Hoerner leaves for the pinch hitter in second with a tense neck
During the second baseman's disastrous start to the season, Cubs manager Craig Counsell referred to Nico Hoerner as the offense's engine. Hoerner is crucial to the lineup and defense, so losing him for any length of time would be bad.
When Hoerner experienced tightness in the left side of his neck early in Friday's game against the D-backs, the Cubs exercised care. In the opening inning, the second baseman doubled and scored Chicago's first run, but by the following frame, Matt Shaw had taken his spot.
At Wrigley Field on Friday, Hoerner led off the first inning by hitting a pitch from D-backs righty Zac Gallen deep into the left-center-field gap for a double. Hoerner was grimacing as he hurried into second. He stayed in the game and scored from third after Michael Busch's two-run opposite-field single set off a three-run outburst.
In the second inning, Shaw, a super-utility player who provides depth for both the infield and outfield, replaced Hoerner at second base and pinch-hit for him.
Hoerner has hit at a.297 clip in 32 games this season, with four home runs, nine doubles, and 26 RBIs. He was just the fourth player in the Cubs' Wild Card Era (since 1994) to record at least 25 RBIs and 35 hits in the first 30 games of a season. In 147 plate appearances, he has a.835 OPS, 13 walks, and just 14 strikeouts.
