Morning Marquee: Arrieta, Bryant lead Chicago Cubs to 5-2 win; Russell to get call-up

Cubs’ plan starting to come together

You just have to love when a plan starts to come together. The Chicago Cubs called up

to much fanfare on Friday to a less than stellar debut. Since then the kid has been worth every bit of the hype. Bryant went 3-for-4, including a game-tying RBI in the fifth, and a game-winning RBI in the seventh. His double drove in two, and thanks to some poor defense by the Pirates, he came around to score to give the Cubs a 4-1 lead.

Jake Arrieta was once again brilliant, pitching seven innings of one-run ball. The first inning could have gone much worse, but a heads up play on a comebacker to Arrieta to catch Andrew McCutchen off third helped limit the damage. And even with a 5-2 win over the Bucs, the best news came after the game.

Before the excitement of the Bryant promotion has completely worn off, it’s reported the Cubs will call up INF Addison Russell for tonight’s game against the Pirates, and likely to start at second base. Reports had just come out that Russell was going to get work at second to help “fast-track” him to the bigs, due to  the Cubs needs there. With Tommy La Stella on the DL and Arismendy Alcantara underperforming, they’ve relied on Jonathan Herrera to man the spot.

While Herrera has done a commendable job, offensively the group at second has been one of the least productive in the league. Many felt that the 21-year-old Russell was “ready” in the spring, the Cubs are ready to see what he can bring to this club. In my memory, this is one of the most exciting times to be a Cubs’ fan, simply because of all this talent.

These and other stories you might have missed:

‘Bryant comes alive in Cubs 5-2 win over Pirates’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Cubs call up INF Addison Russell’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Statcast to debut tonight on MLB Network’ – MLB.com

‘I-Cubs salvage series in Russel’s last game’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Reds’ Price lashes out in expletive-laced tirade’ – ESPN.com

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