Even after Cubs rookie Owen Caissie notched his first major-league hit Monday, his bases-loaded strikeout in the previous at-bat still ate at him.
‘‘Chasing the last [pitch] kind of sucked,’’ he said Tuesday morning. ‘‘There’ll be more opportunities for that, but it just kind of really stung in the moment.’’
His next opportunity came a few hours later, in the first inning of the Cubs’ 6-4 victory against the Brewers in Game 1 of a doubleheader.
Caissie stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs and got the head of his bat down to a sinker on the inside edge of the strike zone. He lined it into shallow right field for a two-run single and the first RBI of his major-league career.
‘‘I really just told myself, ‘You’re made for this,’ and, ‘Step back in the box and do a job,’ ’’ he said after the game.
With a struggling Kyle Tucker out of the lineup for both games, Caissie started back-to-back games in right field as the Cubs swept the doubleheader. They cut the Brewers’ lead in the National League Central from nine games to seven.
Caissie and utility player Willi Castro, whose first home run with the Cubs accounted for three runs in the third inning, combined to drive in all six of the team’s runs in Game 1.
Caissie’s first major-league homer came in the sixth, a solo shot to the opposite field.
Including an RBI single against Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff in Game 2, Caissie went 3-for-6 on the day.
His offense rightfully drew the spotlight, but he also played his first two games in right field. He made two plays deep in the corner, contending with Wrigley Field’s brick walls and lack of foul territory.
‘‘It’s what makes Wrigley so interesting,’’ manager Craig Counsell said. ‘‘You go to the gaps, and it feels like there’s no room. You go to the corners, and it feels like there’s more room than any stadium. And then you throw in the constant presence of a wind, and those are two nice plays, absolutely.’’
Taillon reinstated
Right-hander Jameson Taillon held the Brewers to one run in six innings to set the Cubs up for a 4-1 victory in Game 2. It was his first start back from a seven-week stint on the injured list with a strained right calf.
Taillon kept improving as he settled in. He allowed five hits but retired 13 of the last 14 batters he faced.
‘‘I thought we used the rehab time really wisely to make sure we were sharp and crisp and worked on some delivery things and weight-room stuff,’’ Taillon said. ‘‘So I think that’s the real silver lining.’’
The Cubs made a series of roster moves to keep their pitching fresh for the doubleheader.
Before Game 1, they optioned left-hander Luke Little to Triple-A Iowa and recalled left-hander Tom Cosgrove from Iowa. They also returned right-hander Gavin Hollowell, who had served as their 27th man Monday, to Iowa.
Before Game 2, the Cubs reinstated Taillon from the IL and optioned Cosgrove to Iowa. And they added left-hander Jordan Wicks from Iowa as their 27th man.
Notes
Michael Busch had two RBI in Game 2. He drove in Caissie with a double in the second inning and Matt Shaw, who had legged out a triple, on a chopper to the right side in the sixth.
• Castro, playing right field for the last four innings of Game 2, brought Cubs fans to their feet with a run-saving double play to end the seventh. He made a catch, then cut down Brice Turang with a throw to the plate.
• Closer Daniel Palencia pitched for the first time in four days, returning from a bout with flulike symptoms. He earned the save in Game 1.