3 takeaways as the Chicago Cubs have fun hitting home runs against the St. Louis Cardinals in a big series win

Chicago Tribune

a day ago

When the Chicago Cubs' offense is on, it doesn't matter if the wind is howling in or blowing out at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs hit a team-record eight home runs to score 11 against St. Louis on Friday with the wind blowing out at Wrigley Field.
On the flip side, with the wind blowing in on Sunday night the Cubs scored their first 10 runs against the Cardinals without the benefit of a home run before designated hitter Seiya Suzuki found the right-center seats. The 11-0 shutout victory came in front of a crowd of 40,319 that was pleased most of the night until podcaster Alex Cooper sang and was booed during the seventh-inning stretch.
Suzuki has 25 home runs and 77 RBIs but was passed over for the All-Star Game as rosters were announced Sunday.
He said he was not disappointed.
'As a DH, I know there are a lot of great DHs,' Suzuki said through an interpreter. 'Looking at how they are doing, it pushes me to do better.'
There is a chance he could still make the team if someone drops out.
'I'm sorry, but my plans are full — just kidding,' he joked.
Photos: Chicago Cubs shut out the St. Louis Cardinals 11-0 at Wrigley FieldThe Cubs (54-36) went 5-1 during the homestand. They have a four-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the National League Central and are 6 1/2 games in front of the Cardinals and eight ahead of the Cincinnati Reds.
The Cubs' high mark in the division was a 6 1/2-game lead on June 17-18 and it melted to a two-game advantage June 27-29. But now there is a little bit of breathing room.
Here are three takeaways after the Cubs took two out of three from the Cardinals.
Left-handed pitcher Matthew Boyd was named to the National League All-Star team on Sunday afternoon, then went out and threw five shutout innings, allowing three hits with a walk and nine strikeouts against the Cardinals.
It was a memorable day for him.
'It's definitely something super-special,' he said of the All-Star nod. 'It's an honor and something you dream about.'
Boyd said he is a product of the people around him and named just about everyone on the roster when thanking people.
Last year at this time, he was recovering from Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery and had not yet thrown a major-league pitch in his rehab.
'I just have a ton of gratitude,' the 34-year-old said. 'I'm glad there is someone writing the script who writes a much better script than me.'
Over the years, the Cubs have had some pretty popular first basemen, including Mark Grace and Anthony Rizzo.
Michael Busch could join the club.
He had a legendary performance with three home runs against the Cardinals on Friday and then became just the eighth player in team history to follow a three-home-run game with a home run the next game when he blasted one on Saturday. He recorded seven hits in seven plate appearances. That was the longest streak by a Cub since Rizzo did it in 2016.
The streak stopped Sunday when he walked in the first inning. He was back at it in the third with a single to left. In all, he had nine hits in the three-game series against the rival Cardinals.
A few weeks ago, Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Busch had been doing a great job quietly. That should be changing.
'It's interesting in the nature of how he performs,' Counsell said. 'The big, exciting game makes everybody notice. Before, he hit a home run in a week he hit .280 with an on-base percentage of .380 and a .500 slug and it would be nicely spaced out.
'It's great. Maybe it will take a big game like that to put him on everybody's map.
Busch's defense has been a plus as he learned a new position after playing second and third base with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
'We gave Michael some praise last year for being a good first baseman and he's still out there doing what got him to that point,' Counsell said. 'It's a fun part of that development, for sure. It's fun to see that from your players.'
Jameson Taillion's spot in the rotation is still in flux, but Jordan Wicks is making a bid for it.
The left-handed Wicks threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings in relief on Sunday, allowing three hits and striking out two.
Wicks was brought up Friday when the team placed Taillon on the injured list with a right calf strain. He came back to the parent club as red hot as he had a 1.65 ERA in his previous five starts at Triple-A Iowa.
In April, he was in the Cubs' bullpen and gave up three earned runs in two innings and was demoted.
Last year, Wicks was 2-4 with a 5.48 ERA in 11 appearances and 10 starts. In his rookie season in 2023, he was 4-1 with a 4.41 ERA in seven starts.