Addition by inaction: Caissie leads Cubs to sweep
On Monday, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer tried to defend the semi-infamous “2032” comment.
That was a line uttered by general manager Carter Hawkins, claiming “We have a responsibility for the 2025 Cubs, but also the 2032 Cubs,” after the trade deadline passed. The comment didn't seem to go over well with the baseball public.
Well, Cubs critics, meet addition by inaction.
The decision to keep outfield prospect Owen Caissie paid off in Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader. The 6-foot-3 redheaded Canadian clubbed his first major-league home run, finished with 3 RBI and even made a couple challenging catches in right field as the Cubs beat Milwaukee 6-4 at Wrigley Field.
Caissie added a fourth RBI as the Cubs completed the doubleheader sweep with a 4-1 victory in the nightcap.
Rather than defend the Hawkins comment, Hoyer was better off showing people the benefit of keeping minor-league talent. The alternative could have been a shortsighted deal with potentially no benefit.
“Owen's a hitter,” manager Craig Counsell said after Game 1. “You see that by just the walk numbers and then it's damage. He hits the ball really hard. That opposite field homer gives you a pretty good example of that.
“So he hits the ball really hard and he can put the ball out of the park anywhere. That's going to be real, and he's going to get better at that as he gains experience.”
Caissie played right field, filling in for slumping slugger Kyle Tucker. The Cubs will need Caissie next year for sure if they don't re-sign Tucker as a free agent. Even if they do re-sign Tucker, Caissie could end up as a cheaper alternative than keeping Ian Happ or Seiya Suzuki, who each have another year left on their contracts.
First things first. On Monday, Caissie collected his first big-league hit, but was frustrated by an earlier at-bat, when he struck out on a 3-2 pitch that was outside the zone.
As luck would have it, Caissie came to the plate once again with the bases loaded in his first Tuesday at-bat. A rare Brewers blunder — an error by first baseman Andrew Vaughn — kept the inning alive. This time, Caissie delivered a rocket 2-run single to right field to put the Cubs up 2-0.
“I really just told myself, 'You're made for this,'” Caissie said. “And stepped back in the box and did a job. I really embraced the challenge.”
A 3-run homer by Willi Castro, his first since joining the Cubs, made it 5-0 in the third inning. The Brewers battled back, getting within 5-4 in the top of the sixth, before Caissie's opposite-field home run gave the Cubs a 2-run cushion in the bottom of the inning.
“He was the impact we needed in this game,” Cubs winning pitcher Matthew Boyd said. “We're all happy for him that he got to do that today and help us win a ballgame. It was awesome.”
There have been questions about Caissie's fielding prowess, but he's made three tough catches the past two days — one in left field and two in right. He caught one fly ball deep in the corner, a couple feet in front of the wall in Game 1.
“It's what makes Wrigley so interesting,” Counsell said. “You go to the gaps and it feels like there's no room and you go to the corners and it feels like there's more room than any stadium. Then you throw in the constant presence of a wind and those are two nice plays, absolutely.”
Tucker didn't start Game 2 either, as the Cubs try to get him back to his usual self at the plate.
Pitcher Jameson Taillon came off the injured list and delivered one of his best starts of the season in Game 2. He hadn't thrown for the Cubs since June 29 due to a calf strain. The right-hander struggled early, needing 49 pitches to get through the first two innings, then put it on cruise control, retiring 12 of the final 13 batters he faced, allowing 5 hits total.
The Cubs added some nice highlights in the nightcap. Caissie drove in a run, then scored from first on a Michael Busch double. Matt Shaw tripled off the wall in the sixth inning and beat a throw home on Busch's grounder for the fourth run.
Then Castro, in for Caissie in right field, launched a missile to cut down Milwaukee’s Brice Turang at the plate on a medium-depth fly ball in the seventh.
Prior to Tuesday, the Brewers had gone 54-17 since May 25, and were 15-1 in August.