In the late innings with the game close and traffic on the bases, Patrick Wisdom is the type of hitter you want at the plate.
Just not to bunt.
Wisdom stepped in with nobody out and runners on first and second with the Cubs trailing 7-6 in the top of the seventh. He has the power to blow the game open, but instead attempted to lay down a bunt on a 3-1 count. He lined the bunt back to Fernando Cruz, who caught it and prevented the runners from moving.
Chicago ultimately did not bring home any runners in the inning and lost 7-6.
Wisdom had been hit by a pitch on the wrist in his previous at-bat, but stayed in the game (his X-rays came back clean after the game). That prompted some thought that the bunt might have been a health-driven decision, but Cubs manager David Ross offered his rationale on “Bernstein and Holmes”.
"That was on me, I made that decision," Ross said. "Guys at first and second, he got hit on the wrist the time before, there were a lot of question marks within that. He was taking swings in the cage the inning before, felt like he was good enough to play – but we all know actual game speed, contact, swings are a little bit different.
"One, (we had) contact behind him with (Eric) Hosmer, and plenty of matchup stuff behind Wis, so wanted to get those guys into scoring position, second and third. Got to a 3-1 count, still an advantage count for Wis, he just happened to not execute the bunt.
"We’ll kind of never know how those things will play out. Maybe he hits a three-run homer if we let him swing away, or maybe he strikes out and we don’t get anything. But yeah, I think it’s one of those, I’ve got a lot of question marks about how he feels, trusting the feedback I’m getting from my trainers and also trusting the feedback he’s telling me of how he can perform."
Ross also noted that he did have a pinch-hitter ready to go just in case, but decided against using him.
“Sure, I had that batter ready. But when it was first and second, nobody out, the obvious play for me with the question marks and still wanting to have that matchup behind him when they brought in (Reiver) Sanmartin, the easy play for me was to ask him to sacrifice. I knew he could do that, he is a good bunter, I know he didn't’ get it down but he’s a very fundamentally sound player and he just didn’t execute. But absolutely, I had a pinch-hitter ready.”
Overall, it seems Ross was confident in the decision to bunt, more or less regardless of who was hitting in that spot. In such a case, you can't really blame him for not burning one of his pinch-hitters just to bunt when Wisdom is perfectly capable of doing that. However, it's fair to wonder if bunting at all was the wisest move in that spot.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram