New month, new Cubs offense? Kelly’s clutch hits lead comeback win

The Cubs have been saying for a while, you never know when that moment will happen when everything turns around.

There were a few of those moments Monday at Wrigley Field, most notably by catcher Carson Kelly. He belted a game-tying 2-run homer in the eighth inning, then added a walk-off RBI single in the 10th as the Cubs rallied to beat Atlanta 7-6.

The home run was Kelly’s first since July 21.

“It was a special moment,” Kelly said. “As a player, you always dream for a moment like that, and to be able to come through for the guys is great.”

Or maybe the turnaround moment was more subtle. With the Cubs trailing 6-2 in the sixth, and facing an 0-2 count at the plate, Pete Crow-Armstrong laid down a perfect bunt hit to keep the inning alive. Dansby Swanson followed with a 2-run double to trim the deficit to 6-4.

“Obviously, it's the element of surprise right there,” manager Craig Counsell said. “That's probably what was going through his head is just trying to find something he could do.”

Kelly and Crow-Armstrong have been two of the slumpiest Cubs bats. During the past two weeks, Kelly was hitting .182 and Crow-Armstrong .164.

But several other Cubs hitters have started to snap out of it, like Swanson and Kyle Tucker. So maybe Kelly and PCA will follow suit in September.

“I think what makes this clubhouse so special is we're always cheering for each other,” Kelly said. “That's what we do. We pick each other up and whenever one guy's struggling, we pick him up, and I think that's contagious.”

With arrival of Sept. 1 roster expansion, the Cubs officially added two veterans — first baseman Carlos Santana and former White Sox pitcher Aaron Civale. Santana, 39, was a free agent after being released by Cleveland on Aug. 28. The Cubs claimed Civale off waivers, a move that will save the White Sox roughly $1 million in salary.

In his last four appearances with the White Sox, Civale posted a 9.95 ERA. But he tossed three very important scoreless innings in his Cubs debut Monday, which was also his first MLB relief appearance after 135 career starts.

“Adrenaline's high when you come in out of the bullpen,” Civale said.

Starter Colin Rae was pulled after 4 innings, 3 earned runs and 73 pitches. Taylor Rogers followed with a rough fifth inning. After retiring the first two batters, Rogers gave up a single and 3 straight doubles, which sent Atlanta into a 6-1 lead.

Santana, a native of the Dominican Republic, said it was his dream as a kid to play at Wrigley Field. He's done that, and hit a home run in the 2016 World Series with Cleveland. But he'd never played for the Cubs until making a late-game appearance Monday. Santana does have a history with Counsell, having spent the second half of the '23 season in Milwaukee.

“The day before I come here, he (Counsell) called me and said, 'I need you here,'” Santana said. “I didn't think twice. 'If you need me, I'm here.' So we have a very good relationship.”

Santana emphasized he's ready for any role and came here hoping to win a championship. Civale is slated for long relief, with the goal of helping give the other bullpen arms more rest.

Also back with the Cubs, for the first time since late last season, is outfielder Kevin Alcantara. He might offer the Cubs a chance to give Crow-Armstrong some days off in center field. Owen Caissie went back down to Iowa so he can get regular playing time, after hitting .208 during his first stint in the majors.

One player who has gotten hot is Ian Happ, who had 3 hits including a home run Monday.

“Ultimately, I feel like we sort of grinded for the last six weeks,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said before the game. “Our pitching staff has really been good and kind of carried us through a stretch where we didn't play very well offensively.

“I feel good about the position we're in. When we look at the totality of it, I think clearly you would have taken this position on Opening Day, if you said this is where we'd be on September 1st.”