Left fielder Ian Happ delivers late in Cubs' 5-1 win
Left fielder Ian Happ stopped and stared as he drifted towards his right as his ball traveled in the air.
He didn’t crush the ball, but with how the wind has acted at Wrigley Field the past couple of days, who knew if the ball would leave the field?
But the Cubs finally got the bases-clearing home run that has eluded them during their offensive drought after Happ’s three-run shot to left-center field, his seventh of the season, in Saturday's 5-1 win vs. the Cardinals.
The Cubs put together their best offensive performance on Saturday. The five runs were the most the team had scored since June 5 vs. the White Sox.
“We got a big hit and a little bit of exhale for sure,” manager Craig Counsell said. “It's a game changer."
Amid their offensive struggles, Counsell has expressed that they’re doing the right things, but the results aren’t showing up in the box score.
The Cubs' fortunes turned slightly on Saturday. First baseman Cody Bellinger scored the team’s first run in the fourth inning after an error by pitcher Chris Roycroft after he dropped a dribbler running towards first base.
For weeks — whether it was the weather or getting unlucky — the Cubs weren’t getting those types of breaks.
The Cubs were just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, but Happ’s homer was the game-changing hit the team has sorely lacked over the past month. A home run can compensate for many shortcomings and ease the pressure on the bullpen.
“[To] just to give us a little bit of a cushion, a little bit easier in the bullpen — [starter Shota Imanaga] pitched fantastic — but to not have to give the bullpen a one-run lead and try to ask them to hold it,” Happ said.
Wicks update
The Cubs placed left-hander Jordan Wicks on the 15-day IL with a Grade 2 right oblique strain and recalled right-hander Keegan Thompson from Triple-A Iowa.
In 10 relief appearances at Iowa, Thompson has a 4.40 ERA. The move gives the Cubs another arm in the bullpen as they deal with injuries to Wicks and right-hander Ben Brown.
Counsell said Saturday that he hasn’t talked to president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer about bringing in outside reinforcements.
“We're always talking about trying to improve the team,” Counsell said. “That conversation happens at all times of the year. But nothing beyond that.”
With no trades imminent, right-hander Kyle Hendricks will likely return to the rotation after moving to the bullpen after his disastrous start to the season — 10.57 ERA in seven starts.
Injury updates
• Right-hander Caleb Kilian threw a bullpen (32 pitches) on Friday. He is currently on the 60-day IL (shoulder).
• Right-hander Julian Merryweather threw a bullpen yesterday (26 pitches). Merryweather is recovering from a stress fracture in his rib and isn’t expected back until after the All-Star break.
• Reliever Yency Almonte threw a live bullpen on Friday in Arizona and returned to Chicago for his next steps. The team placed him on the IL with a right shoulder strain. His return would boost the bullpen given the recent rash of injuries.
Counsell said Almonte will throw another bullpen on Monday or Tuesday and then go on a rehab assignment.