Cubs' offense returns to form in big win over rival Cardinals

ST. LOUIS -- The Cubs used an aggressive offensive formula to power their way into postseason position earlier this season -- a recipe that had gone uncharacteristically missing for stretches in recent weeks. On Saturday night, the North Siders very much looked like themselves again.

In a 9-1 win over the rival Cardinals, the Cubs enjoyed a relentless offensive push that the ballclub can only hope develops into a corner-turning moment for the lineup. From the outset, Chicago’s hitters were on the attack, piling up runs early and continuing to add on in a performance that brought April and May’s steady production to mind.

“We’ve got such a good lineup,” Cubs starter Colin Rea said. “It’s just a matter of time before we put things together. Tonight’s a good step in that direction.”

It is the kind of step the Cubs need to keep taking, especially as the National League Central-leading Brewers continue to rack up wins. Milwaukee won for the eighth consecutive game on Saturday, maintaining a five-game lead over the Cubs, who currently occupy the NL’s top Wild Card seed.

The nine runs scored by the North Siders equaled the total output by the lineup in the previous four games combined. That included Friday’s 5-0 loss, in which Chicago’s lineup went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, which has been an issue since the All-Star break. Saturday’s 13-hit attack included a 5-for-13 showing with RISP.

After the win, Cubs manager Craig Counsell was asked if he has been scoreboard watching, even with a little under two months left on the schedule.

“I mean, you see the scoreboard every night,” Counsell quipped. “If you don’t see the scoreboard at a Major League stadium, there’s something wrong with you.”

The good thing for the Cubs was this night included plenty of runs on the scoreboard at Busch Stadium.

Michael Busch sparked a two-run first inning with a leadoff double -- after not collecting an extra-base hit since July 30. The Cubs first baseman followed that up with a three-run blast in the second inning, giving him 22 homers this season. That includes six against the Cardinals, marking the most by a Cubs batter versus St. Louis since 2005 (Derrek Lee, six).

“It’s always nice to help this club, especially when we’re scuffling a little bit,” Busch said.

Busch was hardly alone in powering the offense.

Cubs rookie Matt Shaw headed into the night as one of the team’s hottest batters in the second half, hitting .315 with a .994 OPS in 18 games since the break. He then drove in a run with a triple in the third inning and launched a solo homer in the fifth, giving him six shots since the season’s intermission.

Kyle Tucker, whose offensive issues have been well-documented, delivered an RBI single in the first inning, stole a base and scored from second thanks to a throwing error by St. Louis. Carson Kelly added three hits -- including a run-scoring single in the second that chased Cardinals starter Andre Pallante after only 53 pitches. Dansby Swanson also had a three-hit night and Ian Happ contributed an RBI single.

“It starts with a good first inning,” Counsell said. “And a multiple-run first inning, I thought, was just good. We haven’t been doing that a lot lately -- just playing with a lead before they even take the field. That’s a big deal.”

On the night, the Cubs finished with 11 balls in play that had an exit velocity of at least 100 mph -- topped by a 113.7-mph double from Seiya Suzuki in the second inning. Chicago finished 8-for-11 on those balls, compared to a 2-for-8 showing in those situations in Saturday’s loss, when tough luck and sequencing hindered the production.

This time around, the Cubs scored at least once in each of the first five innings, building a nine-run lead that Rea used to his advantage. The righty logged a quality start, limiting St. Louis to one hit and two walks through five innings and exiting with only one run relinquished in six frames.

“It’s huge,” Rea said of the lineup’s early outburst. “You don’t want to relax, but it kind of gives you a minute -- especially when it’s hot out -- to kind of catch your breath. For them to score that many runs early, it kind of takes the pressure off you a little bit.”

That was the formula the Cubs put on display so often in the season’s early going.

“[It was] a matter of time, but also we know what we’re capable of,” Busch said. “And we’re trying to do that each and every day. No matter if we’re doing really well or doing bad, it’s showing up and trying to put our best foot forward.”