NEW YORK – Shortstop Dansby Swanson continues to show signs of life at the plate.
His bat proved to be the difference as the Cubs pounded the Mets, 10-3, in the first game of a day/night doubleheader at Citi Field on Wednesday afternoon.
The score was tied at 3 when Chicago took the lead in the top of the sixth inning against Mets right-hander Nolan McLean. With runners on first and third and two outs, Swanson crushed a 1-0 fastball a Statcast-projected 400 feet over the center-field wall for a three-run homer. It was his second homer in the past two games.
Swanson then went yard again two innings later. This time it was a grand slam off right-hander Jonathan Pintaro to give Chicago a seven-run cushion. Swanson is the second Cubs shortstop in franchise history (since 1901) with at least two home runs and seven RBIs in a game, joining Ernie Banks, who did the trick on Aug. 4, 1955, against the Pirates.
On June 16, Swanson had a slash line of .175/.281/.306. In his last five games, including Wednesday’s opener, Swanson is 8-for-18 with four homers and 14 RBIs. It shows how quickly a season can turn around in a few days.
Right-hander Javier Assad was the beneficiary of Swanson’s eruption. Assad pitched five innings, and allowed three runs on five hits. His only blemish was allowing consecutive home runs to Jared Young (a two-run shot) and Francisco Alvarez.