Some players more clutch than others? Maddon, Lackey say yes

The recently in-vogue debate over whether "clutch" players exist in baseball came to the fore Friday at Wrigley Field.

Old-schoolers and almost every baseball player will tell you that clutch hitters and clutch pitchers indeed exist.

Many new-schoolers and statistically oriented analysts say there is no such thing as innate clutch ability.

During Friday's 6-0 Cubs victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, Addison Russell went into the game in the seventh inning to play shortstop after getting most of the afternoon off. Russell delivered a 2-run double in the eighth inning as the Cubs broke open a 1-0 game.

Russell has gotten some key hits for the Cubs recently, and manager Joe Maddon was asked about the concept of clutch. Maddon is one who straddles both the old and new-school of thought.

"It just indicates how (Russell) is able to slow his process down in those particular moments," Maddon said. "There are some guys you never want to see in that moment. There are other guys you want to see there all the time.

"I know clutch hitting has always been disputed as nonexistent, except if you're in either dugout, and then you know that it does (exist)."

If there really is an old school, Cubs pitcher John Lackey might be the principal of that school. Lackey, who does not mince words, said he emphatically believes clutch players exist.

"One hundred percent," he said. "There's winning players and there's losing players. Absolutely a fact. I've seen it. It's not just based on talent level and that sort of thing. There's some people that know how to win."

Rondon good to go:

Closer Hector Rondon warmed up Friday but with the Cubs blowing open the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, there was no save situation, so Rondon sat back down.

He has been bothered this week by back stiffness, but he was good to go, if needed. Manager Joe Maddon did say it was good to give Rondon's back another day of rest.

This and that:

The Cubs are 7-1 on the homestand. Their 38-15 start to the season is the franchise's second-best start since 1900. The 1907 Cubs started 40-12 .,. Javier Baez hit a 2-run double, giving him back-to-back multi-RBI games for the first time in his career.