Cubs' Rizzo lauds depth, Maddon after Game 2 victory

Jorge Soler was the hero in Game 2 of the National League Division Series, launching a two-run homer while reaching base in all four of his plate appearances Saturday evening to help the Chicago Cubs even their best-of-five matchup with the St. Louis Cardinals.

But as first baseman Anthony Rizzo noted after his team's 6-3 victory at Busch Stadium, it could've just as easily been Kyle Schwarber who delivered the big hit. Or Chris Denorfia. Or Chris Coghlan.

"That’s the beauty of our lineup," Rizzo told ESPN's Jesse Rogers. "You can insert Jorge who hasn't played a whole lot and he goes deep. It's the strength of our lineup. We have a lot of depth. (Manager) Joe (Maddon) picks the right guys at the right time."

Soler, 23, appeared only as a pinch-hitter in Friday's 4-0 loss in Game 1, walking in his ninth-inning appearance, but was slotted to play right field for Game 2 in his first ever postseason start, replacing Schwarber in the lineup against the left-hander Jaime Garcia. That wasn't the only tactical decision that turned out well for Maddon on Saturday, though.

In the top of the second inning, Maddon called for successive safety squeeze bunts from Kyle Hendricks and Addison Russell, whose efforts erased Chicago's early 1-0 deficit before giving the Cubs the lead and setting the table for Soler's blast.

"It was there, and we took advantage of it," Maddon said. "Whenever you have a chance to score, you have to take advantage of that opportunity, and we did."