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PHOENIX – Maybe the Chicago Cubs have found the secret to play without a real rapprochement: dominate opposition to the baton while taking backup opportunities out of the equation. There was no need for a ninth run on Tuesday as a team in freefall for much of the second half started waking up.
"We stacked them on top of each other," said second baseman Daniel Murphy about the Cubs at-bats after a 9-1 win over Arizona. "Sustained pressure on the opponent's thrower." Traffic at the beginning of the run.
Bullpen's difficulties could cripple the two contenders in October. Can they take a page of former pennant winners with similar setbacks?
The Cubs close to Brandon Morrow, unavailable since mid-July by a bone contusion, will not revive this season, said Tuesday Theo Epstein, president of the baseball operations of the team.
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The Cubs won 5-1 after two goals – thanks in part to a single and a Murphy circuit – and they added points later, taking a little hard time knowing that the good Brandon Morrow is over for the year. The injury to the bones of the forearm of the closet, which has prevented it since the break of the stars, has not healed. Meanwhile, his backup, Pedro Strop, is also down, so the Cubs will mix and match more than ever late in the games.
At least they will be in those who are not explosions. Tuesday's drama ended early, thanks to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. His first shot of 17 shots against Matt Andriese was a thing of beauty. He made five shots on a 0-2 count, then six more at 2-2.
The sequence set things up for the next hitter, MVP candidate Javier Baez. Rizzo finally made an exit, but he did not feel like a moment later, when Baez hit his 33rd circuit of the season in the center right stands.
"When you wear throwers like that, it puts the next player and the next to succeed," said Rizzo. "We want to have this team culture to keep doing that."
That makes the Cubs look their best, especially when their left-handed hitters pass through. It's an essential month of October, as most teams – apart from the Cubs at least – have good starters and straight arms. The advantage of the peloton is useful, and with the return of left-handed Jason Heyward from a hamstring injury – he dubbed at his first meeting this month – the Cubs can boast of the fact that they have a good time. have a dangerous choice of leftist hitters. This depth was posted Tuesday, while Murphy, Heyward, Rizzo and Ben Zobrist all contributed to the victory.
"I like the fact that we have a bunch of left-handers," said manager Joe Maddon. "I enjoyed our lineup tonight with Jason back."
Maddon will have two more choices when Kyle Schwarber and Tommy La Stella return from minor back problems this weekend. It's time to start a teeming mindset, as Cubs begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Their magic number is only eight after second place Milwaukee Brewers face the Cincinnati Reds while the Cubs were beating the Arizona Diamondbacks.
"It's always nice to move in one direction and see another team moving in another direction," said Murphy smiling.
On Thursday, most Cubs will not move anywhere, as it will be their first day in 31, not at a baseball stadium. Their grueling run ends on a high note as they have already won the series against Arizona after a 5-1 victory on Monday. The victory of Tuesday's match was even better. While Murphy was supposed to be at the baseball stadium on Monday, he spent the night. He showed in his bats the next day.
"Joe did a great job with all of us to save time," Murphy said. "I thought all the attack was great … Super-bats from Rizzo's bat in the first."
Perhaps this is the answer to the ninth question asked by the Cubs: Make it useless. It's doubtful that a team could do that for three rounds of the playoffs, but that may not be what the Cubs need. Rather, just a break here or there will make for the guys who fill Morrow and Strop. They had that break on Tuesday, as the Cubs continued to move closer to a third straight title in the central division of the NL, thanks to an attack that drew his second breath.
"Whenever someone goes there, I have the impression that we are going to be dangerous," Murphy said.
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