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Hamels sets table for Chicago Cubs, Bote clears plate in big win

Baseball fans at Wrigley Field and around the country watched the continuing birth of a major-league career Sunday night and the rebirth of another.

Both bode well for the Chicago Cubs.

Rookie David Bote brought the house down with his walk-off grand slam, giving the Cubs another wild and wacky "Sunday Night Baseball" victory, this time 4-3 over the Washington Nationals.

Bote has been up and down this year between the Cubs and their Class AAA Iowa farm team, but he may be here to stay.

On the other end of the spectrum, pitcher Cole Hamels just about matched Nationals ace Max Scherzer pitch for pitch through seven innings, as he gave up only 1 hit and 1 run.

The 34-year-old lefty came over from Texas in a July 27 trade after going 5-9 with a 4.72 ERA for the Rangers.

It looks now like he has taken a big swig from the fountain of youth as he has gone 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 18 innings in 3 starts with the Cubs.

Both players graced the postgame interview room. Bote still was coming down from the high of running the bases and getting doused with liquid refreshment during his on-field TV interviews.

Just as he was in spring training, Bote was poised and confident without coming off as cocky. He is in his fifth stint with the big club this season, and he has looked like he belongs each time.

The key, he says, is that his teammates, manager and coaching staff have allowed him to be himself. That has been a trait of the Joe Maddon-managed Cubs teams since 2015.

"It started in spring," Bote said. "The whole adage of, 'Speak when spoken to,' that's not it. One time, I think it was a couple of months ago, I didn't say hi to (teammate Kyle) Schwarber. (He said), 'You're not going to say hi?' It's like, 'Yeah, we're buddies, say what's up.'

"It's stuff like that, little things like, 'I'll come pat you on the back when you had a tough at-bat.' You build trust. From the staff down, Joe creating environments of no ego on his (inspiration-themed) paintings. Everybody buys into it, and it's awesome."

Bote was selected by the Cubs in the 18th round of the 2012 draft, the same draft that produced center fielder Albert Almora Jr. He spent six years in the minor leagues and broke out last year at Class AA Tennessee with a line of .272/.353/.438 with 14 home runs and 59 RBI.

Bote caught Maddon's eye in spring training, and in 34 big-league games this season, he has a line of .329/.418/.539 with 3 homers and 18 RBI.

"Some guy can come up and play pretty well, but the way he cavorts sometimes could rub people the wrong way. But David doesn't do that," Maddon said. "David is one of those seamless-transition kind of guys. He's easily accepted man to man. It's the way he speaks to you, the way he looks you in the eyeballs, the way he supports everybody else here. He's all about winning.

"And on top of that, he's playing so well. I think who he is and how he's playing are one and the same. Those two concepts or thoughts permit him to be accepted."

Renaissance man Hamels has been around the block a few more times than has Bote, who relished his quick trip around the bases Sunday night.

With Texas, Hamels was pitching for a last-place team going nowhere. There's another adage in baseball that says a "change of scenery can do a player good."

Hamels seems to like his new surroundings and the effect they may be having on his game, something the Cubs are counting on down the stretch and into the postseason, if they hold on and make it to October.

"I think anytime you get placed into a pennant race, you start to discover a little bit more that's in the tank that you might not necessarily have been able to go down and really gather," Hamels said. "At the same time, I was really focusing a lot even when I was down there (in Texas), trying to correct my mechanics.

"There was something that was off. I knew it was off. It's just a matter of trying to identify it and then putting in the work to get the muscle memory so that I could actually go out there and perform at the level I'm capable of doing.

"It's now being able to see that and getting the results. That's how you build momentum. That's how I get back to what I know I'm capable of doing. And it's going out there and helping the team win ballgames."

Of course, Hamels is no stranger to Wrigley Field. He pitched a no-hitter against the Cubs while with the Philadelphia Phillies in July 2015. About a year later, he came back as a member of the Rangers and beat the Cubs 4-1, pitching 8 innings of 4-hit, 1-run (unearned) ball.

"Being here in Wrigley, getting the fans behind you and getting that momentum, that gives you a little bit of jolt of energy that you can use," he said. "It's nice to actually be on their side this time."

• Follow Bruce's baseball reports on Twitter @BruceMiles2112.

The Cubs' David Bote rounds the bases after his two out, ninth inning grand slam beat Washington Sunday night at Wrigley Field. Associated Press
Cole Hamels was solid in the Cubs' win over Washington Sunday at Wrigley Field, and has been nothing short of spectacular since coming over in a trade with Texas. Associated Press

Scouting reportCubs vs. Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field

<h3 class="breakHead">TV:</h3>

NBC Sports Chicago Tuesday; WGN Wednesday

<h3 class="breakHead">Radio:</h3>

WSCR 670-AM

<h3 class="breakHead">Pitching matchups:</h3>

The Cubs' Jose Quintana (10-8) vs. Jhoulys Chacin (11-4) Tuesday; Kyle Hendricks (8-9) vs. Junior Guerra (6-7) Wednesday. Both games 1:20 p.m.

<h3 class="breakHead">At a glance:</h3>

Both teams have been looking to find solid footing since the all-star break. The Brewers picked up 19 hits Sunday but lost to the Braves. Milwaukee is a bottom-half team in the key offensive categories. They've added Mike Moustakas to a crowded infield picture. Lorenzo Cain has a line of .302/.391/.419 with 8 homers. Christian Yelich is at .312/.376/.522 with 18 homers and 60 RBI. The Brewers are trying to hold off the hard-charging St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central as both chase the first-place Cubs, who had been leading the NL in run differential but who entered Sunday second to the Dodgers, at plus-96. Quintana is 4-1 with an 0.92 ERA against the Brewers.

<h3 class="breakHead">Next:</h3>

Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, Friday-Sunday

- Bruce Miles

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