Game-saving defense fires up Cubs in thick of division race: ‘We’re at that point … every game matters’
<p>PITTSBURGH – This <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs" >Cubs</a>’ defense is so good, replete with Gold Glovers making highlight-reel plays, that you almost have to expect this kind of thing by now, right?</p><p>“I don’t expect it,” lefty starter Matthew Boyd said, not wanting to anger the baseball gods, “but it’s amazing.”</p><p>Boyd’s on-field reaction said a lot more, the veteran hurler screaming with excitement after left fielder Ian Happ delivered an on-the-money throw home to nail a would-be go-ahead run at the plate in the seventh inning of Friday’s 3-2 extra-inning win over the division-rival Pirates.</p><p>And it wasn’t even the only game-saver. Four innings earlier, second baseman Nico Hoerner kept the score tied by making a spectacular stop on a ball ticketed for the outfield, immediately throwing to third to nab the runner that rounded the base, ending a scoring chance.</p><p>“Both plays were the difference in the game,” manager Craig Counsell said.
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<p>PITTSBURGH – This <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs" >Cubs</a>’ defense is so good, replete with Gold Glovers making highlight-reel plays, that you almost have to expect this kind of thing by now, right?</p><p>“I don’t expect it,” lefty starter Matthew Boyd said, not wanting to anger the baseball gods, “but it’s amazing.”</p><p>Boyd’s on-field reaction said a lot more, the veteran hurler screaming with excitement after left fielder Ian Happ delivered an on-the-money throw home to nail a would-be go-ahead run at the plate in the seventh inning of Friday’s 3-2 extra-inning win over the division-rival Pirates.</p><p>And it wasn’t even the only game-saver. Four innings earlier, second baseman Nico Hoerner kept the score tied by making a spectacular stop on a ball ticketed for the outfield, immediately throwing to third to nab the runner that rounded the base, ending a scoring chance.</p><p>“Both plays were the difference in the game,” manager Craig Counsell said. “That’s something we have the ability to do, and it showed up in the biggest moments tonight.”</p><p>Yes, these plays are commonplace for a Cubs team that ranks, statistically, as baseball’s best defensive squad.</p><p>But their importance cannot be overstated, especially with the Cubs trying to chase down the division-leading Brewers in the NL Central standings. They gained a game Friday and sit six games back as the regular season comes down to its final couple months.</p><p>“I haven’t played in front of a defense this good ever,” Boyd said.
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- <p>PITTSBURGH – This <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs" >Cubs</a>’ defense is so good, replete with Gold Glovers making highlight-reel plays, that you almost have to expect this kind of thing by now, right?</p><p>“I don’t expect it,” lefty starter Matthew Boyd said, not wanting to anger the baseball gods, “but it’s amazing.”</p><p>Boyd’s on-field reaction said a lot more, the veteran hurler screaming with excitement after left fielder Ian Happ delivered an on-the-money throw home to nail a would-be go-ahead run at the plate in the seventh inning of Friday’s 3-2 extra-inning win over the division-rival Pirates.</p><p>And it wasn’t even the only game-saver. Four innings earlier, second baseman Nico Hoerner kept the score tied by making a spectacular stop on a ball ticketed for the outfield, immediately throwing to third to nab the runner that rounded the base, ending a scoring chance.</p><p>“Both plays were the difference in the game,” manager Craig Counsell said.
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Game-saving defense fires up Cubs in thick of division race: ‘We’re at that point … every game matters’
Sources1TypeCoverageChicago Sun-Times