Catcher Tomás Nido made quite the first impression to Cubs fans with an RBI double on a fly ball to right field and a diving catch off a foul tip in Saturday’s 8-1 win against the Mets.
The Cubs hope Nido can give them some offensive and defensive production at the catcher spot, which they’ve sorely lacked.
“Tomás was excellent back there,” starter Jameson Taillon said. “We mix it up a bunch. We’re throwing every pitch to every different area, which was just a lot of fun.”
To prepare, Nido watched Friday’s game with Taillon and caught his bullpen, which was critical as the two tried to jam as much as they could in a condensed period.
“It’s huge because it gives you a little bit of a track record of catching him, seeing how his ball moves, and just building that muscle memory,” Nido said.
Nido isn’t a proficient hitter — he has a career slash line of .214/.250/.313 — but he still contributed with his sixth-inning RBI double. It was the first time a Cubs catcher had an RBI since Yan Gomes on June 13.
Nido said he knew that if the ball dropped with Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong on first base, the Cubs would get a run.
Part of the thinking for the position this year was that Miguel Amaya would make a leap, which the young backstop has yet to do. Amaya’s performance dip and Gomes’ decline made the position untenable.
Entering Saturday’s game, Cubs catchers have the second-worst batting average (.178), third-worst on-base percentage (.228) and second-worst slugging percentage (.259).
“We did some different things than normal, while also establishing our strengths and stuff so it was a lot of fun,” Taillon said. “He’s fun to work with. I think he’ll fit right in.”
Setting the tone
As the first inning concluded, the Cubs received applause from the 39,319 fans at Wrigley Field. The offense delivered five first-inning runs which was a positive sight after the Cubs’ recent offensive struggles.
Second baseman Nico Hoerner set the tone early with a walk. Getting guys on base has been an issue for the team since May.
“He saw at least five pitches and worked a walk, so that just opens the floor for us to do what we need to do when we get guys on base,” Crow-Armstrong said. “One thing that this team is capable of is putting pressure on the defense based on how well we run the bases.
“We can lay bunts down, and then you got guys like Mo [third baseman Christopher Morel] who will hit a ball 450 feet and that works too.”
After right fielder Seiya Suzuki singled to bring home first Michael Busch, the floodgates opened for the Cubs’ offense. A groundout by left fielder Ian Happ, a single by Morel, a double by shortstop Dansby Swanson and a Crow-Armstrong triple led to an additional four runs.
The Cubs regularly found holes in the gap and worked long at-bats — Tylor Megill threw 78 pitches, allowed six runs on five hits and was replaced after three innings.
Roster moves
The Cubs activated reliever Keegan Thomspon from the paternity list Saturday morning.
In a corresponding move, the club optioned left-hander Luke Little.