Assad brilliant as Cubs cruise 6-2 over Toronto
The ghosts of failed road trips past still hang over the Cubs.
Earlier this season they were swept in Miami, swept in Houston, swept in Anaheim by the Angels and dropped three of four in Washington.
There would be no easier way to ruin their recent progress by coming up empty in Toronto, after losing two of three to the Mets to start the trip.
But the Cubs ignored the fear of failure and got to work right away. Nico Hoerner and Cody Bellinger homered in the first inning, then Javier Assad delivered a brilliant performance on the mound as the Cubs cruised to a 6-2 victory over the Blue Jays, improving to 2-2 on the road trip with two games left.
"We didn't win a series, then you move onto the next one. That's really all there is," Hoerner told reporters after the game. "We've got a pretty mature group for that. I feel like we're pretty well-equipped for whatever the next two months has in front of us.
"In what we experienced with the deadline, I feel like having some games that felt like they were turned up in terms of urgency and intensity, I think that will be a really good experience in the long run for our group too."
Assad has been the Cubs' best pitcher during the past six weeks, so it's no surprise he delivered another solid performance. But probably no one expected him to complete 7 innings on just 90 pitches, allowing 4 hits and 1 run.
Since June 27, Assad's ERA over 33 innings pitched is 1.09.
"Not at all surprised by what he did today, but it's still impressive," Hoerner said. "I think just in the last six weeks, you've seen him in every situation there is. You don't see a lot of pitchers in baseball doing that these days. I like the way he carries himself in general with a lot of energy, but also composure. It's a nice combination."
Assad has a starter's repertoire, throwing six different pitches, but has worked mostly out of the bullpen this season because that's where the Cubs needed help. His main pitches are the sinker and cutter. On this night, he used the four-seam fastball most often, which was a bit unusual.
He was incredibly efficient, though. After giving up the lone run in the fourth inning, Assad retired the last 10 batters he faced. He got through the fifth inning on 7 pitches, used 8 pitches in the sixth, then 10 in the seventh. He was using the fastball to get ahead and the Blue Jays might have been swinging early to avoid the cutter or sinker.
"I'm taking advantage of the opportunities, whether it's a starter or reliever," Assad said. "It definitely gives you a lot of confidence to attack the zone (when given an early lead)."
After scoring 8 total runs in three games against the Mets, the Cubs offense piled up 10 hits, two each by Hoerner, Bellinger and Ian Happ. Seiya Suzuki was back in the lineup and drilled a 2-run double into the left-field corner in the fourth inning. A Mike Tauchman single drove Suzuki home and the Cubs led 6-0.
The Cubs got to enjoy a day off Thursday after playing 16 consecutive days.
The Blue Jays spent Friday honoring Jose Bautista, who played in Toronto for 10 seasons and hit a team-record 54 home runs in 2010. Bautista signed a one-day contract so he could retire as a Blue Jay. He hasn't played for any team since 2018.
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