Another big hit for unflappable Russell, another victory for Cubs

With two outs, two on, and the game potentially on the line in the sixth inning Tuesday night – or eighth inning if you flash back two weeks – one of the youngest players in the major leagues looked out at an angry pitcher, with a sold-out crowd making the stadium shake.

What did he think?

“It’s fun,” Addison Russell, 22, said. “The worst you can do is strike out in that situation. You just kind of embrace it a little bit.”

Where have we heard that before?

On this night, against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Cub shortstop’s one-hop triple to the wall in right-center broke a 1-1 tie and propelled the Cubs to a 4-3 victory over the Brewers in the opener of a six-game homestand.

“He’s ready for it, too,” said teammate Anthony Rizzo, who added a big tack-on run in the eighth with a run-scoring double. “That’s the best part. He’s not scared at all.”

Fifteen days earlier, Russell’s two-out, three-run homer in the eighth inning lifted the Cubs to a close win against the Reds to start a three-game sweep in their home opener.

“He’s shy. But he’s not shy,” manager Joe Maddon said. “He’s not afraid of that moment.”

Tuesday’s victory pushed the Cubs’ record to 15-5 – their best 20-game start since 1907.

With game-time temperature at 40 degrees, wind chills in the 30s, and both dropping into the night, the Cubs played a rare low-scoring game for the early going as they opened a 19-game stretch in which 16 will be played at home.

The uniquely Wrigley conditions for this time of year – 24 hours after an 80-degree day in Chicago – caused Maddon to pull starter Kyle Hendricks from the game after just five strong innings and 69 pitches for a pinch-hitter.

Trailing 1-0 to Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson, with one out and two in scoring position, Maddon went to pinch-hitter Tommy La Stella, who walked to load the bases for the top of the order. The Cubs settled for one run, on Dexter Fowler’s sacrifice fly, but the move paid off – with no hard feelings.

“It was a tough day out there to hit, man – really cold with the wind blowing in,” Hendricks said. “How many chances are you going to get? I completely understand. I prepare myself to go deep into games, but sometimes situations happen like that.”

Maddon said he gave Hendricks a heads up the move could be coming if the Cubs created a scoring chance.

“A lot of guys would have been crying, a lot of guys, `Why me?’ “ Maddon said. “He did not do that for one second. He understood the situation completely. I’m here to tell you that doesn’t happen every time.

“He was pitching great; there was no reason to take him out,” Maddon added. “It was a National League move entirely right there.”

Next up for the Cubs: No-hit sensation Jake Arrieta Wednesday against the Brewers.

“I think we’re the frontrunners right now,” Russell said. “And we’re embracing it.”

Where have we heard that before?