Tucker homers, and Cubs have plenty more to celebrate

PHOENIX -- Dansby Swanson dove and got his glove on Garrett Hampson in a mad scramble around third base, applying the final exclamation point on a wild win for the Cubs at Chase Field on Saturday night. The shortstop popped to his feet -- jersey caked in dirt -- pumping a fist and pounding his chest in celebration.

“What a ride of emotion that was,” Cubs closer Ryan Pressly said in the wake of a 4-3 victory over the D-backs.

Swanson’s last-second heroics helped Pressly escape a turbulent final frame for his first save for the North Siders. The season may only be five games young for Chicago, but the win was full of important moments that showed off the importance of the ballclub’s mix of established and budding stars.

Here were four crucial contributions for the Cubs in this win in the desert:

1. Crow-Armstrong’s assist
Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has quickly made a name for himself with his blend of plus speed and elite defense, especially when it comes to his impressive range. Against the D-backs, he issued a reminder that he has a pretty strong and accurate arm, too.

“He’s got all the talent in the world,” Swanson said. “It’s just about putting it on display.”

In the fourth, Josh Naylor led off with a double and later tagged up when Gabriel Moreno sent a pitch from Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga to deep right-center field. It was one of those plays that looked like a safe bet that the runner would move up 90 feet to third base.

“When that ball was in flight,” Imanaga said, via his interpreter, Edwin Stanberry, “I was thinking about how I should attack the next hitter.”

That was until Crow-Armstrong got off what right fielder Kyle Tucker called a “nasty throw.” Per Statcast, the throw clocked in at 92.5 mph, but it was the accuracy that really stood out. Third baseman Gage Workman caught the ball in front of the base and tagged Naylor, who was deemed out after a replay challenge.

“I had a nice little conversation with Dansby earlier in the game about using what tools I was given,” Crow-Armstrong said. “That play was mostly an example of that. But [also], knowing the runner. That was a long throw, so I didn’t feel like I was going to overthrow the house. I just took a chance.”

2. Tucker’s first Cubs homer
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer was in attendance on Saturday, watching the on-field product that he pieced together in an offseason defined by urgency. Hoyer’s headline-seizing transaction was landing Tucker from the Astros to inject an impact bat into Chicago’s lineup.

Tucker finished Saturday’s win a triple shy of a cycle, launching a two-run, momentum-shifting homer in the fifth inning for his first blast in a Cubs uniform.

“We’re going to see it,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “It was a big night offensively for him.”

Tucker went just 3-for-30 (.100 average) in his 13 games during Spring Training, but the outfielder never expressed alarm over those on-field results. Judging by the 105.8 mph double and 103.6 mph homer – both off Arizona righty Brandon Pfaadt – it looks like Tucker is finding his rhythm.

“I felt good throughout spring,” Tucker said. “I came out healthy and everything and ready for the season.”

3. Shota’s strong start
After sidestepping trouble and spinning four hitless innings in his Opening Day start in the Tokyo Series last week, Imanaga limited the D-backs to one run over seven impressive frames on Saturday. He became the first National League pitcher and the fourth overall to work at least seven innings this season.

“It was a wonderful start,” Counsell said. “He just pitched well. I thought he really kind of controlled his energy in the early innings, and his fastball, kind of in the end, was as good as it was the first inning. It was just a brilliant performance.”

4. Shaw’s first career shot
Counsell gave rookie Matt Shaw the day off from starting with Pfaadt on the hill, but the manager turned to the young third baseman as a pinch-hitter against lefty Jalen Beeks in the seventh. Shaw (ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Cubs’ top prospect and No. 19 on the Top 100) attacked a first-pitch fastball and launched it into the left-field stands for the first homer of his career.

“He can hit home runs,” Counsell said. “It was just an aggressive swing, and that’s the kind of swing you want Matt to take -- just those aggressive hacks.”