As much as the Chicago Cubs are focused on themselves and continuing to try to win series, seeing what a hot Milwaukee Brewers team has been doing to catch them in the standings is unavoidable.
“Every stadium we go to, there’s a scoreboard in your face telling you the out-of-town scores, so, if you say you don’t see the scores, you see the scores,” manager Craig Counsell wryly noted before Tuesday’s game.
It’s an unescapable reality, even in the clubhouse, where Counsell pointed out that MLB Network is constantly playing on the TVs.
“They’re playing great, but we control about (eight) more games that we play with what happens with them,” he said of the Brewers.
The Cubs began Tuesday sitting in second place in the division for the first time since April 3. They ended the day again tied for the lead — and the best record in baseball — as the Brewers lost to the Seattle Mariners.
“Look, we’re going to take care of what we can take care of — that’s today’s game,” Counsell said. “At this point, the standings are not a piece that really gives us any benefit to worry about. Just got to go out and keep playing good games and keep up stacking up wins. That’s our job.”
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Left-hander Matthew Boyd gave the Cubs exactly what they needed to bounce back from Monday’s loss to the Kansas City Royals. Boyd tossed seven shutout innings, taking a no-hitter into the fifth, and scattered four hits, walked one and struck out six Royals. He lowered his ERA to 2.20 through 118 2/3 innings.
Boyd owns a stretch of 23 consecutive scoreless innings, the longest active streak in the majors and the longest of his 11-year big-league career, surpassing a 14-inning streak in May 2019 with Detroit. Within this span, Boyd has walked just two batters.
“Somehow he’s just gotten better in this stretch, and he’s just overwhelming hitters,” Counsell said. “It’s just quality pitch after quality pitch. I think anytime you get in a streak like this, that’s what you’re doing. There’s no let up. No matter what’s going on, it’s a quality pitch. It just keeps coming at you.
“And as the hitter, to get a hit, you’ve got to hit a good pitch. You’ve got to go hit a pitcher’s pitch. You’re not going to get things in the middle of the plate.”
The Cubs (60-41) gave Boyd nine days off between starts by taking advantage of the All-Star break to give the 34-year-old extra rest. He sits 67 innings away from the career high he set in 2019.
“I trust those guys,” Boyd said of Counsell and pitching coach Tommy Hottovy. “I think it’s been awesome. They’re just such great communicators. And they want to win, and they care about each of us individually. So they laid out a great plan, and I’ve been on board with it. They have a lot of experience.”
Offensively, the Cubs got a mix of contributions with Nico Hoerner, Seiya Suzuki, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Carson Kelly and Matt Shaw each driving in a run. The Cubs also stole seven bases in the victory, including Kyle Tucker’s steal of home in the seventh inning.
As the Cubs expected, center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was back in the lineup Tuesday.
Crow-Armstrong sat out Monday’s series-opening loss to the Kansas City Royals with a bruised right knee he sustained on a slide in Sunday’s game. Counsell had expressed optimism that the 23-year-old could play after a one-game reprieve.
When Crow-Armstrong woke up Tuesday with his knee feeling normal again, he was deemed good to start against 45-year-old Royals lefty Rich Hill. Crow-Armstrong hit an RBI double against Hill in the fifth to put the Cubs up 3-0. He was thrown out by Royals right fielder Jac Caglianone attempting to stretch it to a triple, ending the inning.
“I’m glad we got him an off day, he needed it yesterday,” Counsell said.
The Cubs are slowly healing as the trade deadline approaches.
Photos: Chicago Cubs shut out the Kansas City Royals 6-0 at Wrigley Field
Right-hander Javier Assad (oblique) is slated to pitch in Arizona on Thursday, then will join the Cubs over the weekend before making his first rehab start at an affiliate. Right-hander Jameson Taillon (calf strain) will throw live batting practice Friday as his first step and then have another BP session next week in Milwaukee before heading out on a rehab assignment.
Assad and Taillon are on track for mid-August returns.
“When you subtract players, it hurts,” Counsell said. “So we’d like to have the full arsenal available as soon as we can.”
Counsell expects catcher Miguel Amaya (oblique) to begin his rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa soon, likely Saturday.
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“Physically the catching position, it’s demanding,” Counsell said. “He’s been catching bullpens like crazy. So I don’t think we’re going to ask Miguel — hopefully, knock on wood — to be playing every day right away when he comes back. So we’re in good shape.”