CHICAGO -- Patrick Wisdom is not a rookie in the conventional sense. The former first-round pick of the Cardinals has spent time in the Majors with three clubs over four years. He will celebrate his 30th birthday later this month.
All of that said, Wisdom is only now getting a chance to leave a lasting impression with a Cubs team in a period of transition. In Friday's 6-2 loss to the Royals, he continued to seize the opportunity in front of him with his latest home run.
"This is a good time for guys to come up and prove themselves," Cubs starter Zach Davies said. "Obviously, we're trying to win baseball games. That's no different than earlier in the year.
"But you get excited for guys having career days or doing something that they wouldn't have had the opportunity without this situation that we're in."
With that in mind, here are two takeaways from Friday's game:
Wisdom watch
When Kansas City's Brad Keller missed over the heart of the plate with a sinker, Wisdom connected for a classic Wrigley Field homer. The ball rocketed over left field, soared beyond the bleachers and headed out to Waveland Ave.
The homer was the 19th of the season for Wisdom, who leads all National League rookies (even though he joined the Cubs in late May). What Chicago is trying to find out is whether the corner infielder/outfielder can stick long term as a source or power for an overhauled lineup.
"When you find a guy or two that may pop like that," Cubs manager David Ross said, "that's a luxury, I definitely would believe. And then being able to capitalize on that is important and gives you the flexibility in other areas."
The Cubs will be giving players like Frank Schwindel and Rafael Ortega -- also journeymen who are 29 and 30, respectively -- a look down the stretch with 2022 in mind. They have been offensive boons in recent weeks, but sustainability is the aspect under evaluation.
In Wisdom's case, he burst onto the scene with a .295/.361/.705 slash line and 11 homers in his first 34 games through June. Then, he went through an 18-game funk (.190/.230/.362) followed by an 18-game correction (.253/.325/.453), leading up to Friday's game.
"That's what we're watching every day, right?" Ross said. "We're trying to win ballgames. We're also watching these guys go through what a Major League season consists of -- the ups and downs and the league adjusting to them, them adjusting back. I've seen a lot of great signs in that."
For Davies, third time's not a charm
Davies was a part of a combined no-hitter earlier this season and has, at times, featured one of baseball's best changeups. This year, however, the veteran righty has consistently run into trouble deep in his starts.
Consider Davies' 2021 splits for opponents' production each time through the order:
First: .210 average (.686 OPS)
Second: .260 average (.774 OPS)
Third: .412 average (1.138 OPS)
That pattern held against Kansas City, which launched four solo homers across the fourth, fifth and sixth innings against Davies. That included a pair by Salvador Perez, and one apiece by Andrew Benintendi and Emmanuel Rivera.
"After we got a lead early, I put them in a bad spot," Davies said.
Not all home runs are created equal, though.
The first blast by Perez came on a changeup that was just 1.08 feet off the ground. No Royals hitter has belted a home run on a lower pitch since Statcast began tracking in 2015. Benintendi's shot came via a cutter in and off the plate.
"Two good pitches," Davies said, "and two bad pitches for the home runs."
Davies held the Royals to a 1-for-8 showing with no runs allowed the first time through the order, followed by 2-for-9 on the second pass and 2-for-6 on the third. All together, it raised his season ERA to 5.04 through 26 starts.
While players like Wisdom are under club control and auditioning for 2022, Davies is on the cusp of free agency. The right-hander knows as well as anyone that the Cubs will have plenty of need for rotation help over the offseason.
"I'm still trying to perform," Davies said. "I'm still trying to have my games, too, but I know the situation that we're in and I'm trying to find the positive in every day."