MLB Rankings: Greatest Hits in Week-13
3. Javier Baez, 52 percent
The Chicago Cubs have spent most of June battling for first place in the NL Central. But they have not played like a first-place team, carrying a mediocre 13-17 record since May 23. Coming into Sunday’s series-closer with the Mets, that included losses in three of the first five games of their homestand, where Chicago had until last week been dominant.
To make matters worse, the Cubs trailed 3-2 entering the bottom of the eighth inning against the Mets.
The bullpen, of course, has been a New York weakness all season, so when starter Jacob deGrom turned that lead over to Seth Lugo to start the seventh, it had to be with less than brimming confidence.
Lugo had plowed through the seventh thanks to a double-play grounder. And after Kyle Schwarber opened the eighth with a base hit, Lugo retired Kris Bryant on a fly ball for the first out. But Anthony Rizzo walked, setting the stage for Javier Baez, the Cubs’ MVP candidate.
Lugo got quickly ahead on two sliders, then hung a third one mid-thigh on the outside part of the plate. Baez was ready; he drove it into the right-field bleachers for his 19th home run of the season and, coincidentally, the 100th of his career.
The homer boosted Chicago’s chances of winning the game by 51 percent, from 42 percent to 93 percent. Three Met outs later, they did.