'We're not afraid': Cubs stand ground in W

The Cubs entered Saturday’s game against the Reds at Great American Ball Park having lost six of their previous seven games to close out a rollercoaster first month of the 2021 season.

Things weren’t syncing; in fact, at times, they were sinking. It wasn’t all coming together. There were signs of progress at the plate and in the bullpen Thursday and Friday, but it was hardly a coalescing of a group with aspirations of returning to the top of the National League Central.

Then Amir Garrett poked the bear.

• Box score

Garrett struck out Anthony Rizzo in the eighth inning of Chicago’s 3-2 victory and immediately yelled something in Rizzo’s direction. He then exchanged words from the mound with the Cubs in their dugout, and suddenly the benches cleared. Javier Báez, who has some history with the Reds' left-hander, had to be restrained, as did Garrett. Order was restored shortly thereafter, but the match had been lit.

It all raised the question: Will what transpired Saturday be looked back upon as an early turning point of this season for the Cubs?

“I’m just not gonna let him or anyone disrespect my teammates or my team,” Báez said. “ … I really don’t know, I don’t know what he’s got against Rizzo. He did it to me in the past. Like I said, I like what he does, he’s just got to do it to his team, not to us. Not after a strikeout. I hit three homers against him and I didn’t do anything to show him up, or his team.”

The heroes in this game for the Cubs, at least in the box score, were second baseman Nico Hoerner and the bullpen. It was Hoerner’s go-ahead RBI single in the sixth inning that proved to be the difference. The 23-year-old utility man went 3-for-3 with a double and two singles overall, raising his season average to .375 since he was called up on April 22.

• Benches clear in Cincy as Garrett, Báez jaw

Hoerner has been one of the most valuable members of the roster since being called up from the Cubs’ alternate training site on April 22 to replace Joc Pederson, who landed on the injured list with a wrist injury. He’s made the most of his time with the big league club as one of the most dependable hitters in the lineup and one of the most versatile defensive players on the team.

“He’s a baseball player, man. He’s always studying. He’s got a plan,” manager David Ross said. “He’s always willing to do anything we ask. He gives us a really consistent at-bat. I think a lot of us knew who he was, and he’s out to prove something, which is a really powerful thing.”

The bullpen appears to be out to prove something, too. Following a brilliant showing Friday night, when Cubs relievers struck out 10 Reds over 4 2/3 innings and didn’t walk a batter for the first time in 20 games, they threw five more scoreless frames in relief of starter Zach Davies on Saturday, also without issuing a walk.

Davies improved upon his early-season struggles, though with a laborious outing over which he worked into and out of trouble. He gave up two runs on four hits, walking three and striking out three.

When Davies’ outing was over, it was a 2-2 game with the Cubs still searching for a spark. In the eighth, they got one, and it wasn’t lost on Hoerner how big Saturday’s victory was for Chicago.

“It was very significant,” Hoerner said. “You’ve got a very strong pitcher [in Luis Castillo] on the mound for them. It’s a close game. You’ve got high emotions. It’s a division rival. I know it’s early in the year, but it’s definitely significant for the morale of this team and what we can do in games like that.”

As one of the youngest players on the club, Hoerner also had a chance to see his teammates’ passion for protecting one another on display.

“I really just appreciate Javy,” Hoerner said. “He had Rizz’s back and that was his entire intention the whole time -- it was about our team and I love that he kept it that way. I love playing with Javy. He plays the game with no regrets and it’s all about the group with him.”

Báez is this club’s firebrand, the player who most inspires his teammates with his style of play and, in cases like Saturday’s, his protective instincts. Time will tell, but Saturday’s incident may just have charged the Cubs’ batteries as they seek to fire on all cylinders. If it did, Báez’s words may prove prophetic.

“He can be 6-7, he can be 10 feet [tall],” Báez said. “We’re not afraid of that. We’re here to play baseball and win games.”