CHICAGO -- If the Chicago Cubs were suffering from a metaphorical hangover after clinching their division with three weeks to go before the playoffs, it wore off during Monday’s game. Just in time, too, especially for Jason Hammel.
The Cubs put up three runs in the seventh, a rally that came on the heels of Hammel’s seven quality innings to earn a 5-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Although the game itself was relatively low-stakes for the NL Central champs, the win had more than a few positive ramifications.
Hammel became the Cubs’ fourth 15-game winner, joining Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks and Jake Arrieta. The Cubs haven’t had four pitchers roll up that many W's since 1935, when Larry French, Bill Lee, Charlie Root and Lon Warneke accomplished the feat.
“When you look at any good pitching staff, when you have that many, you have to look at a lot of the other things that are going on," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "Our scouting group in there, what our guys do before the game and our catchers. They are good, and they are prepared. Beyond that, when you’re able to turn balls in play into outs as often as we can, it all blends together.”
Monday's game marked win No. 95 and pulled the Cubs closer to the coveted 100-win plateau -- a mark not reached by the organization since those '35 Cubs did it. If the Cubs can get to 101 wins -- they need to go at least 6-6 the rest of the way -- it would be the franchise’s most wins since 1910. With Washington losing at Miami, the Cubs’ magic number to clinch the NL’s best record is down to five.
“Like we’ve been saying, we’ve got goals to have home-field advantage and continue to earn what we want to work towards,” outfielder Jason Heyward said. “Nobody is going to hand you anything. We don’t feel like we’ve done anything yet.”
Hammel fell behind early, when he gave up a solo homer to Brandon Phillips in the second. The Reds added another tally in the sixth, but by and large, Hammel was sharp, flashing an effective slider and integrating a changeup he has been working on. He allowed just four hits and struck out six.
“He kept getting better,” Maddon said. “Typically with him, if he gets in a groove and you get him by a certain point, [he’ll be good].”
It was a nice bounce-back outing for Hammel, who had allowed 27 runs in his previous five outings. He improved to 7-0 with a 0.98 ERA in his past seven home starts. His 1.84 home ERA on the season ranks third in the majors.
“The whole world revolves around confidence,” Maddon said. “He definitely feels better about himself. He made some good pitches when he had to.”
For all of Hammel’s happy tidings, perhaps the best news of the night came courtesy of the Cubs’ batsmen. After being shut out for six innings by Cincinnati starter Tim Adleman, a disturbing September trend seemed to be perpetuating. At that juncture, the Cubs’ .224 team batting average this month was the worst in baseball.
But in the seventh, the bats suddenly sprang to life. Addison Russell took Adleman well into the left-field bleachers for the Cubs’ first run. It was Russell’s 21st homer of the season but just his second since Aug. 23. Two batters later, Willson Contreras sent Adleman to the showers with a monster shot to Waveland Avenue to tie the game. With two outs, Dexter Fowler’s single drove in Chris Coghlan. That put Hammel into position to pick up the win after he departed for a pinch hitter.
“Overall, it was a good sign for me,” Hammel said of his outing. “Fastball command got better as the game went along. And the team continues to prove that if you hang around for a little while, they’ll make it exciting.”
The news on offense got even better in the eighth, when Heyward rifled a shot off reliever Blake Wood to the opposite field for a two-run shot to left that provided the final margin of victory. For Heyward, who has struggled at the plate most of the season, every big hit has to feel like vindication.
“It was good that somebody didn’t catch it,” Heyward said. “It’s good that a fan caught it and not an opposing player.”
Heyward had not homered since Aug. 22, and it was just his second dinger since July 29.
“That ball was really properly struck, to the oppo gap there,” Maddon said. “Which was beautiful to see. That’s what he does.”
Maddon held an on-field meeting with his hitters before the game, in hopes of getting everyone mentally focused on a prolonged period of limbo. The Cubs have clinched the division but are still 18 days from their first playoff game. It took most of Monday's contest, but it seems like at least some of Maddon's message seeped through.
“Right now, it’s only about winning,” Maddon said. “That’s it. We want to get this whole thing functioning properly, so when we get to the postseason, we’re able to do the things that we want to do.”
With the win, the Cubs snapped a mini, two-game skid, which was significant for this reason: Chicago has not dropped three in a row since before the All-Star break. That’s pretty good.
