Cody Bellinger returns in the Cubs’ win over the Pirates

CHICAGO — After being pushed around in practices in Arizona and then testing things out in two rehab appearances with Triple-A Iowa this week, Cody Bellinger has had some very clear comments for the Cubs.

“I just told them I was ready to go,” Bellinger said.

A photo of Bellinger landed on social media via waiting fans as he arrived at Wrigley Field Thursday afternoon with a smile and a blue hat swung around backwards. It was an extra dose of energy for a Chicago team that was already catching a glimpse of momentum, and the Cubs held on to that feeling with a 7-2 win over the Pirates.

The Cubs have been looking for weeks for some good vibes, and they’ve arrived with a win in this crucial Series. Bellinger is back. Marcus Stroman cranked out his 13th best quality start in the MLB. Ian Happ pitched the Cubs’ first home run since 1993. The awakened lineup (28 innings in three games) led the North Siders to their first home sweep of the year.

“There’s nobody in the league we can’t play with,” said Stroman, who leads the National League with a 2.45 ERA after his last six attempts. “It’s just a matter of accumulating winnings.”

Three wins over Pittsburgh were significant.

With the sweep – the first of six attempts in a friendly game this season for the Cubs – Chicago narrowed their deficit to 3 1/2 games behind the NL Central Pirates. This matters, because the Cubs front office is in evaluation mode, balancing playoff prospects in a wide open division against a 31-37 record as the August 1 trade deadline approaches.

An ongoing winning streak may be what it takes to win a division title this season, and the Cubs have a heartbeat with five double-doubles in six games. The last time Chicago won five out of six was April 14-19, when the offense was firing on all cylinders and not all of May’s troubles had surfaced yet.

And who was the driving force in April? Bellinger.

“Billy is a huge part of the team,” said Cubs designated hitter Christopher Morrell, via team interpreter Freddy Quevedo. “Just like a car doesn’t run without an engine, Belli is definitely that engine for our team. It’s very big and important to us.”

Bellinger landed on the 10-day injured list following a jump in position on May 15 in Houston. He stole Kyle Tucker with an amazing catch, but landed awkwardly. Bellinger didn’t think the problem was serious after that match, but the bone bruise was deep and the pain persisted.

After what Bellinger called a “long and tedious” process of waiting for the bruise to heal so he could ramp up his action, he turned around. Even before his grueling running progression and two-game rehab stint with the I-Cubs, Bellinger was trying to keep himself fit.

Cubs manager David Ross said, “Day one, the knee hurt and he was in the cage hitting the machine and tipping over on a chair, because he wanted to take a swing.”

In Thursday’s win, Bellinger joined the hit show with an RBI signal in the fifth inning of five runs. He pulled a pitch into right field, ran that drive Morrell mentioned and hit a double hut. The knee seemed fine.

“Pushing the envelope there, going to second, and running right in the guy’s face,” said Ross, “is pretty amazing in my opinion. I love that. I love that kind of baseball.”

While Bellinger was out, Triple-A Iowa’s Mike Tauchman came along and stopped things in the middle. 296 clips with a . 414 on-base percentage over 24 games, working his way to the starting position. He also played a solid center field, making a few eye-opening catches along the way.

The way Tauchman impressed, along with the struggles of starting freshman Matt Mervis (. 531 OPS in 27 games), led the Cubs down a surprising path. To get Bellinger back into the Majors faster, he picked up the first baseman’s glove and returned to the spot he previously played for the Dodgers.

“The talent is there,” Bellinger said of Mirvis. “It will be fine.”

The move showed that the Cubs’ focus is very much on winning as much as possible right now, in contrast to the development-led approach of the past two years of rebuilding. And the Cubs know this is an important part of the schedule to set course for the next three months or more.

Like Bellinger, the Cubs hope to be “ready to go.”

“It’s never about ‘time to go’ in the major leagues for me,” said Ross. “I think the players will probably repeat that.”