Cubs 2B Nico Hoerner tosses ball between legs for highlight-reel putout vs. Astros

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Nico Hoerner gave Chicago Cubs fans a reason to cheer Saturday in the fifth inning against the Houston Astros. The two-time Gold Glove Award-winning second baseman offered a reprieve during the Cubs’ May malaise.

On the heels of six straight losses, including four at Wrigley Field, Hoerner dropped jaws at the Friendly Confines by snuffing out a bunt toward second with a putout that saw him field the ball barehanded and toss it to first between his legs.

Chicago first baseman Michael Busch extended to complete the highlight-reel play before Astros catcher César Salazar could reach the bag.

Hoerner has piled up a collection of the eye-catching web gems this season. Notably, on April 24, he wowed with back-to-back defensive plays during the seventh inning of a 6-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers that capped the team’s first of two 10-game win streaks this season.

First the now-29-year-old Hoerner showed off his arm as a cut-off man. He beamed a perfectly placed throw from the outfield that bounced right to third base, where Alex Bregman was able to tag out a dashing Andy Pages, who was trying to stretch a no-out double into a triple. Then the next batter, Hyeseong Kim, hit a grounder that richocheted off Busch. Instinctively, Hoerner leapt and plucked the ball mid-air before planting and firing a strike to Ryan Rolison as the reliever raced to first for the putout.

Offense has been hard to come by for the Cubs recently, and Hoerner hasn’t been exempt from those struggles at the plate. He came into Saturday batting just .164 in Chicago’s previous 15 games.

But his defense continues to impress.

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