Cubs make room for rookies, rally to beat Marlins
The best thing a veteran player can do for a younger teammate, according to Cubs manager David Ross, is buy him breakfast.
And share advice between bites, of course.
"I was a breakfast in the morning guy and going back and taking a nap because Dave Roberts used to do that to me when I was in LA," Ross said. "I say that to the guys in the (locker) room every year, those guys that are coming up will remember how you impacted their career much more than what you did on the field."
That theme has taken hold this weekend, as Eric Hosmer stepped aside to open up first base for Matt Mervis. Rookie catcher Miguel Amaya is in a similar situation, trying to show he's capable of backing up the injured Yan Gomes.
Amaya collected his first major-league hit Saturday and Mervis had an RBI single for the second straight day as the Cubs rallied with 3 runs in the eighth inning to beat Miami 4-2 at Wrigley Field. The go-ahead hit was a 2-run single from Nick Madrigal.
Before the game, Hosmer talked about why he chose to join the Cubs this season, while being well aware of the monster numbers Mervis posted in the minors last year.
"I think Matty's a guy the whole league is aware about," Hosmer said. "It takes a lot of good communication from Rossy and (team president) Jed (Hoyer) and all of those guys. It's not something that's just completely out of the dark, it's something I knew before signing here. I'm ready to do whatever I can to help the team win."
Asked why he chose to sign with the Cubs, knowing he wouldn't have a starting job for long, Hosmer gave an answer the marketing department should love.
"Because it's a good team. (Winning) is the best feeling you can have in this game," said Hosmer, who won a World Series with Kansas City in 2015. "I saw the way the team ended last year. I saw some of the moves they made in the offseason, I knew about some of the guys coming up.
"I felt it was the best possible chance to win and that's what I want to be a part of. It seems like it could be a good place to be for a long time."
Everything was set up for Mervis to deliver a heroic performance Saturday. Trailing 2-1 in the eighth, Cody Bellinger reached on an error, then Marlins right fielder Peyton Burdick misplayed Trey Mancini's pop fly into a double, putting runners on second and third with nobody out.
Mervis struck out, but Madrigal stepped up next and ripped a 2-run single to the right side, past the drawn-in infield.
"I think any kid growing up dreams of those situations and trying to help the team win in the last couple innings," Madrigal said. "I definitely want to be the guy in those situations. I think you could ask anyone in this clubhouse, they want to be the guy. That's what makes this team special."
Amaya stepped up next, pinch-hitting for Tucker Barnhart against a left-handed pitcher. In his first two games with the Cubs, Amaya had five batted balls with a 100-plus exit velocity, but no hits to show for it. This time, he hit a slow bouncer that eluded the middle infielders and brought home Madrigal to make it 4-2.
"Baseball gods, man. Sometimes you hit it hard, it goes straight to a fielder," Amaya said. "I just got jammed on my hands. I put it in play and things happened."
This was a huge moment for the Panama native, with his parents watching from the stands. During his postgame television interview, Amaya sang along with "Go Cubs Go."
"Excited right now, emotional, living the dream," he said in the clubhouse. "(His parents) are living the dream too. They're crying so much, they're excited. They feel like they hit that ball too. They're having so much fun right now."
Drew Smyly couldn't find his knuckle curve, threw 36 pitches in the first inning and left before completing the fourth. The Cubs got nice relief efforts from Michael Rucker and Keegan Thompson, then Adbert Alzolay earned his first save of the season.
"It was one of those days, I was fighting myself, my mechanics," Smyly said. "It was pretty obvious their approach right from the get-go, they were trying not to swing at my curveball. We recognized it, I just couldn't make the adjustment today."
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