3 takeaways from the Chicago Cubs’ series sweep: Swanson remains scorching, the offense sizzling

Twenty-one days ago, the Cubs dejectedly watched the Colorado Rockies celebrate a walk-off victory at Coors Field that dropped Chicago to .500 and put them at another early-season crossroads.

An electric stretch, punctuated with a series sweep of the San Diego Padres in a 23-3 victory Wednesday, moves the Cubs 11 games over .500. The Cubs’ 23 runs were their most in a game in 31 years, while their eight home runs tied the franchise record.

Bolstered by winning 11 of their last 13 games, the Cubs enter Thursday’s off day with the third-best record in the majors, tied with the Atlanta Braves and Tampa Bay Rays, pending the latter teams’ games Wednesday evening.

The Cubs outscored the Padres 35-12 in the series sweep and, potentially important for the postseason, now hold the tiebreaker over San Diego by taking the season series, too.

Here are three takeaways from the series.

1. Dansby Swanson stays scorching hot.

At this point, it might be a surprise if Dansby Swanson doesn’t hit a home run seemingly every game.

Or multiple in a game.

Swanson slugged two home runs Tuesday and for an encore Wednesday hit three home runs in the Cubs’ blowout win, including a grand slam, continuing a torrid stretch for the Cubs’ shortstop. Swanson’s three-home-run, 8-RBI game adds to an incredible run-producing clip. Dating to when RBI became an official stat in 1920, Swanson became one of only five players to record 26+ RBI in a 10-game span, joining Joe DiMaggio (1939), Jimmie Foxx (1933), Lou Gehrig (1930 and 1931) and Mel Ott (1929).

“The one thing I was kind of taught early on just playing this game was RBIs is the one stat that continuously adds up, and no matter if you’re going good or bad, they can continue to stack up each and every day,” Swanson said.

“RBIs are a good thing, right? Producing runs and scoring runs yourself is a huge thing to help the team win, so it feels like they’ve come in bunches, but that’s kind of what happens, and that’s just a testament to this game, and how hard it can be and just how important it is to show up every day and do your best.”

After hitting seven home runs and tallying 28 RBI in his first 70 games of the season, Swanson has nine home runs and 29 RBI over his last 13 games and now leads the Cubs in RBI on the season with 57 — putting him 39 away from matching his career-high set in 2022.

“We never have baseball figured out, I think this tells you that,” manager Craig Counsell said. “He probably went through the roughest patch of his career and on the other side of it is the best stretch of his career. You figure it out. I don’t think Dansby could explain it to you either.”

2. Cubs hitters are loving the conditions at Wrigley.

Hot summer days at Wrigley Field, when the wind is blowing out, make a game feel like a Home Run Derby for hitters and a nightmare for pitchers.

The Cubs’ offense feasted while their pitching staff managed to keep the Padres in check despite the conditions. For the third time in franchise history, the Cubs had back-to-back games with at least five home runs, something they had only done in 2022 and 2023. Only the Athletics have also accomplished that feat this season.

“The conditions the last three days are so unique,” Counsell said. “There’s no place else that ever plays like this, not even close.”

Seiya Suzuki slugged his 100th MLB home run Wednesday, making him the fourth Japanese-born player to reach the milestone (Shohei Ohtani, Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui). Among all the home runs hit during the three-game series, no one needed theirs more than Alex Bregman. His three-run home run Tuesday proved crucial and marked his first at Wrigley since March 29.

“He’s been grinding hard, and he wants to do well so badly, and he hasn’t quite gotten to that groove yet that we know he’s going to get into,” Counsell said.

The Cubs’ 23-run outburst Wednesday represented their most at Wrigley Field since May 17, 1977, also against the Padres.

3. Pitchers keep stepping up.

The Cubs’ pitching injuries have created an additional challenge this season, particularly in June.

Two rainouts and a doubleheader last Wednesday in New York made things more difficult for the pitching staff, especially for what became a taxed bullpen. Counsell took a day-by-day approach with his relievers against the Padres, which meant right-handers Gavin Hollowell and Tyler Ferguson pitching important innings late in Monday and Tuesday’s games, respectively.

“He’s pitching in some pretty big spots, and credit to him, he’s doing a heck of a job,” Counsell said of Ferguson.

Counsell had to stay away from veteran Jacob Webb after he pitched four times in a five-game span entering the series.

The Cubs’ starters stepped up, too. Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea combined for seven runs in 16⅓ innings with only three home runs allowed in the windy, humid conditions.