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Cubs beat Orioles again; new-look bullpen continues to shine

Craig Counsell's voice has perked up during the past week when talking about the list of pitchers the Cubs hope to get back from the injured list before the end of July.

Reliever Mark Leiter Jr. was activated Tuesday in Baltimore. Javier Assad, Julian Merryweather, Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks and possibly Adbert Alzolay could follow in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, the Cubs seem to have found some new bullpen stars, particularly a couple guys with exceptional length.

The Cubs shut out the Orioles 4-0 on Wednesday in Baltimore, thanks to 6 scoreless innings from all-star Shota Imanaga, followed by relievers Luke Little, Porter Hodge and Hector Neris. Christopher Morel started the scoring with a solo homer in the second.

Cody Bellinger left the game after getting hit by a pitch on the left hand in the seventh inning. Counsell didn't have a diagnosis available after the game.

The Cubs (44-49) have won five of their last six, all by at least 4 runs, and won three in a row for the first time since April. At long last, is this team finally heating up?

“We did a really nice job,” Counsell told reporters after the game. “Mo (Morel) took a big swing with the home run. We did a nice job putting together a couple rallies. It's a good pitcher, we got three runs off him and we pitched wonderfully.”

Chicago Cubs' Christopher Morel celebrates his home run as he rounds the bases during the second inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Wednesday, July 10, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) AP

One of the more positive developments for the Cubs this year is the emergence of Hodge, who made his major-league debut on May 22. He's given up runs in just one of his 13 appearances and lowered his season ERA to 1.20 by getting four outs in Wednesday's game.

Little started the seventh, gave up a hit batter and infield single with one out. Then with an 0-2 count against Orioles DH Adley Rutschman, the skies opened up and the game entered a 19-minute rain delay. When play resumed, Little threw one pitch, got a called third strike against Rutschman, then left the mound. Hodge came in to get the final out in the seventh, then pitched a scoreless eighth.

The 6-foot-8 Little and 6-4 Hodge have an interesting talent in common. According to StatCast, Hodge ranks in the 98th percentile and Little in the 96th percentile in “extension,” which means distance from the rubber that a pitch is released.

“It's just natural for me,” Hodge said of his extended extension. “I don't really try to do anything. Just throwing. I don't know how I get there.”

Counsell tried to explain recently how a pitcher with lengthy extension can affect an opposing hitter.

“Extension is just the ball's closer,” Counsell said. “(Milwaukee's) Freddy Peralta is one of the best extension pitchers — low release, extension, high spin. Hitters don't like that. Porter's ball just has some unique shape to it. His fastball's a little unique in how it moves and obviously there's good velocity with both of them.

“I think Luke has a delivery that kind of hides the ball, but you're still not sure analytically how that plays out. There's extension, there's spin rate. Those are things that hitters don't like.”

Here are some quick facts about Hodge:

· He has a twin brother.

· He grew up in Salt Lake City with impressive mountain views but has never been skiing or snowboarding.

· Even though Hodge was committed to both the University of Utah and a junior college in Nevada, he chose to sign with the Cubs when he was drafted in the 13th round in 2019. Obviously, at that point in the draft, the Cubs didn't have to break the bank to sign him, as is sometimes the case with high school stars.

“I don't know if college was for me,” Hodge said. “I felt like it would have been a waste of time for me. I didn't know what I wanted to do. I knew I was going to get taken care of with the Cubs. Definitely did some thinking about it.”

The improved bullpen is one sign that things may be turning around for the Cubs. They're also starting to hit. Bellinger, Nico Hoerner, Michael Busch and Dansby Swanson all had a pair of hits Wednesday.

Orioles starter Corbin Burnes was traded from Milwaukee to Baltimore during the off-season. In 2022 and '23, the Brewers went 0-5 in games started by Burnes against the Cubs. So this makes six straight victories for the Cubs when Burnes is on the mound.

Twitter: @McGrawDHSports

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