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Addison Russell and Albert Almora are two of the biggest reasons the Chicago Cubs have one of the best defenses in all of professional baseball. Their ability to field and rob batters of hits has been key to keeping this team afloat through its early season struggles. Never was that more apparent than on this crazy sequence against the San Francisco Giants.
Already trailed 1-0 after John Lackey surrendered a home run in the 1st inning, the Giants were looking to add more. On back-to-back at-bats they drilled the ball off Lackey for what looked like guaranteed hits. Unfortunately they forgot that Russell and Almora were on the field. Meanwhile the Wrigley faithful were treated to a couple defensive gems in the space of mere moments.
The pitching continues to be a big question mark for the Cubs but as long as their bats remain hot and the defense is at this level there’s no reason to think they can’t hang tough in the NL Central as the season plays out. Russell continues to evolve as a complete player while Almora is just starting to scratch the surface of his potential.
Best to leave the questions of pitching to Theo Epstein and his crew. That’s what they get paid for. In the meantime the Cubs can stay focused on continuing to string together wins. However they do it doesn’t matter. If it takes highlight reel defense, so be it.
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