Offense comes alive as Cubs battle back 4 times to edge Cards 8-6
Much of the pregame noise at Wrigley Field on Saturday centered around manager David Ross' strategy of using relief pitcher Michael Fulmer as the Cubs' "opener" instead of beginning with veteran starter Drew Smyly.
Five hours later, all anyone was talking about was the noise the Cubs' bats made during a come-from-behind 8-6 victory over the Cardinals.
"These guys refuse to give up, quit, roll over," Ross said. "It's a back-and-forth game. The game's all about the offense today."
Amen to that.
The Cubs, who got shortstop Dansby Swanson back after two-plus weeks on the injured list, pounded out 15 hits and overcame deficits of 1-0, 3-1, 5-3 and 6-5. They took the lead for good in the sixth when Cody Bellinger poked a 2-run single to right field to make it 7-6. Seiya Suzuki followed with an RBI single to left for the game's final run.
"Our response was really good in a lot of different innings," said Swanson, who went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. "Just being able to prove to ourselves that no matter what way the game goes we still have a chance to win and compete. We did a really good job of that tonight."
Nico Hoerner (3-for-4, BB), Ian Happ (2-for-3, 2 BBs), Bellinger (2-for-5, 4 RBIs), Suzuki (3-for-5) and Swanson (2-for-4) combined for 12 of the hits. The only extra-base hits were doubles by Hoerner, Happ and Swanson.
Swanson, who was out with a left heel contusion, made his presence felt right away by ripping a 95-mph fastball to right field on the first pitch he saw.
"Swing hard in case you hit it," Swanson said with a wide smile. "That's the motto."
"Getting Dansby back helps the middle of our order and the middle of the defense," Happ said. "You saw it right away today. He hits that double. It kind of sparks us."
Bellinger is 40-for-91 in with 19 RBIs his last 24 games. He's also hitting .480 during a six-game streak.
One thing that amazes many is the left-handed hitting Bellinger is hitting .300 with 7 home runs and 25 RBIs against right-handed pitchers and .353 with 6 home runs and 16 RBIs vs. lefties.
"It's rare," Swanson said. "You see it across baseball. Lefties don't face lefties anymore. He's kind of put an end to that narrative in a way.
"He's just so good bat to ball. He understands the situations that he's put in and how to deliver in different types of moments. He's just a pro."
Fulmer, making his first start since 2021, gave up a first-pitch home run to Lars Nootbaar, but settled down and gave up just 2 more hits in 2 innings.
Coming out of the bullpen didn't solve Smyly's struggles as he allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 6 hits in 3.2 innings. Smyly has a 9.86 ERA in his last five appearances, giving up 33 hits and walking 10 in 21 innings.
"Things didn't really go our way pitching-wise," Ross said, "but this is the resiliency of this group is they just continue to fight no matter what's thrown at 'em."
The Cubs (47-51) are 9-6 in their last 15 contests. The Cardinals (44-55) dropped a second straight game after winning their previous six.
A 20-minute rain delay pushed Saturday's start time back to 1:45, and another delay of 87 minutes stopped the game in the seventh inning.
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