(670 The Score) With his team’s offense struggling of late and a few stars in prolonged slumps, Cubs manager David Ross had a message to share with everyone before a game against the Tigers on Monday evening.
“We’re going to live and die with our core guys,” Ross said.
What followed was a 9-3 win against the Tigers in which the Cubs rode those core players to success. Most notably, slumping shortstop Javier Baez broke out with a 3-for-5 night in which he homered twice.
“It was great,” Ross said. “We need Javy to be the guy that we know he is. It’s kind of one of things that the baseball season brings. You’re going to go through some cold spells. Every great player goes through it. He’s definitely put in the work. His teammates have supported him. I think he mentioned that a couple times.”
Baez is now hitting .213 with five homers, 13 RBIs and a .685 OPS in 28 games. Entering play Monday, Baez was 5-of-41 with just one RBI in his past 12 games and hadn’t homered since Aug. 1.
“He’s a guy we rely on,” Ross said. “We trust him. He works hard. He’s got a lot that he brings – even when he’s not hitting – to our team and to our success. It’s nice to see him get going. I know he expects good things out of himself. Last night was a nice start in the right direction.”
Like Baez, catcher Willson Contreras (.214 batting average, two homers, .694 OPS) and third baseman Kris Bryant (.177 batting average, two homers and a .594 OPS while currently on the injured list) have struggled for long stretches as well.
Through the adversity, Ross believes in all of them and is pleased with the team’s 18-10 record that has Chicago sitting atop the NL Central.
“I’ve seen them do it,” Ross said of his core. “I’ve watched them have success. I’ve watched them play in the big moments, to carry this team to a world championship. I saw it at a young age and a young point in their careers. All that stuff, that talent, that mentality, that poise in the big moment, I’ve seen all that. There are some things, experiences that you can’t teach. You have to go through things, and that group of guys has been through so much and the adversity they’ve overcome and the expectations they’ve always had on them and risen to the occasion almost their entire careers, that’s what makes me have a lot of confidence in them.”