CHICAGO -- The Wrigley Field crowd unleashed a chorus of boos when Rangers reliever Chris Martin intentionally walked Kyle Tucker in the eighth inning on Tuesday. It was a decision that set the Cubs up for some late heroics on another frigid night at the Friendly Confines.
Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson found himself facing Martin two batters later in a 6-6 game with the bases full and one out, as the temperature continued to plummet from its announced first-pitch reading of 35 degrees.
¡°It¡¯s always 75 and sunny in my mind,¡± Swanson said with a smile.
Swanson slashed an insider cutter from Martin into the right-center-field gap, bringing home a pair of runs with a single that sent the North Siders on course for a 10-6 win over the Rangers. The shortstop raised both arms skyward at first base as the bundled-up crowd roared during Chicago¡¯s third consecutive series victory.
Throughout another overwhelming evening for the Cubs¡¯ lineup -- the group scored at least seven runs for the seventh time in the past eight games -- Swanson was in the middle of everything. He ended with a home run, stolen base and four RBIs for the first time in his career, and made a dazzling defensive play in the ninth to help put the finishing touches on the win.
¡°Dansby¡¯s been a really good player in this league,¡± Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. ¡°And he continues to make plays offensively, defensively, on the bases. He¡¯s affecting all parts of the game.¡±
Swanson got things rolling for the Cubs with a leadoff homer in the second inning. Texas lefty Patrick Corbin -- making his season debut -- sent a 2-2 cutter up and in, and Swanson sent the ball rocketing beyond the left-field bleacher seats (107.7 mph exit velocity, per Statcast) for his fourth blast of the season. His four homers are tied for his most through the first 14 games of a season.
In the fifth inning, Swanson came up with the bases loaded and no outs and sent a 1-1 changeup from reliever Jacob Webb to deep center field. The sac fly brought Seiya Suzuki across the plate and ignited a three-run outburst that put the Cubs ahead, 6-3.
¡°You always know he¡¯s going to defend and play great shortstop and be a great leader,¡± said Cubs righty Jameson Taillon, who logged a quality start in the win. ¡°Offensively, he¡¯s obviously got juice, but I just see him out there just playing really good situational baseball, too. And then when people make mistakes, he¡¯s capitalizing.
¡°I¡¯ve seen him move runners, and get them in from third, stuff like that -- Have selfless at-bats. And then obviously he¡¯s hit some big homers, too. He¡¯s in a great spot.¡±
So far this season, Swanson has come out of the gates swinging, with a .509 slugging percentage and an .809 OPS through his first 14 games. To go with the homers, he has notched three doubles, six walks, 11 RBIs and a pair of steals (one coming as part of a double steal in the eighth inning on Tuesday night).
Swanson¡¯s production out of the fifth spot of the order has helped a Cubs offense that, at the time of the game¡¯s end, leads the Majors in runs scored (94 overall and 6.7 per game), stolen bases (25 in 26 attempts) and walks (75). The North Siders¡¯ latest outpouring upped the team¡¯s OPS to .787 (third in the National League and fifth in the Majors).
¡°The consistency in the intent has been so tremendous from our group,¡± Swanson said. ¡°Not taking at-bats off no matter what the score is. No matter what the situation is, just looking to do a job. Being intentional about running the bases. All those things are huge.
¡°I think that that has just shown what it takes for this group to be good. We¡¯ve done that so far throughout this year and it¡¯s been a joy to be a part of.¡±
After the Rangers pulled even with a three-run push against the Cubs¡¯ bullpen, a pair of fielding errors -- combined with the intentional walk to Tucker -- set the stage for Swanson with the bases loaded and one out. Martin fell behind in the count, 1-0, leading to the moment that the Cubs shortstop swung the game¡¯s momentum for good.
¡°I¡¯m just trying to stay up the middle of the field,¡± Swanson said. ¡°It¡¯s kind of one of those things, ¡®Why don¡¯t I just do that every time I come up to hit?¡¯ But I think that less is more in those situations, and understanding that we¡¯re in the driver¡¯s seat.¡±