Chicago baseball report: Why Cubs are keeping Dansby Swanson in No. 5 spot — and Grant Taylor's rare feat for White Sox

Chicago Tribune

2 days ago

The Chicago Cubs have a chance to salvage a series split against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals after dropping the first two in the four-game set.
Left-hander Matthew Boyd stopped the Cubs' three-game skid by limiting the Cardinals to three hits and no walks in six innings in an 8-0 win Wednesday. Shota Imanaga returns from the injured list to start Thursday's finale before the Cubs head to Houston, where former Astros Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly return for the first time since departing in the offseason.
The Chicago White Sox continue their stretch against the National League West. Having just completed a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Sox welcome the San Francisco Giants to Rate Field on Friday. Then they head to Los Angeles to begin a three-game series Tuesday against the Dodgers.
Every Thursday during the regular season, Tribune baseball writers will provide an update on what happened — and what's ahead — for the Cubs and White Sox.A manager always has choices to make when constructing the batting order. For Cubs manager Craig Counsell, figuring out who to go with in the No. 5 position has lately been among his daily considerations.
Dansby Swanson has predominantly hit in the five spot since the beginning of June, and he's batting .240 with a .269 on-base percentage in that span, including two hits in Wednesday's blowout win over the Cardinals.
When asked about continuing to have Swanson bat fifth, Counsell pointed to the shortstop's numbers versus left-handed pitchers and his power. By slotting him between lefties Pete Crow-Armstrong and Michael Busch, there's potential for a platoon advantage for Swanson over the course of a game.
'And then the power, it's one swing of the bat that can change the game,' Counsell said.
Swanson's struggles with runners in scoring position have been noticeable, though. His .141 average in such situations is the ninth-lowest among the 275 big-league hitters with at least 40 plate appearances with RISP.
Only 27 players have more plate appearances with RISP than Swanson's 90, which ranks third on the Cubs behind Seiya Suzuki (97) and Crow-Armstrong (91). Comparatively, Suzuki and Crow-Armstrong own .325 and .329 averages, respectively, in those spots.
'Really all year I've been pretty bad at it, to be honest,' Swanson said of his performance with RISP. 'I think a lot of it is being able to simplify and focus on hitting the ball hard somewhere and good things will be able to happen.
'I'm not really holding my end of the bargain up right now in that regard, and it's definitely something that frustrates me and I've got to be better.'
Grant Taylor said he 'was a little surprised' Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre.
'Steven (Wilson) was on the mound (in the bullpen), warming up to go in the game,' Taylor said. 'Bullpen call, I thought it was going to be confirmed him going in because he was already throwing. They run down and tell me I'm in.
'No time to think, just get up there and start going. Kind of realized while I was out there, 'Oh, this is a save opportunity. This is pretty cool.''
Taylor earned the save, the first of his big-league career, by pitching a scoreless ninth in the 4-2 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays.
It was an active weekend for the right-hander, who served as the opener Friday. It was his first major-league start.
'I think I'm more surprised about the open than I am the save,' Taylor said.
He became the sixth White Sox pitcher since 1969 to both start and finish a series and the first since Jimmy Lambert on May 22-24, 2023, in Cleveland, according to STATS.
Also according to STATS, Taylor became the third Sox pitcher since 1969 to start a series opener and earn the save in the finale, joining Dennis Lamp (July 29-Aug. 1, 1982, vs. the Boston Red Sox) and Francisco Barrios (Aug. 20-22, 1976, vs. the Baltimore Orioles).
'He looked great,' manager Will Venable said. 'The same stuff that we've seen in every one of his outings and the same kind of composure and confidence. He's been put in a couple different spots now and has responded well.'
Taylor threw 12 pitches Sunday, six of which reached at least 100 mph. He topped out at 102.2.
'That was a lot of fun,' Taylor said of the save opportunity. 'Excited to try to do it again.'
The Sox have used a major-league-high 53 players this season (27 pitchers, 26 position players).
There was an expectation home runs would come at some point for Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner.
Perhaps not three months into the season.
Hoerner and the Miami Marlins' Xavier Edwards had been the last two qualified big-league hitters without a home run before Hoerner went deep in Tuesday's loss. The two-run homer just cleared the left-field wall to cut the Cardinals lead to one run.
'It felt great,' Hoerner said. 'You want to be able to impact the game in every way, and we've talked about how I can do that for a long time. And obviously adding power is the part of my game that there's the most clear room for improvement, but nothing too different from my end.'
Known for his contact-hitter profile, the long ball hasn't been a staple of Hoerner's game as a big-leaguer. He has hit only 30 in 2,534 plate appearances spanning 623 games.
Entering Tuesday, Hoerner was the first major-leaguer since the Pittsburgh Pirates' Francisco Cervelli in 2010 to record at least 31 RBIs with no home runs through his first 74 games.
'Nico's having a nice offensive season,' Counsell said. 'Sometimes when you're in a good place and you had a good night (Tuesday) night … it's kind of a matter of time. You just get a ball in the air and hit it to the right spot to get one.'
Kyle Teel said getting called on to play left field in the 10th inning during the second game of a June 19 doubleheader against the Cardinals was 'like riding a bike.'
'Played outfield in college, played for the collegiate national team in left and right field, shag out there all the time,' Teel said afterward. 'So I was just hoping they would hit me the ball.'
While a ball didn't come Teel's way during his one inning in the outfield, the catcher is ready to do whatever he can to aid the Sox.
'I take pride in my athleticism, and wherever the team needs me at any point, I'm willing to go,' he said.
The focus, manager Will Venable said, is behind the plate.
'I don't think another position is something that we're considering right now or at any point,' Venable said Tuesday. 'Those guys (Teel and fellow catcher Edgar Quero) have a lot to learn and there's plenty of opportunity for them to do that.'
'I feel like I've been kind of close for four years there. Sometimes you kind of wonder if it's ever going to happen, but I'm very grateful and I'm a product of the people around me. It's a cool thing, but getting a 'W' tonight is even better.'