ST. LOUIS -- With the first swing of Wednesday night at Busch Stadium, the Cubs were off and running to a much-needed win. Ian Happ attacked the night’s opening offering from Cardinals starter Erick Fedde, launching the pitch to deep right for a leadoff home run.
Given the way the last week had gone for the North Siders, it was an instant lift.
“You can’t ask for a better way to start that game,” Cubs catcher Reese McGuire said.
Happ’s blast ignited an offensive flurry that rolled through multiple innings, and veteran lefty Matthew Boyd held up his end of things with six scoreless frames. The result was an 8-0 victory in which the North Siders looked very much like the club that soared to the top of the National League Central earlier this season and has held firm.
The win came after a tough 8-7 defeat one night earlier, sending the Cubs to a fifth loss in six games and tightening up the division race. Chicago turned the page quickly, beginning with Happ’s 10th career leadoff shot and continuing with a two-run homer from McGuire in the second and a solo blast from Kyle Tucker in the third.
By the fifth inning, the Cubs had built an eight-run advantage.
“Any time you’re in a little losing streak,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said, “just taking the lead early I think gets everybody excited, for sure. We played good offense today. We did a really nice job. Their pitcher left some balls in the middle and we did a good job with that and got an early lead. And it was a comfortable win.”
If a “comfortable” win could be defined as having at least a four-run advantage in a victory, the Cubs had not experienced one since an 8-4 road win on June 10 over the Phillies. The past two weeks have featured wild swings in weather, creating a run of low-scoring games followed by a pile of slugfests.
Consider that the Cubs had averaged 5.9 runs per game with an .865 team OPS in the seven games leading up to Wednesday, but had just two wins to show for it. In the 19 games before that stretch, the North Siders averaged only 3.4 runs per game and had a .650 team OPS, but went 12-7 in that span.
The Cubs looked like themselves again on Wednesday, making a handful of impressive defensive plays, flashing both power and speed (three stolen bases) offensively and receiving stellar pitching from Boyd and the bullpen.
It was the kind of win the Cubs used to stretch their lead atop the division to 6 1/2 games a week ago – a cushion that has since dropped to 2 1/2 games.
“This is our brand of baseball,” said Happ, who added a two-run single in the fourth inning. “Tonight, the baserunning was great. The defense was great. You have Boyder on the mound doing his thing. The bullpen did a great job. The at-bats were fantastic.
“Everything was clicking tonight, and I think those are the games we like to see and it puts us back in a good spot.”
Boyd, in particular, stood out with his team-leading 11th quality start of the season.
In the previous three games, Cubs starters Jameson Taillon, Ben Brown and Colin Rea combined to allow 23 runs in 14 1/3 innings. That included 11 total home runs -- seven in the past two losses in St. Louis. Boyd only allowed one baserunner to advance into scoring position, ending with three hits scattered with no walks issued.
“He just kept putting up zeros,” Counsell said. “It felt kind of like the game was over by the fifth inning, just how he was pitching. He just never kind of gave them any hope to score. There were no rallies going on -- nothing. It was just a really, really well-pitched game. And something we needed. Great, great win.”
Boyd was happy to do his part to play the role of stopper.
“Regardless of the day, I know what I expect of myself,” said Boyd, who has a 1.49 ERA in his last six outings. “Regardless of what happened the day before, regardless of what tomorrow potentially may bring, what I do doesn’t change. What I expect of myself when the ball’s in my hand doesn’t change.
“These little patches happen sometimes in the season, but we know who we are. Today was fun.”