It’s weird, and even if it was the spark for the offense last night, that spark might not be long-lasting.
But how can you argue with it after that game?
That is to say, Anthony Rizzo will probably be leading off again today for the Cubs:
#Cubs Maddon on Rizzo leading off: "He has fun with it. He doesn't look at it any other way except it's going to be fun"
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) June 14, 2017
Yes, Maddon says Rizzo will lead off for #Cubs on Wednesday
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) June 14, 2017
Like I said yesterday, you’d prefer to have a hitter like Rizzo batting 2/3/4, but the reality is, especially where there’s a position player batting 9th, the difference is negligible. Moreover, you get the benefit of having one of the best hitters on the team getting the more plate appearances.
Since June 2 – the day after he got engaged, coincidence or not – Rizzo is hitting a whopping .385/.538/.692 with a ridiculous 25.0% walk rate and an even more ridiculous 7.7% strikeout rate. Dude is so very locked in.
So, again, regardless of whether it was “the thing” that sparked the Cubs’ 14 runs last night, might as well keep it going. Maybe Rizzo can knock another leadoff homer.