It’s hard to definitively say one game can be a turning point to put a struggling offense back on track. Usually, that moment is discovered after the fact.

As an example, the Cubs walloped the Cardinals on August 9, then proceeded to lose four of their next five games, averaging just two runs a game in that stretch.

But Friday’s 11-7 win over the Colorado Rockies where the Cubs offense erupted in the fifth inning, certainly felt a touch different, especially when you consider the grander context.

Coors Field is a haven for hitters, a stretch on the calendar where a player in a slump might circle as a “Get right” opportunity.

“There may be a little bit of that, could be almost unsaid, just that everyone knows that the outfield and the way the ballpark plays – you need to be ready to hit because it is hard on pitchers and it’s easier on hitters,” Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson told reporters in Denver after the win. “That’s just the way it is. It’s historically proven that.”

No one might have benefitted more than Swanson, who finished 3-for-5 with a triple, two home runs and six RBI in the win. He’s the third player in Cubs history – joining Hall of Famers Billy Williams (1971) and Andre Dawson (1987) – with that statline.

“There’s no question Dansby has a night like this, and he feels pretty good walking in the box tomorrow,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters. “No question about that. It’s a place where you just have to put constant pressure on the other team and grind out 27 outs and put as many runs on the board as you can because you’re going to need them because it’s a hard place to pitch.”

But it wasn’t just Swanson’s night that had the Cubs giddy.

Eight of the nine Cubs hitters reached base, the team collected 15 hits, and they compiled that big, knockout inning that had failed to put together often in the second half.

After Cade Horton allowed a two-run home run to Yanquiel Fernández in the bottom of the fourth to make it a 3-2 game – his lone blemish in his impressive second half – the Cubs responded with what felt like a knockout blow.

They sent 11 hitters to the plate in the top of the fifth, collected six hits and finished a home run shy of hitting for the cycle as a team in the frame. Swanson’s three-run triple that was a few feet short of making it a three-homer day was the knockout blow in the inning.

In San Francisco, the Cubs had scoring opportunities in all three games and failed to deliver a big inning, leading to their first three-game sweep of the year. Against Milwaukee last week, the team had squandered chances with runners in scoring position that could have meant an extra win in the series.

All those missed openings meant the Cubs stared down a whopping 6.5-game deficit in the NL Central instead of a more manageable, 4.5, 3.5 or even 2.5-game hole.

But that’s water under the bridge at this point. The division is a distant possibility, but the Cubs still hold a two-game lead over the San Diego Padres – who lost on Friday night – for the top Wild Card spot, an important position because it’s the distance between hosting the three-game series and traveling West to play that first round.

“We got a huge night from Dansby … we did a really nice job offensively.”

Craig Counsell tips his cap to the Cubs’ offense. pic.twitter.com/DjigqU6VPk

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) August 30, 2025

To ensure that position and to make sure they can make a deep run in October, they need the offense humming like it was in the first half when it was one of the top run-scoring teams in baseball. Friday’s game might be the start. Playing at Coors Field could be the perfect remedy to put them back on track as the calendar prepares to flip to September.

“At some point, law of averages is a real thing, especially in this game,” Swanson said. “At times, it just feels like when people are on the big hit hasn’t necessarily come or it’s gotten caught. Even you think about some of the San Francisco stuff, just some of the lineouts with people on baseball, some in the Toronto series as well.

“You just never know what things can kind of bust the game open and what moments can. We kind of just hope that days like this are kind of starting the upward trajectory again as we go into September because this group has obviously proven that it’s capable of so many things offensively and just as a unit.

“Tonight was a good one and a good step, hopefully, in the right direction and that we just continue with that rhythm and it’ll be a fun month ahead.”