Jed Hoyer is happy his team has succeeded through some early-season obstacles. | AP Photo/Gareth Patterson
Gareth Patterson/AP Photos
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer commended the team for persevering through a long road trip, blown leads, an overworked bullpen and injuries.
“It’s been a really resilient group,” Hoyer said Friday. “That’s probably the part that is most exciting for me. I think if we were 11-7 but we played amazing baseball, were totally healthy and everything was going well, I’d be less excited.”
The defense has stabilized after some early miscues, and the offense is in stride.
“The hope is that you get to a point where you are playing cleaner, so to speak, you get healthy and then you get on a little bit of a roll,” Hoyer said. “So much of what is valuable in this sport is the ability to win a series and to grind it out when you’re not at your best.”
The Cubs went 5-4 on their West Coast trip, despite having to rely heavily on their bullpen because starters didn’t go deep into innings. Their 5-3 victory Wednesday against the Diamondbacks — after losing 12-11 in 10 innings the night before — showed Hoyer the team’s mental makeup.
“Going back to the game on Wednesday, those are games you often see a team not give their best performance,” Hoyer said. “Our guys clearly dialed it in against a good team and in a place that we’ve had a lot of tough games. It’s early, but I’m hoping that’s a hallmark of this team.”
Wisdom returns
Patrick Wisdom returned to the lineup after dealing with a back injury he suffered in spring training. Wisdom drew a walk and struck out twice in four at-bats. He started in right field before shifting to third base.
“I definitely felt far from the team, both literally and physically, because they’re all in Seattle or the West Coast,” Wisdom said. “But it was a good reminder for me to stay present in what I was doing.”
Manager Craig Counsell said Wisdom primarily will play against left-handed pitching, but his position might change. Counsell said he’ll play Wisdom at first base, third base, in right field and at DH.
Wisdom raked on his rehab assignment at Triple-A Iowa, slashing .407/.528/.889. He adds power to a lineup that will need it while right fielder Seiya Suzuki recovers from an oblique injury.
“With something like a back [injury], you don’t know how it’s gonna take into the game, but I feel completely fine, no hesitation,” Wisdom said. “It was nice to see those results come. I just carried what I was doing in spring training and didn’t change anything.”
Injury updates
Counsell said ace Justin Steele will have a bullpen session Sunday, which is the next step in his recovery. Depending on how it goes, the next step is a rehab start.
Left fielder Ian Happ left the 8-3 victory Friday against the Marlins with tightness in his left hamstring. Happ dealt with a hamstring strain in the same leg during spring training. Counsell said he pulled Happ as a precaution.