First pitch: 3 things I heard in the Chicago Cubs clubhouse this weekend
By Kevin Henry
CHICAGO — The timing could not have been better for the Chicago Cubs to once again find their mojo this weekend against the Colorado Rockies.
With the sweep of the Rockies over the weekend, Chicago not only ensured it would stay in possession of a National League Wild Card spot heading into Tuesday's series opener in Atlanta against the Braves, but also shook off some recent doldrums. Prior to the sweep, Chicago had not won a series since sweeping the San Francisco Giants from September 4-6.
Those troubles prompted manager David Ross to take his team to task publicly after Thursday's home loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cubs responded to those comments with some of their best overall baseball in recent days.
Chicago Cubs: David Ross getting contributions from young players
Among the key contributors for Chicago in the weekend sweep were young players such as Pete Crow-Armstrong, Jordan Wicks and Javier Assad, all of whom will likely be counted on not only for the Cubs to grab a postseason spot, but also push the Cubs into what the franchise hopes will be a deep postseason run.
What the Cubs are building now in an effort to get to the postseason is laying the foundation for the future, Ross said.
"Probably some of the favorite parts of the year is watching us grow as a team and be able to insert young players who have been on the radar for a little bit and help us," Ross said. "I think this winning environment and being on this playoff push here down the stretch is going to really carry over and create this long-term expectation here, not just from the guys who are in that locker room, but also the young men coming up."