CHICAGO – The Cubs have learned to embrace some of the chaotic environment of Wrigley Field, trying to use the elements to their advantage at times. Take a day like Sunday, when the wind had the flags rattling the poles around the ballpark as it howled out and toyed with fly balls.
After the initial shock of experiencing Wrigley regularly for the first time a few years ago, Cubs manager Craig Counsell has since preached trying to turn the unpredictability into a strength. And in an 8-4 win over the D-backs on Sunday afternoon, the North Siders offered a glimpse into how they are owning their territory right now.
“There are strange plays at Wrigley, for sure,” Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner said. “But over the course of a year, I do feel like it plays to our advantage. Something since the beginning of his time here Counse has really emphasized is just dominating Wrigley, making it our own, embracing all the types of games that we have here.”
With Sunday’s victory, the Cubs have now won 11 consecutive games at home, marking the longest winning streak at the Confines for the club since a 14-game run between May and June in 2008. Chicago is currently 14-5 at Wrigley Field on the year, while ranking fourth in ERA (2.98), fourth in runs scored (101) and fifth in OPS (.796) in the Majors at home.
There are afternoons like Saturday that feature the wind blowing in, creating a cold climate and making it a pitchers’ haven. Shota Imanaga used it to his advantage in a 2-0 win. Then, there is what Sunday offered: wind blowing out to the point that it could get into each pitcher’s head before a single pitch was thrown.
“All I can say is from experience,” Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd said, “there’s hits that are outs at Wrigley and there are outs that are hits at Wrigley, because of the dimensions, because of the way the field is, the wind. It’s not consistent day-to-day. And those things can’t affect how you go out there and pitch. You have to stay on the attack. Stuff’s going to happen.”
And the latest win offered examples of how the Cubs find moments to put all they have learned from the place into practice.
As Boyd put it: stuff happened.
Exhibit A arrived in the second inning, when Michael Busch lofted a two-out pitch from D-backs starter Merrill Kelly to center field. It looked like a routine flyout, but consider this from Hoerner: “Pop-ups at Wrigley are kind of a funky thing in general.”
With that in mind, Busch was running hard out of the box on the play, during which D-backs center fielder Jorge Barrosa had to shift into high gear before making a diving attempt at the ball. On a play with a Statcast-projected 3% hit probability, the baseball found the grass and Busch wound up on second with a fluky double.
“You look at the score today and it looks like it doesn’t matter, but everything matters,” Counsell said. “It’s another example of this ballpark. This was going to be a tough day.”
That play set up a run-scoring single from Carson Kelly to get the Cubs’ offense rolling. In the third, rookie Moisés Ballesteros then sent a 1-0 offering into the jetstream for a two-run, opposite-field homer that gave Chicago the lead. Busch later added a three-run triple in the fifth (en route to four RBIs in the win).
And then in the sixth, Hoerner put his knowledge of the old ballpark on display, too.
With one out and the Cubs holding a 6-2 lead, Corbin Carroll drew a walk from Boyd and then tried to steal second base. Hoerner hustled to the bag, as Ildemaro Vargas (batting at the time) hit a soft liner to the right side. Hoerner did his best to confuse Carroll at the base for a split second before hustling after the ball.
“The play was right in front of Nico,” Boyd said. “He deked Corbin into hanging out at the base a tick longer. It’s a heads-up play.”
The Cubs second baseman then bolted back across the infield, catching the ball on the edge of the dirt before jumping, spinning and throwing to first base to double up Carroll. Hoerner said on a day when the wind is blowing in, Busch probably reels that ball in closer to first base.
“With the wind blowing out, I try to overrun anything behind me,” Hoerner said. “Like, really try to get behind it. … It’s cool when you play the game for so long and there’s still new things popping up. It’s fun to get outs like that.”
The D-backs are probably thrilled to escape the chaos Wrigley offers. The Cubs are finding ways to use it to their advantage.
“This is the best place to play in the big leagues,” Boyd said.