While Cubs lose 2-1, Ross defends keeping Happ in No. 3 slot
PITTSBURGH - After driving in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning on Thursday, Ian Happ was the last Cubs player to enter the clubhouse, having stopped for a chat in the hallway. Then he was quickly summoned back out to the field.
It seems Happ is still a big deal in his hometown.
"My mom and my high school coach were here," he said. "Pretty standard in Pittsburgh."
Happ is from nearby Mt. Lebanon, Pa., and said it's still special returning to PNC Park.
"Every time I come back here, I think about when I was a kid watching games from the cheap seats up in the top left corner, getting tickets for 9 bucks, riding the train in from the 'burbs," he said. "It's a special place, beautiful ballpark, and always near and dear to me."
Friday brought a milestone as Happ collected his first career hit off Pirates closer David Bednar, a Pittsburgh native of similar age. It was a home run leading off the ninth inning, but that was the extent of the Cubs' offense as they dropped a 2-1 decision.
The Cubs couldn't touch Pirates starter Mitch Keller, who tossed 8 scoreless innings on 4 hits and 1 walk. This was the Cubs' first loss to Pittsburgh this season after seven straight wins, and the 10th straight game they've played decided by 1 or 2 runs.
"He (Keller) did a good job. The fastball was just placed really well," Happ said. "He did a good job keeping it up in the zone, keeping it away from us. Cutter, slider were in to lefties and off the plate to righties. He wasn't really leaving anything over the middle."
Before the game, Ross talked about why he's kept Happ in the No. 3 spot in the batting order, despite some diminishing numbers. Happ hit .198 in June, .218 in July and is now at .221 in August.
"He's played the most games and he's as consistent of an at-bat as I think we have on our team," Ross said of Happ. "And I mean that in a fact of like when he's scuffling, when he's going well, when he's hitting for power, when he's getting on base, you don't see a change in the consistency of the at-bat.
"I love the switch-hitter in front of Belli (Cody Bellinger), I love the on-base in front of Belli. I like the veteran presence, so to speak, that Ian brings."
The counter-argument is Ross has benched Seiya Suzuki and Christopher Morel for poor performance, but not Happ. There have been a couple of occasions when a red-hot Bellinger was left waiting in the on-deck circle during a key moment.
Happ has been very good defensively, ranks fourth in MLB in walks, but is just fifth on the team in RBI.
"I think you could make arguments for when Morel's hot do you put him up there?" Ross said. "But there's not as much on-base in front of Belli. You can make an argument that Candy (Jeimer Candelario) is a similar, switch-hit player. But he's really thrived in the role he's been put in."
Happ has also been around longer than most players on the current roster, so he's built up a level of trust. Ross also pointed out the Cubs have surged into a wild-card spot with Happ batting third most every day.
"I think we have a top five or six offense in all of baseball (tied for fifth in runs scored)," Ross said. "Why would I mess with that? If it ain't broke don't fix it kind of thing, right?
"Consistency from a manager and belief in a player never really gets talked about enough, and I believe in those things. Believing in your guys through good and bad."
Happ delivered 2 extra-base hits in this game. He doubled in the fourth inning for the Cubs' first hit off Keller.
After the home run made it 2-1 in the ninth, Bellinger followed with a foul home run, then appeared to beat out an infield hit, but the safe call was overturned on review. Bednar retired the next two batters to end the game.
Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks followed his recent trend of getting hit early, then settling into a groove. The Pittsburgh runs were scored the first two batters of the first inning, then Hendricks lasted 5⅔ innings with no further damage.
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