BALTIMORE — As he slogged through April’s struggles, Ian Happ believed it would only be a matter of time before his offensive performance turned.
Over the past month, Happ’s sizzling stretch has fueled the Chicago Cubs’ offense, and Tuesday night he joined rare company. Happ’s three-run home run in the fourth inning off Orioles starter Dean Kremer landed on Eutaw Street, where brass baseball plaques are embedded on the walkway to mark home runs that cleared the right-field fence.
The long ball broke the game open and gave right-hander Jameson Taillon all the run support he needed en route to the Cubs’ 9-2 win over the Orioles.
Happ’s home run onto Eutaw Street was the fifth hit there this season and second by a visiting player. He is the second Cub to accomplish the feat, joining Jason Heyward (July 14, 2017).
“It’s a pretty cool tradition in baseball,” Happ said. “To be a part of that small group is really special.”
Since June 2, Happ owns a .290 average, a .415 on-base percentage and a 1.014 OPS with eight home runs and 31 RBIs. That consistency — along with Michael Busch’s continued steadiness, featuring a first-pitch home run in the first inning — is giving the lineup multiple hitters who are locked in.
“It makes it easier on the whole offense,” Happ said. “Having runners on, guys driving in runs and had plenty of chances to do it. Today was a perfect example that we had a bunch of guys getting on base all over the place, guys beating out double play balls to extend innings, just little things like that keep giving us a chance to score runs.”
Miles Mastrobuoni’s defense at third base again had a big role in a Cubs win. Shifted in the hole between third and shortstop with lefty Anthony Santander at the plate with runners on the corners and nobody out in the third inning, Mastrobuoni made a diving stop to his left and threw from his knees to second base to begin a double play.
Some defensive 💎s from Mastro and Happ! pic.twitter.com/wLWr2zu0G9
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 9, 2024
While the Orioles scored a run on the sequence, it helped Taillon get out of the inning without further damage after he retired the next hitter. Manager Craig Counsell called it a “huge” play and “a real game changer.” Taillon credited Mastrobuoni for stopping the bleeding and preventing the Orioles from tallying three consecutive hits on ground balls, “which can be a little backbreaking.”
Mastrobuoni’s reliability at third base came up big in Friday’s win versus the Los Angeles Angels and helped Justin Steele record his first complete game. In describing his defensive performance lately, Mastrobuoni said he’s just trying to do his job.
“I’m giving them everything I’ve got so long as you do that every single day,