(670 The Score) Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer on Tuesday expressed an understanding of manager David Ross' devotion to relying on the players and lineup constructions that he has used for so much of the season, even as the club hit a five-game losing skid recently and a couple promising youngsters often sit on the bench without being utilized much.
For weeks, Ross has remained steadfast in his belief that, "The guys who got us here are going to play." That initially meant 23-year-old outfielder Alexander Canario was hardly used at all after he was called up on Sept. 1, and 21-year-old outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has been used only sparingly since being promoted on Sept. 11.
Canario finally got his first chance to start Tuesday, and he responded with a huge game, going 2-for- 4 with a grand slam, a double and five RBIs in the Cubs' 14-1 win against the Pirates at Wrigley Field. Prior to the game Tuesday, as Canario's first start loomed, Hoyer expressed support for Ross' decisions while also acknowledging "new energy" can be helpful.
"Those are almost impossible decisions or questions to answer," Hoyer said. "Ultimately, you can only make one decision in that moment. If it works, people think it's smart. And if (it doesn't), people say you should have done the other. You never know what thing actually led to what happened. Does changing the batting order help us start hitting? Or were we going to start hitting regardless? We'll never know, because we can't do both.
"Those are really hard (decisions). I do understand the desire to believe in the group of guys that kind of dragged us to this point, that got us to not sell at the deadline, that did that. I understand that that's been the group in the fight the whole time. They had been playing every day. I think I understand that from a clubhouse dynamic. But you're right, there are times a fresh bat or new energy can help as well. I don't think it's easy to answer. It's kind of chicken-or-egg on those things."
