Chicago Cubs’ Jason Heyward breaks out in win over Angels

Four doubles – including a pair by Jason Heyward and Munenori Kawasaki – helped lead the Chicago Cubs to a 13-10 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Chicago Cubs combined for more than two dozen knocks and 23 runs. All that matters to Chicago fans is Jason Heyward.

The veteran outfielder contributed in a big way with his first two hits of the spring. His first, a mammoth home run to right field off Jesse Chavez, was a 400-foot blast. The shot was reminiscent of his first big-league hit that came against the Cubs and Carlos Zambrano.

After a three-run second for the Angels, Chicago answered right back with a Ben Zobrist bloop single and a run scored on a Cliff Pennington error, tying the game 3-3.

Chicago Cubs

Los Angeles continued with the back-and-forth in the bottom of the third, pushing in a pair of runs.

Then, the Chicago offense got to work.

Three run-scoring walks and three RBI doubles went into seven runs in the top of the fourth, all of which came with two outs in the frame.

First, it was Zobrist who drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the first run of the inning. Heyward then put together a great at-bat, capped by taking a pitch to the opposite field, scoring a pair of runs and giving the Cubs a lead.

With the bags full, Kawasaki added a bases-clearing double to blow the game wide open. Zobrist, Heyward and Willson Contreras all scored on the play. Backup catcher Carlos Corporan joined in on the fun, as well with an RBI single.

Chicago plated three more in the fifth on an RBI knock by Zobrist and bases-loaded walks to Corporan and Kawasaki.

The Angels capitalized on a Jacob Hannemann misplay in the eighth, turning the miscue into a trio of tallies that chased lefty Zac Rosscup from the game.

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What Stood Out

For the first time this spring, Jason Heyward looked like he had it all figured out. He crushed a solo blast that even drew praise from Angels’ announcers. Meanwhile, his opposite-field two-bagger was perhaps even more impressive.

He adapted during the course of the at-bat, which allowed him to capitalize on the opportunity and drive in a pair of runs. He is still batting just .105 on the season. But Monday offered a glimpse of the rewards he’s hoping to reap from his winter of hard work.

Jake Arrieta, meanwhile, struggled in his first Cactus League start. He allowed three runs, two earned, over a pair of innings. He served up a long home run down the left field line amongst five hits surrendered on his 31st birthday.