Cubs Leveraging Friendly Confines’ Unique Environment During Win Streak

Wrigley Field has played host to its fair share of legendary players and games over the last century-plus, and all of them have had to deal with its quirks. From the dimensions — which have changed quite a bit over the years — to the weather conditions to a crowd that can worm its way into even the most stoic opponent’s head, the ballpark is an active part of the game. Rather than merely accepting that as a nuisance to play around, the Cubs have bought into the idea of using Wrigley to their advantage.

It’s like when the Celtics would reportedly attempt to direct players to dead spots in the old Boston Garden’s parquet floor. Though baseball makes such direct weaponization of the playing surface somewhat impossible, a team that remains prepared for the unexpected can better deal with the quirks when they come up.

“There are strange plays at Wrigley, for sure,” Nico Hoerner told reporters after Sunday’s win. “But over the course of a year, I do feel like it plays to our advantage. Something since the beginning of his time here, Counse has really emphasized is just dominating Wrigley, making it our own, embracing all the types of games that we have here.”

Heading into their series against the Reds, the Cubs are 14-5 at home on the strength of an 11-game winning streak that includes three straight sweeps. It hasn’t been a matter of blowing the doors off every team they’ve played, but of having a roster that can find ways to win under any conditions. The Cubs have won slugfests and games with 2-3 total runs because they have such a multifaceted offense.

They’re tied for fourth in MLB with 44 home runs, their .353 OBP remains the best in the league, and their 122 wRC+ is second. While I’d personally like to see them steal a few more bags, it’s hard to argue with the results to this point. It’s even harder to argue with the job Craig Counsell has done as manager, even if it may have taken a little while for the pieces to fall into place.

This year’s managerial masterclass was built on a foundation Counsell began laying earlier in his tenure on the North Side. Jed Hoyer predicated his roster construction on strong defense up the middle, which has not been in question for quite some time now. There just seemed to be something holding the team back from fully executing on the manager’s vision.

“A lot of the offseason for me was about, where can we create advantages for our group of players?” Counsell told The Athletic last April. “It’s kind of like a therapist. You have to acknowledge Wrigley. There are 13 position players and 13 pitchers. Every day, one side’s pissed, one side’s happy. But we’ve got to win a baseball game…

“When the wind is blowing in? The home run doesn’t exist. It’s baseball without a home run,” Counsell said. “It’s really embracing that. And maybe if the other team doesn’t completely embrace that, we can get an advantage. It’s the same conditions. Can we just be a little ahead of it?”

Adding Alex Bregman to the mix gave the Cubs a leader who appears to be far more influential than the last former Astro who was expected to be an impact player. Though Bregman won’t be expected to put up the same kind of offensive numbers, it’s evident that he’s a very different force in the clubhouse. On the other end of the spectrum, you’ve got Moisés Ballesteros, whose 171 wRC+ leads all rookie hitters (min. 50 PAs).

Mo Baller also leads his own team in that category, and he’s two homers behind Ian Happ for the team lead despite having 55 fewer plate appearances. The Cubs don’t have a single position player with more than four plate appearances who also has a negative fWAR figure. That might sound trivial, but it shows that Counsell can trust anyone on the roster to contribute on any given day in any given role.

Matt Shaw is the perfect example of the team’s adaptability, as he has played every position other than shortstop and catcher, all while posting a 118 wRC+ with three homers and a lower strikeout rate than last season. It’s much easier to deal with adversity when you’re prepared for nearly any eventuality. The Cubs aren’t just built on power or defense or pitching; they’ve got all of those things and can thus have the confidence that they’re able to compete no matter what.

They know to run out routine pops because of what the wind can do, and they understand how to manufacture runs when power isn’t as much of an option. Their winning streak will eventually come to an end, but continuing to use Wrigley as an advantage will see them win more than their fair share at home.