Chicago Cubs: Javier Baez goes 4-for-6 in blowout victory over Rockies

The Chicago Cubs got the road trip started on a high note, as they blew out the Colorado Rockies by a 16-5 final on Friday night at Coors Field in Denver.

After the Chicago Cubs scored two runs in the top of the first and the Colorado Rockies answered with three of their own, we knew it wouldn’t be enough to win this game. It turns out the Cubs went on to score 14 more times, en route to a 16-5 series-opening win on Friday night.

The story of the night? Second baseman Javier Baez, who went 4-for-6 with four RBI. He fell a triple shy of the cycle, but drove his final ball of the night to center hard. Batting below .200 just a few days ago, Baez now carries a .295 average on the season.

Chicago (9-8) opened the scoring in right out of the gates when El Mago blasted his sixth homer of the year in the top of the first against Rockies starter Jon Gray. The Rockies answered with a Charlie Blackmon single and Nolan Arenado two-run blast to take a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the frame.

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Kyle Hendricks pitched five innings for the Cubs – and did not allow a run after the first, He struck out six and did not walk a batter before giving way to the bullpen.

In the top of the third, Anthony Rizzo grounded into a bases-loaded double play, scoring the runner from third to make it 3-2 Cubs. Chicago tacked on two more in the fifth, before unloading on Colorado (11-10) in the sixth for seven runs.

Jason Heyward scored Addison Russell on an RBI triple to open the scoring in that frame. Albert Almora followed two batters later with an RBI single and Baez also singled to make it 9-3 Cubs. But Chicago was far from done. Kyle Schwarber blasted his fourth homer of the year – a three-run shot to center, making it 12-3 Cubs.

Friday night marked Almora’s first four-hit game of his big-league career and the fifth for Baez.

After Colorado got a run back in the seventh, Willson Contreras doubled to score Rizzo and make it 13-4. Schwarber scored Contreras on a single and Heyward plated another tally to cap the Chicago scoring and make it a staggering 15-4 game.

Baez white-hot as series continues

In the finale of the homestand, Joe Maddon inserted Javier Baez into the second spot in the order. With Albert Almora atop the batting lineup, the Cubs’ offense scored 23 runs with this 1-2 combination.

It’s unlikely we’ll see a change anytime soon. Both guys are locked in at the dish and have been wreaking havoc atop the Chicago order. With Baez followed by Kris Bryant and Rizzo, this has all the makings of a dangerous lineup.

With the slugger tearing up opposing pitchers and using the whole field, the offense gains an incredibly valuable asset. If he can keep this up, watch out. As for the team, Friday marked the Cubs’ most runs against Colorado in 22 years – since August 1996.

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Cubs look to keep moving forward

Multiple times, the Cubs fans in attendance could be heard chanting ‘Javy’. If he keeps this up, we’ll see it more this weekend. Yu Darvish takes the ball Saturday, followed by Jose Quintana. The offense is showing plenty of life lately.

We’ll see how Darvish adjusts to Coors Field. But the offense is white-hot right now and this bodes well for the right-hander. The second game of the three-game series takes place Saturday night at 7:20 p.m. CT.