The Cubs defense doesn't get any better without Willson Contreras and Javy Baez on the field, but in the long run, Joe Maddon hopes the Cubs offense will improve.
Both the seemingly unstoppable Contreras and strikeout-happy Baez were on the bench for Wednesday night’s 8-3 win over the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field, but while one needed a physical break, the other needed a mental one.
The latter was for Baez, who struck out a career-high five times Tuesday — no small feat considering his 41.5 and 30 percent strikeout rates in 2014 and 2015, respectively.