Otto: Cubs meeting challenges of difficult schedule
In the grind of a 162-game schedule, there are constant challenges. And no matter how good a baseball team might be, there is always adversity.
The Cubs stared down some of that adversity by winning their last two games in St. Louis and concluding their recent 9-game road trip. Adversity came in the form of lefty Madison Bumgarner, who dominated the Cubs in a 1-0 win for the San Francisco Giants last Sunday. Then the Cubs had to jump two time zones for a Monday night game in St. Louis where they lost another tough one in the ninth inning.
For the most part, big league travel is easy. But no matter how quick and convenient that charter flight might be, it is never easy for a team to roll into a new city at 4 or 5 in the morning and play a game later that day.
Shaking off the tough travel and a 3-game losing streak, the Cubs bats came alive for the next two games against the Cardinals, scoring a total of 21 runs and salvaging the trip with a 4-5 record.
Once again, veteran leaders like Ben Zobrist and Dexter Fowler were in the middle of driving the offense.
Fowler is near the top in the National League in On Base Percentage and Runs Scored. As a patient switch-hitter with power, Fowler poses so many problems for opposing pitchers, and for managers who want to play matchups later in the game. The Cubs brass did a heck of a job in staying with Fowler this past off-season when he was going through free-agency and entertaining other offers.
Like most good managers, Joe Maddon's eyes rarely leave the field of play. Whether it is 8-1 in the ninth or 1-1 in the 13th, he is always locked in on the game.
The late, great John McNamara was a heck of a manager in his own right, but he did once miss an entire inning. Someone forgot to tell him that the game started at noon, and not the customary time of 1 p.m. Johnnie Mac was a tad surprised when he strolled into the dugout from the clubhouse in the bottom of the second inning.
Maddon was in his usual managerial perch on Tuesday night and the Cubs had that 8-1 lead in the top of the ninth, when Addison Russell was called out on a bang-bang play at first base.
While the call on the field would likely have no bearing on the outcome of a Cubs win, Maddon promptly called for a review on the play. Russell was ultimately ruled safe, thereby adding another base hit to his night. It also extended the inning for Matt Szczur and Fowler, who each got the chance to hit one more time and drive in three additional runs.
When a player knows that a manager has their back, it might be the most powerful motivator to hustle on every play. Like pitching changes, reviews take time, and can be a little irritating to a team that's on the losing end of a lopsided game.
While there are no etiquette rules on when to call for a video review, and when you should lay off, it would seem Maddon's call for review ever so slightly tweaked the Cardinals. Later in the inning with the Cardinals down 10 runs, manager Mike Matheny played his infield in with one out and a runner on third. Matheny might always play the infield in when they are down 10 runs, but it sure felt like some gamesmanship between managers. The games between the Cardinals and Cubs this August and September stand to be very entertaining.
• Dave Otto, a standout athlete at Elk Grove High School, pitched from 1987-1994 for four MLB teams, including the Cubs. A former baseball analyst for WGN Radio, FoxSportsNet and Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Otto also is a member of the University of Missouri Hall of Fame.