Baez, Soler on center stage for Cubs
No, Cubs fans probably won't be able to watch a lineup featuring Starlin Castro, Anthony Rizzo, Jorge Soler and Javier Baez the rest of the way this year.
And, no, manager Rick Renteria won't be able to see his batting order of the future do damage in September.
But, yes, there are plenty of reasons to stay tuned.
Castro (ankle) and Rizzo (back) both are likely out for the year with injuries.
Fear not. Soler and Baez are still playing, and Kyle Hendricks is still pitching.
The Cubs jumped all over former teammate Matt Garza for 8 hits and 6 runs in 3 innings Wednesday night, and Hendricks fell one out short of a quality start as the Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-2 for a three-game sweep at Wrigley Field.
Although the Cubs would love to play spoilers at full strength, they'll have to settle for taking a look at some other players.
"It's disappointing," general manager Jed Hoyer said. "There will be a lot of time to see those guys together. We were all excited to see our whole lineup put together and see how they produce together, but there's time for that."
The Cubs got the bounce-back years they were looking for from Castro and Rizzo, so in that sense it's mission accomplished for 2014. That's why Renteria wasn't fretting over what might have been.
"I think it's probably an easier thing for me to do now that I've seen Starlin and Riz at their best," he said. "I think the most important thing now is for me to see the other guys and see how they fall into the lineups that we end up putting forth the next month.
"I think the foundation that Riz and Starlin have laid out and a lot of the guys that have been here all year even before the young men that have come here, they've done some very positive things. It will be easier than people might think for me to kind of envision how we might roll the lineup out."
With Castro out, Baez moves back from second base to his more natural position of shortstop. Hoyer reiterated that Castro is the Cubs' shortstop, both now and going forward. Even though it might benefit Baez to play second base, the Cubs seem to feel it's best to have him at short.
"For me, I think it's obvious how much more comfortable he is at shortstop than at second," Hoyer said. "He makes plays more instinctually when he's playing short. His movements look more natural than they do at second base. I think that will come."
As for Hendricks (6-1, 2.02 ERA), he was named the National League rookie of the month for August, when he went 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA.
Against the Brewers, he breezed through the first 5 innings, giving up only a run in the second. He threw 25 pitches in the sixth and left with the bases loaded before Justin Grimm bailed him out. Hendricks neither walked nor struck out anyone in his 5⅔ innings.
"Overall I didn't have my stuff out there tonight," he said. "I had to battle. I gave up some weak hits, but overall I didn't make a lot of good pitches. Luckily I was able to get away with it somehow."
bmiles@dailyherald.com