Cubs News: Cody Bellinger talks about the start of his 2023 season |
The Cubs got their second win in a row yesterday in the first game of the series against the Texas Rangers, shutting them out 2-0. This is their second home win so far this season and brings their record to 3-3.
Center fielder Cody Bellinger played a critical role in this victory. With two outs, he stepped up to the plate and hit a single to right field, sending shortstop Dansby Swanson home, which was the first run of the night. This single increased his total runs batted in (RBIs) to five. The second run came from a double by left fielder Ian Happ to deep center field, which brought catcher Tucker Barnhart home. Speaking during postgame, Bellinger explained that he was more or less playing in the moment. “I think usually after, for me, after the swing (is) when you realize it,” Bellinger said. “In the moment, it’s the shift or no shift, just kind of focus on what you want to do with the plate. You know, obviously we know that there are less people over there, so, but you can only focus on so much, for me at least.” He also explained how he had to take a moment to catch his breath at the beginning of the season. The beginning of the season caused a lot of excitement for all of the players, including Bellinger. Their poor performance last year, finishing third in the NL Central with a 74-88 record and 37-44 record at home, should add fuel to the fire for the players. “I think the first few games I had to catch myself, just taking a breath. I was full of adrenaline and excitement and I was feeling good but I wasn’t able to relax as much as I could have and I definitely got to that point,” Bellinger said. “I feel really good. Day in and day out, off day, no off day, you know, consecutive games, you know, I feel really good so I’m really excited.” Belli gets the @Cubs on the board! pic.twitter.com/aXlY4k7pv5 Cubs manager David Ross has seen a better version of Bellinger after the series against the Brewers. “I think he just was in a better place in Cincy of just like, ‘OK, I was a little jumpy early on,’” Ross said to reporters. “And facing Woodruff and Burnes in that kind of weather is never fun for anybody, I don’t care how good of a hitter you are. I think it just says the confidence he has in himself, being able to get back and not just spiral down and get back to the things that he’s worked on in the offseason.”
It may be early, but a 3-3 record is a good start and a good way to build momentum. Some players definitely have started out well. Swanson is one of those players, who has a batting average of .500 right now; Bellinger is only at .200 currently. Third baseman Patrick Wisdom is the only Cub so far this season with more than one home run. Bellinger is one of two players with one home run. This put them tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks with second-to-least in the MLB right now.
Home runs were a problem for them last season as well. They ranked No. 17 last year in home runs with 159. For comparison, the New York Yankees were first with 254. They are also not doing well in RBIs, since they rank No. 19 with only 28. It would seem both of these problems stem from their lack of hits, as they rank No. 22 with only 54 hits. Their Chicago counterparts, the White Sox, rank No. 1 in this area with 85. Although in all fairness, the Cubs have played two less games than the Sox. Still, this is a recurring problem and it was evident last year.
The series against the Rangers will continue later today (3:05 p.m./FS1) with a battle of left-handed pitchers, Justin Steele for the Cubs and Martin Perez for the Rangers. It will conclude tomorrow at 1:20 p.m. with right-handers Jameson Taillon for Chicago and Jon Gray for Texas. Steele has eight strikeouts so far this season with Taillon registering two strikeouts.
