Cubs' offense stays hot in Sunday's 14-1 win against Nationals
WASHINGTON — The Cubs just couldn't stop scoring in the ninth inning. They entered the frame with a commanding six-run lead before exploding for a seven-run ninth inning.
Everything seems to be clicking for the offense right now after the Cubs collected their second consecutive sweep after Sunday's 14-1 win against the Nationals.
"It's like a tale of two seasons," shortstop Dansby Swanson said. "Everyone's putting so much pressure to be able to score runs and produce. Then, right now, it feels like the opposite.
"It's like everyone's just free and confident, whether it's themselves or the guy that's on deck or the guy that's in the batter's box. It's been a lot of fun, and we've definitely been enjoying it."
Fun was not a word associated with the Cubs in the early part of the season when they averaged 3.57 runs per game from Apr. 28-July 3.
But the offense has been vital in getting the Cubs back into the wild-card race. The club averaged 8.9 runs per game on the road trip, finished with an 8-1 record and entering Sunday's games sit 3 ½ games back of a wild-card spot. The offense has been night and day compared to the start of the season.
"It's [center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong], it's [catcher Miguel Amaya], it's the guys at the bottom of the lineup really playing great offense," manager Craig Counsell said. "The other guys have done their part absolutely, but what those two guys have done is has really changed our offense.
The lack of a reliable offense held the team back during May-July, particularly from the back of the lineup. The offense slashed .219/.302/.351 from Apr. 28-July 3, with the team going 22-38 over that stretch. But from July 4-Aug.31, the offense slashed .258/.323/.438, scoring 5.27 runs per game.
The Cubs’ offense has started to have those contagious innings where they string together hits to generate runs. That aspect was missing from the offense earlier in the season.
They’ve scored 10+ runs five times in their last 10 games. In the Nationals series, the Cubs had at least one inning of scoring at least four runs in each game, and those chunk innings were necessary because the team lacked a superstar to carry the lineup.
Over their last 10 games, the Cubs have scored at least three runs in an inning 14 times.
"To see the way we're swinging the bats and flying around the field, it's a lot of fun to see," said starter Jordan Wicks, who threw five innings and allowed one run on four hits.
On Sunday, the Cubs scored three runs in two separate innings. Those occurrences weren’t happening earlier in the season.
Starting tomorrow, the Cubs have a six-game homestand against the Pirates and the New York Yankees. Though the Yankees provide problems for the Cubs because of their superstar sluggers Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, the Cubs are facing them at the opportune time — New York is 39-39 since July 1.
With all three phases working in unison, the Cubs look to be a formidable team in September. After being nine games under .500 on July 3, the Cubs started the beginning of September five games over .500. Entering Sunday's games, the Cubs had a 6.2% chance of clinching a wild-card spot.
"Good teams do it all," Swanson said. "Whether it's on the defensive end, whether it's pitching — starting and bullpen — whether it's at the plate, on the bases. Right now, we're just playing a complete brand of baseball."