Cubs smack four homers to down Guardians
Patrick Gorski - USA Today Sports

Cubs smack four homers to down Guardians
by - Senior Writer - Wed Mar 13 20:20:00 GMT-04:00 2024

GOODYEAR - With just two weeks to go until the start of the regular season, we are getting to the point where you want your team (players) to start looking the way they want to look for the regular season. Part of that comes with extended outings from your starting pitching, but you also need the offense to begin producing at the plate.

Both of those were on display for the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, as Kyle Hendricks was backed by a quartet of homers to down the Cleveland Guardians 8-3. Anytime you hit four homers in a game, you're in great shape, but when all eight of your runs score on the long ball, it does cause a little bit of a concern.

For the most part, Hendricks has struggled this spring, but that isn't out of the norm for him. This is the time of season when Hendricks goes off the script to work on a few things that he may not work on during the regular season. Hendricks pitched into the fourth, and although his command wasn't the best at times, he still allowed only one run, which is all you can ask for.

The same can't be said for Tanner Bibee, who was immediately under duress during the first inning. What started with a one-out single from Garrett Cooper turned into a bases-loaded situation as Dominic Smith and Patrick Wisdom added singles of their own. The big play came from Miguel Amaya, who followed those singles up with an opposite-field grand slam to put the Cubs in front 4-0, which proved to be the winning run.

That was more than enough for Hendricks as he did what he needed to do to get out of jams and limited the Guardians to very minimal offense. As if the first-inning grand slam wasn't good enough, Cooper continued his massive spring with his second homer in the second as the Cubs opened up a 5-0 lead.

It took four innings for the Guardians to finally break through, and after Hendricks retired the first two hitters he saw, Andres Gimenez picked up a single ahead of the Austin Hedges walk as the Guardians had a little bit of a rally going.

Bo Naylor continued to build on that rally, adding a second two-out single, this one pushing home the Guardians' first run and chasing Hendricks from the game. That was as close as the Guardians would get, as the Cubs' offense wasn't as sharp at times, but they did find a way to come through with a big hit.

In what was now a battle of the bullpens, Cooper led off the fifth with his third hit in as many at-bats as the Cubs threatened again. Two batters later, it was Patrick Wisdom's turn to leave the yard, as his two-run shot pushed the Cubs' lead to 7-1. Wisdom may not be a great hitter, but one thing he can do is mash homers, and this was his second homer in as many days, which is a great sign to see.

With Hector Neris on to pitch for the Cubs in their half of the fifth, the Guardians were trying to fight back. Steven Kwan started things off with a leadoff single. Neris has been good for the most part this Spring but has had trouble keeping the ball in the yard. That continued on Wednesday as Jose Ramirez followed that single with a homer of his own to pull the Guardians to within 7-3. Neris would settle down to retire the next three before Adbert Alzolay and Hayden Wesneski silenced the Guardians over the next few innings.

Still holding their 7-3 lead in the seventh, the Cubs had one last blast left to deliver. The surprising David Bote connected for his team-leading fourth homer off of Adam Oller to put the Cubs on top 8-3. If Bote is getting a fair shot to make this roster, he is certainly making a case for himself, as he and Cooper are going to make things tough on Craig Counsell when those final cuts come.

The Cubs had a chance to add on late and the Guardians to get a bit closer, but none of that came to fruition, as the Cubs took care of business 8-3. Despite four homers providing all of their offense, the Cubs still had 13 hits in the victory, with Cooper leading the way with three to raise his average to .400.

Wisdom and Amaya also added a pair of hits and combined for six of the eight RBIs in another tremendous offensive day. Another player of note in this one was Wesneski, as he is starting to make his case to make the club. After a rough first two outings, Wesneski has settled in over his last two and although not the prettiest, he gave Consell three more scoreless frames to end the game while walking none and striking out three.

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