CHICAGO — The baseball that Cubs third baseman Isaac Paredes launched into left field in the first inning on Tuesday night defied the strong wind that had Wrigley Field’s flags flapping in from center. It answered the question as to whether his pull-side power would play in the old ballpark.
Paredes’ shot undoubtedly lost some distance, but the ball traveled far enough, dropping into the basket that sits atop the bricks and ivy. The three-run blast was Paredes’ first homer since being acquired by the Cubs at the Trade Deadline, and it helped propel the North Siders to a 7-3 victory over the Twins.
“The way the wind was blowing today, you’re not thinking three-run homers,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “And just for Isaac, just to get a big hit on the board, absolutely, it made everybody feel good.”
The three-run outburst fueled by Paredes in the opening frame helped back a stellar start from Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga, who tied a career best with 10 strikeouts. He went seven innings and limited Minnesota to a pair of runs on two hits and a walk with both runs coming via a Royce Lewis homer in the fourth.
Paredes finished with four RBIs — he also went the opposite way for a run-scoring single off Twins starter Pablo López in the third — for his best offensive day since joining the Cubs. Chicago landed the All-Star at the Deadline from the Rays in exchange for Christopher Morel, Hunter Bigge and Minor Leaguer Ty Johnson.
Paredes had yet to really show off the offensive skill set that convinced the Cubs to swing that deal.
“I was doing too much,” Paredes said via Cubs team translator Fredy Quevedo Jr. “Obviously, I was trying to impress everybody and my teammates.”
In his first seven games for the North Siders, Paredes went just 3-for-27 (.111 average) at the plate. He had a few long, grinding at-bats and a pair of doubles along the way, but the results had not gone his way since donning the new uniform. That said, Paredes’ offensive downturn stretches back a bit further.
Prior to coming to the Cubs, Paredes hit just .187 with six homers and a .677 OPS dating back to the start of June in 47 games (199 plate appearances). That came after he opened the season hitting .294 with 10 homers and an .890 OPS through his first 54 games (230 PAs).
“He’s going to swing the bat better,” Counsell said before the game. “He’s scuffling a little bit, but I think we’re happy we got the player that we thought we were going to get.”
And the Cubs will hope Tuesday’s performance will serve as a turning point in his new surroundings.
The front office targeted Paredes due to the consistency he has shown at third base as a defender, plus his combination of offensive traits. He offers upper-tier contact ability (83.9% overall and 90.9% on pitches in the strike zone this season, entering Tuesday), solid strikeout and walk rates, plus power and a propensity for pulling the ball.
“It’s a unique one,” Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly said. “You’re kind of intrigued, right? Like, ‘How does this guy do this at this high of a level?’ And you think it’s kind of one-dimensional, but then you watch his at-bats. … You see the bat-to-ball skills, but then you also see there’s an attack that he has.
“And he has a presence in the box that, if you make a mistake, he’s going to hit it hard to the pull side.”
In the first inning, both Seiya Suzuki and Cody Bellinger reached with two-out singles to set the stage for Paredes. The Cubs’ new slugger fell behind, 0-2, but then took a fastball and a sweeper from López for balls to pull the count even. The Twins righty uncorked a 94.7 mph fastball over the heart of the plate.
“A lot of people know that his power is to the pull side,” López said. “I was trying to make a good pitch on that outer lane. The ball leaked over, and that’s how they make their money. They capitalize on mistakes.”
Paredes said he thought it was a home run off the bat, but then began to have doubts when he saw left fielder Manuel Margot slowing down in front of the wall. The Deadline acquisition is still getting used to the Wrigley Field factor.
“The first couple of games, there wasn’t wind that was coming in,” Paredes said. “Now that there was today, the mindset definitely was a little down. But, now it tells me that I can hit home runs [here].”
