There wasn’t much of a ripple when the Chicago Cubs acquired Michael Busch in a minor trade from the Los Angeles Dodgers in January.
But people are noticing now as Busch has put on a power show during his first few weeks with the Cubs.
Busch tied the franchise record by hitting homers in five straight games, and the 26-year-old rookie will look to set the mark when Chicago visits the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night at Phoenix.
Busch tied the record in his first at-bat of Monday’s game, won 3-2 by Chicago in 11 innings. He drilled an 0-2 cutter from Arizona right-hander Merrill Kelly over the fence in right center in the second inning.
The other Cubs to homer in five consecutive games are Hack Wilson (1928), Ryne Sandberg (1989), Sammy Sosa (1998) and Christopher Morel (2023).
“I just keep going back to just having good at-bats,” Busch said of his approach. “I’ve been happy with the way I’ve been swinging at strikes, taking balls and really, at the end of the day, as hard as it is, be happy with just that result.”
Busch, a first-round draft pick in 2019, didn’t receive much of a chance with the Dodgers despite being able to play first, second and third base. But the Cubs saw a player with 79 minor league homers over the past three seasons and made the trade.
Busch, who has settled in at first base with the Cubs, is batting .327 with six homers and 12 RBIs in 16 games this season.
The Cubs have won three straight games with Monday’s victory, in part due to Nico Hoerner’s contributions.
Hoerner delivered the tiebreaking single in the 11th for the Cubs. In the ninth, he scored the tying run from second base on a wild pitch by Arizona’s Kevin Ginkel that caromed off the hand of Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno and stopped near the Arizona dugout on the first-base side.
“I thought his baserunning play in the ninth was spectacular,” Chicago manager Craig Counsell said of Hoerner. “… You got to go full-out from the get-go and never slow down. That was a huge play.”
Ginkel was dejected about the pivotal play.
“It’s just kind of a weird play — bounced off Gabi on a weird spot and went to the furthest spot from the plate,” Ginkel said. “I was almost debating going and running and getting it. So it was just a weird play. I just feel terrible.”
Arizona had just three hits in the opener while losing for the second time in the past six games.
Jake McCarthy had an RBI single in the second inning, and Corbin Carroll laced a run-scoring single in the eighth.
The Cubs will send struggling right-hander Kyle Hendricks (0-2, 12.08 ERA) to the mound for the middle contest of the three-game series.
Hendricks has allowed at least five runs in all three of his starts this season. He took the loss against the San Diego Padres last Wednesday when he gave up seven runs and nine hits in five innings.
Hendricks has allowed 26 hits — including five homers — in just 12 2/3 innings. Hendricks, 34, is 5-3 with a 3.88 ERA in 11 career starts against the Diamondbacks.
Left-hander Tommy Henry (0-1, 5.79) will make his fourth start of the season for the Diamondbacks.
Henry lost his first start of the season and has since received two no-decisions. He worked five innings against the Colorado Rockies last Wednesday and gave up three runs (two earned) and four hits in five innings.
The 26-year-old will make his first career start against the Cubs.
Prior to Monday’s game, Chicago placed standout outfielder Seiya Suzuki on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain.
–Field Level Media