NEWSLETTER
Javy Baez may have made headlines after the game by wearing his full uniform on the plane ride back to Chicago (I think he saw Anthony Rizzo do it the night before and got jealous (or just never realized he can squeeze more baseball into his life)), but what he did during the game deserves equal attention.
After coming up just short of tying his season-high for games without multiple hits (9), Baez collected 8 total bases last night on a walk, an RBI, go-ahead bunt single in extra innings, a double, and a homer. It was one heckuva night – he basically was the Cubs offense.
Check it out:
Javy's day trip to D.C. #EverybodyIn pic.twitter.com/j0FlQboZSQ
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 14, 2018
I was particularly tickled that both his double and homer went the other way. He’s been using the opposite field a lot more here in the second half of the season (29.5%) than the first (24.7%), and so far it’s been working. And thanks to an intentional walk, Baez has now taken a free pass in four straight games, tying a career-high, first set just last season between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh (that one also included an intentional walk). He can set a new high tonight. Walks!
After last night’s effort, Baez’s second-half slash line is up to .302/.336/.573 (137 wRC+), a top-25 offensive performance during that stretch. Meanwhile, for the season, Baez is slashing .295/.330/.568 (134 wRC+), which is the 21st best slash line in baseball, one spot ahead of Bryce Harper and one spot behind Francisco Lindor. That is one good sandwich.
As for the homer, that was Baez’s 31st of the season – 16th best in baseball (7th in the NL) – and it left the bat at 105 MPH, before traveling 384 feet into right.
During the broadcast, Jim Deshaies mentioned that Baez has broken out of previous slumps this year by beginning to go the other way with more consistency. Well, last night, he had two extra-base hits in that direction, so maybe that’s a good sign for him and the Cubs right there. Javy seems to think so: “I think it got us right back on track,” Baez said of Thursday’s win. “I think we’re going to take off soon, and hopefully this is the moment right now.”
To conclude today’s love fest, I’d like to point out that Baez’s 103 RBI now leads the entire National League. Trevor Story (102 RBI) is hot on his tail, but Baez has a real shot to finish as the NL leader. And that would be sweet.
