The crowds were relatively small, but the past two nights at Wrigley Field should have been the ultimate homefield advantage for the Cubs — a dome team from the South playing in 30-degree weather.
These past two nights were two of the three coldest games in Texas Rangers history. The third was a 33-degree day of ice fishing at Milwaukee County Stadium in 1989, according to the Rangers game notes.
Of course, playing well in the cold is easier said than done, especially considering Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson is from Atlanta and Tuesday's starting pitcher Jameson Taillon from Houston.
“It's always 75 and sunny in my mind,” Swanson said. “Rain, snow, sun, cold, it doesn't really matter.”
Swanson hit a home run and his 2-run single broke a tie as the Cubs scored 4 in the eighth inning to beat Texas 10-6 on Tuesday. The game-time temperature was 35, one degree warmer than Monday.
Swanson, who finished the night with 4 RBI, suggested he's slightly prepared for Chicago weather.
“In Nashville when I was playing at Vandy, it got really cold at times and you just do it,” he said. “You go out there and embrace it. I think it's fun to play in, it's a big-league game and very thankful to be able to do this for a living.”
Even with the loss, Texas (8-4) still owns the best record in the American League.
According to Cubs historian Ed Hartig, Monday's game was one of six in the team's recorded history with a first-pitch temperature of 34 degrees or less. The Cubs are 5-1 in those games, though they managed to lose the coldest of the bunch (29 degrees) to the Florida Marlins in 1997.
“You've got to acknowledge it, is the biggest thing,” manager Craig Counsell said of the cold. “It's going to (stink) out there. It just is.”
The Rangers' bats spent Monday's game in a deep freeze, managing just 3 singles and no runs off Justin Steele and Colin Rea.
There was a little more fight to the visitors on this night. Texas rallied from a 6-3 deficit to tie the score, but the defense crumbled in the eighth inning.
Ian Happ led off with a deep liner to center field. Leody Taveras got to it, but didn't make the catch and it was ruled a two-base error. Three batters later, third baseman Josh Jung muffed Jon Berti's bouncer, which loaded the bases. A pair of 2-run singles, by Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong, put the Cubs ahead to stay. Crow-Armstrong went 3-for-5.
Taillon gave up some runs early, but settled down and recorded a quality start, with 3 runs allowed over 6 innings.
“On a night like tonight, you've got to really emphasize finishing your breaking balls and stuff,” Taillon said. “It's possible to pitch out there in the cold, you just have to finish everything with a little more intent.”
Taillon talked about trying to emulate what he used to see from the 2016-18 Cubs — a team he pitched against with Pittsburgh. That group could put up some big numbers when the wind was blowing out, but also execute well enough to win the low-scoring games.
“I'm lucky I get to go into the tunnel and have a heater and jacket and stuff (between innings),” Taillon said. “I kind of know how to prepare — wear the gear, wear the tights, wear the thicker thermal long sleeves. Don't try to be a hero.
“Then it's kind of a mind game of being like, 'I want to be out here more than everyone else. This is my day.' It's a mix of preparing the right way and trying to think you have an edge.”
The Cubs had 4 stolen bases Tuesday, giving them 9 in the first two games of this series. They are 25 of 26 on the season and lead the majors in steals.
