CHICAGO—A month ago, the Cubs were searching for answers. Now, they’re playing some of their best baseball of the season.
Fresh off a 6-1 road trip that included a sweep of the New York Mets and a series victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago carried that momentum home, completing a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres.
The timing could not be better.
Entering the week, San Diego sat just one-half game behind Chicago in the National League Wild Card race after winning two of the first three meetings between the clubs earlier this season. Along with an upcoming series against the St. Louis Cardinals, the six-game homestand offered the Cubs a chance to create separation against two direct postseason competitors.
Just three weeks earlier, that opportunity seemed unlikely.
Chicago opened June by losing six of its first eight games and fell back to .500 on June 10. Since then, the Cubs have gone 14-4 to finish the month at 48-38.
Shota Imanaga Delivers, Seiya Suzuki Walks it Off
Monday’s opener lived up to its postseason atmosphere.
The Cubs managed only two runs against Padres right-hander Griffin Canning, who entered the night with a 7.38 ERA, but they made the biggest hit count.
The game remained tied 2-2 into the ninth inning, Seiya Suzuki smoked a walk-off single into the left field ivy to give Chicago a 3-2 victory and the Cubs major league-leading 10th walk-off win of the season.
On a humid 91-degree evening with the wind blowing out, Shota Imanaga turned in yet another steady outing.
The southpaw worked 6.1 innings, allowing nine hits while striking out four and perhaps most importantly, not issuing a walk or surrendering a home run despite pitching in hitter-friendly conditions.
The outing marked his seventh consecutive start of at least five innings and his seventh start this season without allowing a home run.
“I thought Shota pitched great,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “We desperately needed the length. For him to get into the seventh inning just meant everything, and with the chance to win the game meant everything. He pitched great tonight.”
After a tumultuous week of rain delays, doubleheaders, and an extra-innings game, the length Imanaga was able to provide on Monday lowered the blood pressure for Cubs skipper Craig Counsell and fellow teammates.
Home Run Derby Came a Year Early at Wrigley
Tuesday quickly turned into a slugfest.
On the fifth pitch of the game, Fernando Tatis Jr. demolished an 80.5 mph changeup onto Waveland Avenue to give the Padres an early lead. Carson Kelly countered with an RBI single, knotting the game at one apiece in the first.
The Cubs broke the game open in the second.
Dansby Swanson launched a 432-foot homer before Alex Bregman crushed a 415-foot, three-run shot to cap a four-run inning.
No one has felt the pressure to produce during the ups and downs quite like Dansby Swanson. Hitting .183 going into the series in New York, the Cubs cornerstone shortstop exploded for a three-game outburst, hitting .583 (7-for-12) with three home runs and 15 RBI against the Mets. Swanson didn’t skip a beat returning to Chicago.
“It feels like they’ve come in bunches, but that’s kind of what happens,” Swanson said. “I think it’s just a testament of this game and how hard it can be and how important it is to just show up every day.”
The fireworks continued throughout the night.
Manny Machado homered to right in the third before Michael Busch, Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong all went deep for Chicago. Gavin Sheets and Tatis Jr. added late home runs for the Padres, but Ryan Rolison closed out the ninth inning to earn the first save of his major league career.
Colin Rea Stabilizes as Cubs Bats Explode for 23 Runs
The Cubs wrapped up the series behind another strong outing from Colin Rea and an offense that wasted little time providing run support.
Chicago jumped on Padres starter Walker Buehler in the opening inning. Seiya Suzuki continued his scorching stretch at the plate, launching a 426-foot, three-run homer to straightaway center field to give the Cubs an early cushion.
The home run was the 100th major league home run of Suzuki’s career, making him the fourth Japanese-born player in MLB history to reach the milestone, joining Shohei Ohtani (290), Hideki Matsui (175), and Ichiro Suzuki (117).
The power surge continued an inning later when Dansby Swanson connected on a solo homer to left, extending Chicago’s lead and continuing a series in which the Cubs lineup consistently punished mistakes over the plate.
Miguel Amaya added a two-run single in the third before Swanson struck again, belting a 434-foot, three-run homer to center. The blast gave Swanson his second consecutive multi-home run game.
The offensive onslaught continued in the fifth and eighth innings.
Michael Conforto launched a towering homer to center to push the Cubs lead to 10-2 before Pete Crow-Armstrong followed with a two-run shot to right, extending the advantage to 13-2 in the fifth.
The offense didn’t stop there. Chicago added ten more runs in the eighth, thanks to another Conforto homer, RBI singles from Suzuki and Amaya, as well as Swanson’s third home run (this one off a position player pitching) of the afternoon to make it 23-3.
After neither club hit a home run in Monday’s opener, the long ball dominated the final two games of the series.
When asked if Swanson was thinking home run with a position player on the mound in the eighth:
“To be honest, I don’t even think I’m thinking,” Swanson said, “and that’s the good part.”
Colin Rea did the rest.
The veteran right-hander kept San Diego’s lineup at bay, allowing two runs on six hits over five innings. Rea threw 81 pitches, struck out five, and walked three, providing the Cubs with another quality outing as the rotation continues to stabilize despite a wave of injuries throughout the pitching staff.
The lopsided 23-3 victory over San Diego secured Chicago’s second consecutive series win over a National League contender. The Cubs carried the momentum of their June turnaround into July while strengthening their position in the National League Wild Card race.
“We’ve just done a really good job against starting pitchers.” Craig Counsell said, “What we did against Walker Buehler kind of determines the outcome of the game.”
The North Siders hung nine earned runs on Buehler, forcing him out after four innings and 85 pitches.
The Cubs combined for 17 hits and eight home runs on the day. Over the three-game set, the Cubs collected 13 home runs, 40 hits and 17 walks. Dansby Swanson accounted for eight hits, 11 RBI and five home runs over the three-game stretch.
Constant Roster Turnover
Perhaps the biggest development over the past month has been the Cubs ability to impress despite constant roster turnover.
At the front office level, it’s difficult to question the organization’s commitment. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer aggressively addressed the pitching rotation when key injuries to Ben Brown and Edward Cabrera forced Hoyer’s hand.
David Peterson and Bryse Wilson were added to the roster to fill the starting pitching void and contributed right away; allowing a combined two earned runs, nine hits, and six strikeouts in 10 innings of work against the Milwaukee Brewers over the weekend.
Injuries, transactions and new faces have forced manager Craig Counsell to mix and match almost daily, yet the club has continued to find answers. Contributions have come from throughout the roster, whether just off the plane or the injured list, the clubhouse has responded with its most complete stretch of baseball since April.
From here, the responsibility shifts to the players and the manager to push the right buttons.
No team survives a 162-game season without adversity. The Cubs have already experienced plenty of it and will undoubtedly face more before October arrives. Winning consistently requires talent, resilience, and at times, a little luck.
For the first time in weeks, the Cubs appear to have all three working in their favor.
Looking Ahead
The St. Louis Cardinals, who hold the third NL Wild Card slot at the moment with a record of 44-38, arrive at Wrigley on Friday with another opportunity to impact the National League Wild Card race. Chicago took two out of three at St. Louis in late May and looks to add to the two-game lead over the Cardinals in the National League Central.
While the Cubs have climbed back into postseason position, there is little room for error.
Milwaukee still owns first place in the division at 52-31 despite Chicago taking two of three from the Brewers over the weekend. Firmly leading the NL Wild Card race by two and a half games, the Cubs are still five games back of the Brewers in the NL Central. The focus remains on strengthening their Wild Card position and building head-to-head advantages against teams chasing the same goal.
A month ago, simply getting back into the postseason conversation seemed uncertain.
Now, the Cubs control their own momentum.
The challenge is no longer climbing back into the race.
It’s staying there.
