Cubs' Mastrobuoni wishes he had another crack at catching Contreras' hit
Heading into this season, Miles Mastrobuoni had played in just eight major league games, and half of those were indoors at Tropicana Field.
So jumping in as a late-inning defensive replacement on a very windy day at Wrigley Field is no easy assignment. After the 3-1 loss to Milwaukee, Mastrobuoni wished he could have another chance at William Contreras' soft line drive, which landed in front of him for a two-out, 2-run, game-deciding single in the eighth.
"I looked at it on video when I got in the dugout," he said after the game. "Maybe just a slight hesitation, but I thought I had a good jump on it and it just felt like it was never getting to me.
"Left some uncertainty out there with no diving, but for some reason in my head, it kind of told me to shut it down and keep the ball in front of me and not let that extra run score. But looking back on it, I think with two outs, lay out and just see what happens."
Mastrobuoni started in right field on Thursday, replacing the injured Seiya Suzuki. Trey Mancini played right on Saturday against the Brewers, then was lifted as the Cubs clung to a 1-0 lead heading into the eighth. The official weather report was 39 degrees and 23 mph winds.
"I was ready," Mastrobuoni said. "I was getting ready for an inning and a half down there, so conditions have got nothing to do with it.
"Every single day that I've been here, I've been out there trying to get reads and stuff like that. I felt good out there talking with (coach) Willie (Harris) and talking with (center fielder) Cody (Bellinger) out there, just got to keep working."
The California native was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2016 out of Nevada and traded to the Cubs last November for a minor-leaguer.
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