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The Chicago Cubs beat the Toronto Blue Jays to open a weekend series. Javier Baez homered in the 8th, then made a sparkling defensive play in the 9th to help seal the win.
The Chicago Cubs received another strong start from Jake Arrieta, and he was backed a two RBI day from Anthony Rizzo and a sparkling day from Javier Baez. Baez tied a Cubs record with his 20th home run, making it five players with at least 20 or more. He then made the defensive play of the day with a diving grab to rob Jose Bautista. Arrieta moved to 13-8 on the year, and the Cubs need to consider the possibility of signing him if this keeps up.
With Willson Contreras injured, the pick up of Alex Avila went from a veteran backup to “the guy.” So far, Avila has answered the call for the Cubs–and will need to if they want to win the division. While his defensive numbers are down a bit, he has been a serviceable catcher. With learning a new staff and league, there will be a transition for him. But the Cubs getting Avila in the deal with the Tigers could prove to be a smart move.
The White Sox have built a farm system of top prospects with all of the trades they have made over the past year. Now, while prospects don’t always become stars, look no further than what the Cubs did over the past six years. Part of that future will be Dylan Cease and Eloy Jiminez. Sometimes you have to give something up in trade, and the Cubs knew that these two youngsters had potential.
These and other stories you might have missed:
‘Cubs, Rizzo stay hot to beat the Jays’ – Cubbies Crib
‘Cubs’ Avila proving his worth in wake of Contreras injury’ – Cubbies Crib
‘Cease, Jimenez begin their White Sox careers’ – Cubbies Crib
‘Pujols ties HR record for foreign-born player’ – MLB.com
‘Dodgers acquire Granderson from Mets’ – ESPN
#Cubs on Twitter
The #Cubs have set a franchise record with four players age 25 or younger with 20 homers in a season. pic.twitter.com/Iwohz1N757
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 18, 2017
Javier Baez makes spectacular defensive plays too! #Cubs pic.twitter.com/SQNN9of2RQ
— Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) August 18, 2017
Next: Best of Theo's deadline moves
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