'He likes to play': On day off, Hoerner helps Cubs end skid
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SAN FRANCISCO -- Nico Hoerner was noticeably absent from the Cubs' starting lineup in Friday night’s series opener against the Giants.
As manager David Ross addressed reporters before the game, he said Hoerner felt like he had the “weight of the world” on his shoulders, so he wanted to give his second baseman a breather. Ross texted Hoerner Thursday night to let him know he’d be coming off the bench the following evening and had a feeling the everyday player wouldn’t be happy.
“I think he had 24 hours to stew, not putting him in the lineup,” Ross said with a smile. “He had some anger to take out. He likes to play.”
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Well, Hoerner didn’t get the day off. In fact, he ended up playing a crucial role in the Cubs' 3-2 win that snapped a four-game losing skid.
The slumping Cubs offense was silenced by Giants starter Anthony DeSclafani through the first six innings, but the team finally broke through against him in the seventh, when Seiya Suzuki led off the frame with a single and Ian Happ walked. Giants reliever Ryan Walker struggled to find the zone and plunked Matt Mervis to load the bases before Hoerner slapped a ball up the middle to bring home two runs.
Not bad for his first pinch-hit at-bat of the season.
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Hoerner admitted that coming off the bench is a whole different beast, but he didn’t hesitate to swing at the first pitch he saw from Walker.
“It is different,” Hoerner said of pinch-hitting. “It does not feel like a normal at-bat. … But I knew if I’d be getting an at-bat, it’d be in a situation like that. It’s all good.”
Like the rest of his team, Hoerner started out hot in April before cooling down over the past few weeks. Over his first 27 games, he posted a .328/.367/.437 slash line with two homers and 17 RBIs, but since May 1, he had slashed .222/.294/.315 with two homers and nine RBIs prior to the opener in San Francisco.
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Friday’s win provided a cathartic release for Hoerner and the scuffling Cubs.
Suzuki starred at the plate by going 3-for-3 with a walk, while backup catcher Tucker Barnhart delivered the game-winning RBI two batters after Hoerner’s big hit.
On a night when Marcus Stroman continued to build his early case to be an All-Star, three runs were enough for the Cubs. Stroman went 6 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits and four walks while striking out five.
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Though Stroman's ERA rose slightly, it still sits at 2.42 -- and he has won five straight starts. More importantly, he prevented the Cubs from losing five straight games for the second time this year.
“I’m just a product of my preparation and my work,” Stroman said. “I wouldn’t consider myself a stopper. But if that’s a label, that’s something good to be labeled as.”