[ad_1]
WASHINGTON – Not once, not twice, but three times during Sunday afternoon’s rubber game Rafael Ortega was able to run around the bases, taking him to four home runs in his last two games. Since the All-Star break, the outfielder has had a more stable playing time and he took advantage with a hot streak.
Ortega single-handedly kept the Cubs in the series final by tying a franchise record with three home runs in one game, although they were ultimately eliminated in a 6-5 loss at Nationals Park.
The outfielder has only had two homers in 47 games this year entering the three-game series with the Nationals, but with Ian Happ struggling, manager David Ross wanted to try something different early on.
“He’s on fire,” Ross said. “He was such a catalyst at the top [of the lineup] for us since I moved up there. It’s a very big bat on the bench, he’s locked up. I think he’s on fire. Big, big problem [at the] top of our range for other teams. It’s good.”
In his first batting of the series finals, Ortega hit a 391-foot homerun, the first homer of his career. So began the unofficial home run derby at Nationals Park.
The Cubs offense was blocked trying to catch up after starting pitcher Adbert Alzolay allowed four runs in third and fourth frames, but luckily for Chicago, Ortega had three more appearances at bat. The outfielder said he doesn’t think about hitting a home run or breaking records when he is at home plate. He just wanted to do whatever he could to put his team in a position to win by giving their maximum effort.
After hitting a single just 105.3 mph from his bat early in the third inning, Ortega again entered the batter’s box in the sixth, ready to do some damage. His second home run of the day broke through the wall of right field, bringing Andrew Romine in front of him.
When the tie came to home plate, the Nationals decided to pitch to Ortega, a move they would soon regret. After working a full count, the outfielder was given a change in the middle. His two-run shot tied the game at 5-5, although the Cubs’ box couldn’t hang on to force more innings after Manuel Rodríguez gave Yadiel Hernandez a homer in the bottom of the ninth.
Prior to that series in Washington, Ortega had never made a first home run in the Majors, had never made a homerun in back-to-back games, or had never made more than four homers in a season. By the end of Sunday’s game, he had completed all three. Ross knows the stars are rising and stepping up, and he hopes this show of power is proof of the star potential for his outfielder.
“I think he’s starting to feel comfortable and understand,” Ross said of Ortega’s new front row role. “He didn’t have a lot of points when he first came off the bench in his role. … He hit the ball hard, it was right on a line, [but] lately he becomes [it] in the air and he sees it wearing.
It’s no secret what happened to this line of Cubs before the trade deadline. Ortega knows it will take time to fill the void left by Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Báez. But Chicago’s new head hitter is realistic in his approach – he just wants to do his best and help raise his team as he can.
“[It was] sad to see these guys go, especially after what they did, ”said Ortega. “They brought a championship to town, didn’t they? So, something that is difficult to imitate. It’s something that we’re going to try to do our best to fill these shoes, these roles. We have a lot of young guys, [and] we’re going to try to do our best and we’re going to try to make the fans proud and happy with what we’re doing on the pitch.
[ad_2]
Source link