When the Cubs have needed a big hit over the last month, Frank Schwindel has been at the plate and with the game on the line in Monday’s 4-3 win, the Cubs’ first baseman came through once again.
The Cubs and Reds were tied at 3 going into the bottom of the eighth inning and after pinch-hitter Alfonso Rivas started the inning with a 10-pitch at-bat that resulted in a single and moved to second on a wild pitch, Schwindel came to the plate.
“I was borderline giddy in the dugout thinking, ‘It can’t happen again, can it?’, interim manager Andy Green said after the game. “We were laughing over there just by the sheer fact that he was up with the opportunity to do something special again. And thankfully, he controls his emotions better than me and [associate pitching coach] Mike Borzello do, because we were just laughing that it keeps happening right now.”
With cheers of “Frank The Tank” raining down from the fans at Wrigley, Schwindel poked a single through the right side of the infield to score Rivas from second base, giving the Cubs a 4-3 lead. It was the fourth straight game with a game-winning hit for Schwindel, who also had another multi-hit game.
The game-winning single extended the Cubs’ winning streak to an MLB-leading and season-high seven games.
Bote activated from 10-day injured list
The Cubs activated infielder David Bote from the 10-day injured list before Monday’s game against the Reds. Bote had been on the injured list since Aug. 28 with a sprained right ankle, he suffered stepping on a baseball.
Bote’s activation from the injured list came about an hour before first pitch after going through a full pregame routine, including taking batting practice, running the bases and taking ground balls on the infield.
Bote’s slashing .202/.270/.339 with eight homers and 32 RBIs in 78 games this season.
To make room for Bote on the active roster, the Cubs designated infielder Andrew Romine for assignment.
Infielder Nico Hoerner went through a full pregame routine of baseball activities with Bote and also took batting practice, ground balls ran the bases before the game. Hoerner has been on the IL since July 29 with a right oblique strain.
“They’re moving forward,” interim manager Andy Green said before the game. “David closer than Nico. I believe Nico was scheduled to take some BP on the field today. I haven’t gotten a report on how that went, hopefully it went very well.”
Wicks makes minor-league starting debut
Cubs’ 2021 first-round pick Jordan Wicks made his professional debut on Sunday for High-A South Bend. Wicks, 22, tossed a scoreless inning, striking out one batter in the game. The Cubs drafted Wicks out of Kansas State University with the 21st overall pick in July.
The Cubs’ southpaw had been pitching at the team’s complex in Arizona since the draft, but will spend the final weeks of the season in South Bend.
“Every time you go to a new level, you get excited competing against new guys,” Wicks said in July. “Just the newness and the excitement of it and I’m excited for the new experiences to learn along the way.”
