Cubs cap assertion homestand with collection win vs. MLB’s finest

CHICAGO — To a person, supervisor David Ross and the Cubs have spent the previous three days insisting their weekend set towards the MLB-best Braves was no extra important than every other collection on the schedule.

“I put a script in their lineup every day,” Ross quipped forward of Sunday’s finale, “just so we’re all on the same page.”

Regardless of their front-facing emotions on it, there’s no getting previous the impression this collection had in capping off a triumphant homestand for the Cubs. Chicago got here from behind twice in a 6-4 win at Wrigley Field to finish a dominant week with a collection victory over the vaunted Braves.

“It was a great homestand,” stated Mike Tauchman, who threw out Ronald Acuña Jr. at house to forestall a run within the fifth. “I think it’s no secret, the thought across the league is that the National League is running through the Braves right now. It’s a really good team over there. For us to be able to get a series win against them, it’s evidence that if we execute the way that we can, if we play baseball the way that we can, we can compete with anybody.”

Said thought could have been scoffed at on June 8. Back then, this identical Cubs crew discovered itself 10 video games beneath .500 and seven 1/2 video games out of first place. A rocky West Coast journey appeared to spell catastrophe for the remainder of the season forward.

“Momentum is a powerful thing,” Ross stated. “When you play well, and then you get the backing of the front office, I think that helps the momentum. That helps the confidence and helps belief. When you’re winning, you just start to expect to win and find a way. The focus just ticks up a little bit more.”

Yet one other instance of that was offered on Sunday afternoon. The Cubs rapidly erased an early 2-0 gap within the third after Dansby Swanson adopted Ian Happ’s RBI fielder’s alternative with a bases-loaded stroll towards former teammate Charlie Morton. A 3-run fifth — that includes an RBI double from Cody Bellinger and RBI singles from Happ and Jeimer Candelario — gave Chicago the lead for good.

Cubs lefty Justin Steele did what he might to quiet an intimidating Braves lineup, placing out seven on a season-high 110 pitches over 5 1/3 innings. He held Atlanta to 4 runs (three earned), the loudest of which got here on Matt Olson’s 453-foot two-run blast within the third. Steele exited within the sixth after loading the bases with one out, however reliever Michael Fulmer whiffed Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley to flee the jam.

“I’m just glad I can come through for the team,” Fulmer stated. “In a game like this, and the way this team’s been playing, it’s been unbelievable. I feel like this is as close to a playoff atmosphere as I can imagine.”

The victory wrapped up a 5-2 homestand for the Cubs, a stretch by which they took three of 4 from the NL Central-rival Reds and proved they may go toe to toe with the 70-win Braves. Chicago outscored its opponents 60-42 over the seven video games, with Friday’s 8-0 loss to Atlanta serving as the one true blemish within the run-differential division. The crew has received six straight collection total, the primary time that’s occurred since May 14-June 2, 2021.

And whereas the Cubs could have been initially dismissive concerning the significance of this weekend’s collection, the palpable buzz at Wrigley Field on Sunday begged to vary. The uproar from 39,015 followers as nearer Adbert Alzolay secured his tenth straight save stated all of it — this collection mattered to the Cubs’ trustworthy.

But for Chicago, the job isn’t performed simply because the standings look significantly better than they did two months in the past.

“That is a really good team we just played, it was a really good homestand we just had and I’m proud of that,” Ross stated. “But we’ve got a lot of work to do, there’s a lot of games. Fifty left, so there’s a long way to go.”