Swanson homers twice as Cubs win slugfest over Padres

CHICAGO -- There are nights when Wrigley Field transforms into a hitter’s haven and teams understand that piling up runs is not only the goal, but required to find the win column. The Cubs were up to the task Tuesday night.

Led by a two-homer outburst by shortstop Dansby Swanson, the Cubs launched a season-high five home runs to power their way to a 9-7 victory over the Padres at the very Friendly Confines. Pete Crow-Armstrong finished off his torrid June with his 11th homer of the month, Alex Bregman also went deep and Michael Busch got in on the derby as well.

“We had quality at-bats up and down,” Swanson said. “We really got ourselves to advantage counts and guys didn’t miss pitches when they got them. Credit to the offense and our guys for coming through in the end on the mound.”

The Cubs and Padres combined for nine total home runs, but Chicago held on to secure its eighth win in nine games. Here are three key aspects of Tuesday’s win over the Padres:

1. Swanson keeps slugging

When Swanson went deep back on June 17 – ending a monthlong drought without a home run – the Cubs shortstop quipped that it was like getting a “blue whale” off his back. Swanson said at the time that he felt good about work being done behind the scenes with his swing, expressing hope that more positive results would soon follow.

Swanson indeed finds himself in the middle of a strong stretch in the batter’s box.

Six of the shortstop’s 13 home runs this season have come within his past dozen games, in which Swanson has hit at a .340 clip with an .830 slugging percentage. Going into that game against the Rockies on June 17, he had a .175/.281/.306 slash line on the season for the North Siders.

Last week in New York, Swanson had one of the great three-game showings in Cubs history, hitting .583 (7-for-12) with three homers and 15 RBIs against the Mets. His 11 RBIs in a doubleheader on Wednesday set a Cubs record. He had a two-homer game in Game 1 of that twinbill and has now notched his second multihomer performance of the year in this win over the Padres.

“It feels like they’ve come in bunches, but that’s kind of what happens,” Swanson said. “I think it’s just a testament of this game and how hard it can be and how important it is to just show up every day.”

2. Bregman on the board

Bregman has been under the microscope for weeks as his struggles have persisted for the Cubs, who brought him aboard via a five-year, $175 million deal over the offseason to be an offensive catalyst. In Tuesday’s win, the veteran third baseman delivered in a big way.

“To see him get rewarded for that work that he’s putting in is pretty awesome,” Swanson said.

After Swanson gave the Cubs a 2-1 lead in the second inning with his first homer of the night, Bregman spread the game open a bit with a three-run blast off Padres lefty JP Sears. Bregman attacked a 2-0 cutter at the top of the strike zone, hammering it deep into the left-field bleachers to give Chicago a 5-1 cushion.

“He needed that hit,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “You’re happy for him. He’s been grinding hard and he wants to do well so badly. He just hasn’t quite gotten to that groove yet that we know he’s going to get into.”

The home run was the first three-run shot for Bregman since July 28 of last year, when he suited up for the Red Sox. It marked his first homer since June 11, which was his only other homer this month. Entering the game, the Cubs third baseman was batting .195 with a .264 slugging percentage and .601 OPS in 24 games in June.

3. Cubs flash their elite defense

Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd gave up a pair of home runs – Fernando Tatis Jr. led off with a shot in the first inning and Manny Machado sent a two-run homer to the right-field basket in the third – but limited the damage otherwise in his five-plus frames.

And while it could get lost in a slugfest, Chicago’s league-best defense -- a unit that entered Tuesday leading MLB in Outs Above Average (38), Fielding Run Value (35) and runs prevented (31) -- came up big at multiple turns.

In the second inning, second baseman Nico Hoerner made a diving stop on a sharp Jackson Merrill grounder up the middle, and flipped the ball from his stomach to Swanson at second for a highlight-reel out. Hoerner made another diving snag to take a hit away from Tatis in the third. And in the sixth, Swanson and Hoerner teamed up for a slick double play that halted a potential rally for San Diego.

On an offensive night, plays like that helped position the Cubs to hold off the Padres when they rallied late.

“You’re just kind of counting outs,” Counsell said. “So, when Nico makes plays like that, when Dansby and Nico turn double plays, the outs add up and just the chances for something – that fly ball to happen – go a little down.”