Starting Jeff Baker At 2B

I couldn’t care less about the Cubs being rained out Sunday.

With all the pending bumps and bruises this club could use an extra off day, even with the Pirates in town.

Instead, I was more interested in watching the fighter jets fly over the city as part of the Chicago Air & Water show.

The rain, however, cancelled out the jets too.

Meanwhile, I can’t find a reason why Jeff Baker shouldn’t become the Cubs’ everyday second baseman.

Since joining the team July 2, Baker’s quietly made 15 starts batting .333 with five doubles, two home runs and a triple.

In his last 24 plate appearances he’s reached base safely 15 times, and is also 14-for-28 (.500) on the current home stand.

Mike Fontenot, on the other hand, is batting below .200 in his last 20 games–9-for-57–and only slightly better for the season (.228).

With the Cubs struggling offensively it only makes sense to play Baker full-time.

You can make a similar case for starting Jake Fox in the outfield, as well.

The most obvious replacement being Soriano, who’s mired in another long slump (3-for-29), including 2-for-20 on the home stand.

Fox has four RBI in his last six games and is nearing the .300 mark for the season (.298).

It’s even plausible to think Fox could provide better defense in left field, too.

Look, this isn’t the stretch-run lineup we all envisioned in early April, but the Cubs’ window to catch the Cards is rapidly closing.

Now’s the time to start playing the guys performing, regardless of the names on the back of the jerseys.