Could Chicago's motley crew of bats be the key in October?

CINCINNATI -- Nearly every member of the Cubs’ lineup has had a run as a catalyst through the peaks and valleys experienced by the offense this season. The way manager Craig Counsell sees things, that trait could prove important once the team is playing on the October stage.

When it’s glory or elimination on the line, every hitter has a chance to play hero.

“It’s not on one guy to do this,” Counsell said. “A consistent offense takes turns in being productive. Look, if we’re going to play a lot of October baseball, some of these guys are going to have to do special things. Which ones, it doesn’t really matter. But some of these guys are going to have to do some special things.

“We’ve got a lot of candidates, and I think that’s why we’re capable of playing a lot of games in October.”

While the Cubs did not do enough in their 6-3 loss to the Reds on Saturday night, the ballclub did offer a snapshot into what Counsell meant. Michael Busch -- one of the young core pieces for the North Siders -- launched his 30th home run of the season. And backup catcher Reese McGuire also belted a homer and drove in a pair of runs on the night.

Since they clinched their spot in the postseason on Wednesday in Pittsburgh, the Cubs have lost three straight to the Reds, equaling Chicago’s longest losing skid of the season. Cincinnati is suddenly one game back of the Mets for the final National League Wild Card seed, while the Cubs remain in the top Wild Card spot (four-game cushion over the Padres).

The Cubs are seven games back of the NL Central-leading Brewers with seven games to go (while owning the tiebreaker over Milwaukee). But the way things are playing out, the likeliest scenario is for Chicago to host a best-of-three Wild Card Series. It would be easy for the Cubs’ players to start thinking ahead to the playoff atmosphere at Wrigley Field, but Busch cautioned against that right now.

“Not really anticipating it [yet],” Busch said. “We’ve still got seven games left to play -- some pretty big ones for us.”

Busch became the first Cubs hitter to 30 homers this year and the first to hit that milestone for the franchise since 2019, when Kyle Schwarber (38) and Kris Bryant (31) did so. Busch is the first Cubs first baseman to have at least 30 home runs in one season since Anthony Rizzo had 32 in 2017.

“I’m happy for Michael,” Counsell said. “That’s an important number -- a home run number -- for guys to hit. It’s a testament to him just getting better.”

McGuire followed Busch’s third-inning blast off Reds righty Zack Littell with a two-out solo shot in the fifth inning. He later added an RBI double in the eighth inning in an effort to help spark a late comeback for Chicago.

The homer was the ninth of the year for McGuire, who had assumed the backup duties admirably while Miguel Amaya has dealt with injuries this season.

“Reese is a big part of why we’ve been able to get here,” Counsell said.

It has taken contributions like that to help the Cubs weather a number of setbacks along the way for the lineup.

Over the first two months, Kyle Tucker, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly and Busch helped power the lineup. Rookie Matt Shaw was cold early and had a stint back with Triple-A Iowa before catching fire in the second half. Core players like Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson have carried a bigger load down the stretch, amid slumps and injuries elsewhere.

When the Cubs get back to Chicago for the upcoming homestand, they are hoping Tucker (10-day injured list, left calf strain) will be nearing a return to game action. The team would also benefit from having Busch continuing to regain his power stroke, along with Suzuki and Crow-Armstrong.

Then again, anyone can step up when it matters once October arrives.

“It comes in all shapes and sizes,” Swanson said. “Especially in October, I think the most common trait is that each guy is pulling the wagon in the same direction. It’s the trust in one another to go have the at-bat that’s necessary for game situation, game moment.

“Just the mental component of being locked in to do what’s required is a huge part. And obviously we have the talent to do it physically and the talent to do it mentally. It’s just a matter of doing it.”