A scuffling Chicago Cubs offense left the Bay Area with limited production, three straight losses and hope that the perfect prescription would come in the form of heading back east – to hitter-friendly Coors Field in Denver.
One day in, and the medicine for the bats seemingly worked. The Cubs’ bats delivered a solid performance, snapping their losing streak with an 11-7 victory over the Colorado Rockies. They saw a nine-run and eight-run lead evaporate, but hung on for the win.
The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, meaning the Cubs (77-58) remain 6.5 games back in the NL Central. The Cubs did move two games above the San Diego Padres, who lost to the Minnesota Twins.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
Offensive explosion
The Cubs would have hoped one or two of their big boppers – Michael Busch, Kyle Tucker, Seiya Suzuki and Pete Crow-Armstrong – could collect some hits at Coors Field and feel like they’re regaining their mojo heading into September.
They’ll gladly take eight of their nine starters reaching base, including a six-run inning and bloops and blasts sprayed all over the Colorado night sky.
The Cubs’ second-half offense hasn’t been the eye-popping, clubbing juggernaut it was in the first three and a half months, but in case you forgot what they were capable of, Friday was a good reminder — specifically the fifth inning.
They sent 11 hitters to the plate, scored six times and finished a home run away from hitting for the cycle as a team in the frame. You’re probably thinking: “Great, but it’s the 38-win Rockies, the worst team in baseball, big deal.”
You’re right, but the Cubs can’t control who they play, and you’d much rather have them doing this than struggling to put up runs. Plus, winning games in the majors isn’t easy, and the Rockies won three straight series earlier in the month against the Cardinals, Diamondbacks and Dodgers.
This was as good a performance as the Cubs could have drawn up.
Swanson’s big day
We mentioned the big boppers and Suzuki (he had an extra-base hit for the first time in 12 games), Busch (a mammoth, 466-foot home run along with two hits) and Tucker (reached base twice and has a 1.267 OPS on the seven-game road trip) all had cases to have their own takeaway.
But when you do something that’s only been done two other times in Cubs history, you have your own takeaway. That’s what Dansby Swanson’s 3-for-5 night with two home runs, a triple and six RBI did for him.
Swanson joined Hall of Famers Andre Dawson (1987) and Billy Williams (1971) as the only players in Cubs history with a triple, a home run and six RBI in a game since 1920. That’s some pretty good company.
The first blast – a two-run shot in the second – got the offense started. The triple put the exclamation point on the six-run fifth inning. And the second home run was the cherry on top of his historic day.
It’s Swanson’s second straight day with a home run and he has 21 on the year now. He’s one away from his single-season high as a Cub, and his offensive explosion should help elongate a lineup while the top of the order continues to settle into a groove.
Horton makes a case
While the offense is trying to find its groove in the second half, the starting pitching has been terrific, especially from rookie Cade Horton.
But just as Coors Field could be and eventually was a haven for the Cubs’ bats, the park could be a hindrance for a pitcher who has hardly hit a road bump in the second half. The Cubs bullpen, which surrendered five runs, saw that firsthand.
And it was a hiccup for Horton – sort of.
Friday’s outing, statistically, was his worst start of the second half, but by the standards he’s set in the second half, that’s still a really, darn good outing. The Cubs would gladly take five innings of two-run ball at Coors Field any day of the week.
That outing continued to make his case to be the National League’s Rookie of the Year. Horton entered Friday with the best betting odds to win the prestigious award. Friday’s outing surely will aid that case.
Since the All-Star break, Horton has a 0.86 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP in 42 innings across eight starts. He has a 2.92 ERA this season and a 1.19 WHIP in 19 games (18 starts) over 98.2 innings.