How the Cubs are stealing bases without stealing bases

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The Cubs may not have the fastest team in the league, but they're definitely going to try to force the issue on the basepaths this season.

They've always been aggressive running the bases, with guys like Kris Bryant, Javy Baez, Addison Russell and Jason Heyward all earning positive marks with their legs the last two seasons.

But they've taken things to another level on the basepaths in 2018, courtesy of new third base coach and baserunning specialist Brian Butterfield.

It's still very early obviously, but the Cubs have jumped from 24th in the league (2017) to 12th in baserunning value to kick off the 2018 campaign despite entering the day tied for last with only three stolen bases.

How are they doing it?

They're taking the extra base whenever possible, putting pressure on the opposing defense.

"We talked about that a lot in spring training," Joe Maddon said. "We want to be that group. You don't have to be fast to be a great baserunner. So we don't have impressively great team speed, but you can still run the bases smartly and I think we've done that to this point.

"You don't want to run into outs. Just being aggressive, opportunity arises and you want to be opportunistic. I think we've been that so far."

Aggressive baserunning helped give the Cubs the lead Wednesday night as Baez reached on a dropped third strike, moved to second on a fielder's choice, stole third and then motored home on Tommy La Stella's groundball to a drawn-in infield.

The baserunning helped lead to several runs and seven Brewers errors throughout the course of the four-game series in Milwaukee last weekend, most notably with Baez's highlight-reel trip around the bases Thursday.

In the first inning last Friday, the Cubs went first-to-third on three straight hits, jumping out to a 2-0 lead on the Brewers.

Aggressive baserunning also keyed a comeback in that wild ninth-inning comeback Saturday in Milwaukee.

It wasn't taking an extra base, but 36-year-old Ben Zobrist busting it down the line on an infield grounder snared by diving Milwaukee first baseman Eric Thames helped keep the inning alive.

"Good, hard baserunning from us," Ian Happ said. "I think we've been doing that all year. And just keep pushing that pace there. Awesome by Ben Zo getting down the line there and everybody moving around, making it tough on them."

Of course, the good does come with the bad when you're talking about a high-risk, high-reward endeavor.

Willson Contreras tried to take third base on Kyle Schwarber's single through the shift on the left side in the first inning Tuesday night and the Cubs catcher was initially ruled safe on the play before replay showed his foot came off the bag.

It was a moment Joe Maddon pointed to as a turning point in a game the Cubs eventually lost 8-5, giving Pirates starter Ivan Nova a first-inning bailout when the Cubs felt like they had him on the ropes.

For a team that doesn't steal many bases and a young offense that often goes into quiet spells in the situational hitting department, aggressive baserunning is an under-the-radar way the Cubs can manufacture a few more runs a week.

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