-slot bonuses, with infielder James Triantos in 2021 and left-hander Jackson Ferris last year.
Whether the Cubs repeat such a strategy depends on how the chips fall next weekend.
“That’s something that we have to just be prepared for, and is usually reactionary based on the first pick or two,” said Kantrovitz. “We don’t want to be left with money to deploy and then have players not be available.”
Injury updates
— Marcus Stroman will start Saturday’s game against the Guardians, with Ross saying the right-hander had “no lingering effects” during his recent bullpen session from a blister on his right index finger that forced him to leave his last outing early.
— Outfielder Seiya Suzuki remained out Friday with neck stiffness, but was able to hit on the field pregame. Ross said Suzuki was available to play if needed Friday, and could play Saturday.
The first north side bomb
Singles-hitting Nick Madrigal had two homers with the White Sox in 2021, but after a right hamstring tear that was still sapping his power throughout last season, his Cubs teammates raucously celebrated his sixth inning solo shot to left for the breakthrough that it was.
“We’ve got some inside jokes in the clubhouse,” said Madrigal. “The main thing is we’re having fun out there, joking with each other and pulling for each other at the end of the day. I think that’s what makes special teams.”
