Morning Marquee: Chicago Cubs rally late for 9-8 win over Pirates

You just can’t look away with this Cubs team

It could just be me, but I can’t help but think these Chicago Cubs–the “kids”–are going to be something special. Last season, a game like Tuesday’s win over Pittsburgh didn’t happen. Once they were down, they were out. That’s not the case anymore. While the bullpen did surrender another lead, the youth was right in the middle of the ninth inning rally.

Anthony Rizzo and Jorge Soler got things started with singles, while Kris Bryant drew a base-on-balls. Starlin Castro followed with a high chopper over the head of Josh Harrison that tied the game, while Bryant aggressively took third. That bit of heads-up baserunning would be key, as he would score on a slow chopper by Welington Castillo to give the Cubs the 9-8 lead. Hector Rondon would shut the door on the Pirates as they took the first two of a four-game series.

While Addison Russell struggled in his debut (hmm, that sounds familiar), he’s another key piece to the future success of the Cubs. The 21-year-old shortstop turned temporary second baseman adds another jolt of excitement to a franchise that’s already starting to peak with Bryant’s arrival. While he’s flown under-the-radar, he’s far from that talent-wise.

Statcast was on display in the Cardinals/Nationals game, as all 30 stadiums will be outfitted with it this season. Other than being a tech-junkies dream for information, the game was a hit for the Cubs as the Nationals beat the Cardinals in walk-off fashion, pulling the Cubs within a half-game of the Cards for first.

These and other stories from around the NL Central:

‘Castro, Castillo come up big in the clutch in 9-8 win’ – Cubbies Crib

‘The Cubs future is NOW’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Statcast on display during Nats walk-off win’ – MLB.com

‘What to expect from the Cubs’ Addison Russell’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Five home runs help Reds to 16-10 win over Brewers’ – Blog Red Machine