As Bregman tries to bounce back from viral gaffe, Cubs get another walk-off win
During a season of extreme hot and cold streaks for the Cubs, one player who has stayed mostly down is Alex Bregman.
Not a great spot for a prized free-agent addition. Heading into Monday's action, Bregman ranked 11th on the team in OPS, behind Moises Ballesteros and Pedro Ramirez.
He went viral for failing to run full-speed down the line and reach first base on an error Sunday in Milwaukee. That play doesn't matter as much as the big picture.
Maybe the comeback story began on a sweltering night at Wrigley Field. Bregman had 2 hits, including a ninth-inning single that helped set up Seiya Suzuki's RBI single off the ivy in left field, giving the Cubs a 3-2 win over San Diego. It was the MLB-leading 10th walk-off win for the Cubs this season.
Suzuki's drive came very close to being caught, but hit the wall, then the ground as Pete Crow-Armstrong scored the winning run.
The Cubs loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth on three singles by Dansby Swanson, PCA and Bregman. Michael Busch followed with a short fly ball to left, Swanson surprisingly tried to score and was cut down at the plate by Samad Taylor.
The Padres had closer Mason Miller ready in the bullpen, but decided to stick with Jason Adam, who gave up the first two singles in the ninth, before Miller came in to face Bregman.
The Cubs got a clutch performance from starting pitcher Shota Imanaga, who had given up 3 or more home runs in four of his last six starts. But on a very warm night with the wind blowing out, Imanaga allowed 2 earned runs and 9 hits, but no homers.
Bregman had a chance to be a hitting hero in the sixth inning. The Padres brought in left-hander Adrian Morejon to face Crow-Armstrong, but after a successful ABS challenge negated a strikeout, PCA walked to load the bases and Morejon had to face the righty Bregman.
Some fans in the upper deck started a “Let's go Bregman” chant, but quickly switched to booing when Bregman flied out to right, ending the inning.
The play that went viral Sunday happened in the top of the sixth with the Cubs trailing the Brewers 1-0. With one out and Crow-Armstrong on second, Bregman hit a routine hopper to shortstop Cooper Pratt. But when Pratt juggled the ball, it gave Bregman a chance to reach first base on an error.
Bregman ran hard out of the box, then seemed to accept it would be a routine out, took his eye off the fielder and slowed down. He sped up again when he realized Pratt's gaffe, but was out by half a step.
Marquee Network analyst Jim Deshaies noted the downshift when the replay was shown, saying, “You don't have to try to win an Olympic medal every time you go down the first-base line. Need to be a little harder than that.”
Jomboy and many other media companies picked up on the play and it spread across various sites, causing reporters to approach Bregman before Monday's game. The first question was if he wished he ran harder to first.
“Yes, and I've also had 10 soft tissue injuries running down the first-base line specifically,” Bregman said. “So there's kind of some give and take. At the same time, I obviously wish I would've beat the throw.”
Let's face it, though, this wasn't the most egregious (lack of) hustle play fans will see this year. And the Cubs won the game in 10 innings, so it's conceivable Bregman reaching first on an error in that situation could have changed the outcome, since the ensuing innings would have had different combinations of batters. For what it's worth, Michael Busch came up next and ended the inning with a strikeout.
There's probably more of a general unhappiness with Bregman's season, considering he's the highest-paid Cubs player after signing a five-year, $175 million deal as a free agent during the winter.
Heading into Monday's action, Bregman's OPS (.671) and home-run percentage (1.6) were career-lows by a wide margin. The veteran third baseman was asked what he's been working on at the plate.
“Just being in a consistent spot to hit the ball hard in the air,” he said. “Get back to swinging at pitches I want to hit, not swing at pitches outside of the strike zone. Basically the same stuff. Hit pitches I can drive, take pitches I can't.”