Cubs Takeaways: What we learned as All-Stars help fuel comeback win
CHICAGO — The Cubs started July in a winning fashion and quickly had an opportunity to pick up only their second series victory since the start of June.
They did so with a come-from-behind 5-4 win over the Cleveland Guardians. The Cubs (51-35) will look to complete the sweep over the Guardians on Thursday with rookie Cade Horton on the mound.
Here are three takeaways from the victory:
All Stars deliver
Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong were named National League All-Star Game starters prior to Wednesday’s win over Cleveland, and they played a role in the win to boot.
Crow-Armstrong put the cherry on the Cubs’ three-run fourth inning, hitting a two-out triple to right field that plated Seiya Suzuki to make it a 5-3 lead. Crow-Armstrong overran the bag, though, and was tagged out to end the rally.
The moment was still special. The crowd chanted “P-C-A!” as he took the plate and then he delivered with a clutch hit in a big inning for the Cubs.
Tucker had a third-inning single, reached on a fielder’s choice in the fourth and scored a pair of runs in the win.
Both players have been key factors for a Cubs offense that has scored the second-most runs in baseball this season.
Shota bounces back
Shota Imanaga’s outing started a touch slow.
Carlos Santana and Lane Thomas hit back-to-back home runs into the left field basket on consecutive pitches to lead off the second inning. David Fry had a one-out basket shot of his own in the third inning and the Guardians quickly handed Imanaga and the Cubs to a three-run deficit.
The Cubs’ left-hander exhibited why he was the team’s ace despite Matthew Boyd’s fine run in 2025. Imanaga retired the next eight hitters and pitched into the sixth, recording an out as he continues to build up in his second start since being activated off the injured list.
Make no mistake, Boyd has been clutch for the Cubs’ rotation. He has gone from an unheralded offseason signing to the team’s defacto stopper and a potential All-Star, but the Cubs are at their best when Imanaga is heading this group of starters.
Sure, that could change if the Cubs make a splash in the trade market before the month ends. But until then, the Cubs want to get Imanaga back to peak form and Wendesday was the latest step in that effort.
Lineup discourse
The Cubs’ two-run third inning had the potential to breakout and turn into a big number.
The Cubs had runners on first and third and no outs after Crow-Armstrong’s RBI single with the Nos. 5-7 hitters due up.
But Dansby Swanson, Michael Busch and Carson Kelly were all struck out by Tanner Bibee to stymie the rally. It looked like that could have been a tough missed opportunity, but their fourth inning fixed all that.
The sequence resurfaced an interesting conversation amongst Cubs fans: why is Swanson, who entered Wednesday batting .148 with a .437 OPS with runners in scoring position, hitting in the No. 5 spot instead of someone like Nico Hoerner, who was hitting a team-best .395 in those situations?
Swanson furthered the debate by flying out to left field with the bases loaded in the eighth inning.
Part of the the lineup decision stems from Swanson’s sheer power. Swanson has 14 home runs this season compared to Hoerner’s three – all of which came on the most recent road trip. Swanson has a .425 slugging percentage this season, slightly above his career .414 mark.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell and the Cubs want the power threat to have more of the at-bats by having him hit higher in the lineup.
Swanson and Hoerner entered Wednesday with the exact same number of at-bats (88) with runners in scoring position. The Cubs are optimistic that Swanson could revert more to the a lifetime .257 hitter (with a .795 OPS) that he has been in his career in those situations.
“I think we’d all agree, (88 is) not a very big number, but it affects the outcome of the game,” Counsell said last week in St. Louis. “So, I think we focus on it a lot and I understand that. I think every player wants those at bats to go well, too. They know those are the more important at-bats. So what you kind of hope in this situation is he reverts back to kind of how he’s been throughout his career.
“It’s likely what will happen. It should happen. You obviously have years that are kind of up and down. But it’s probably the thing that you want to happen.”
It has yet to happen. But that’s why Swanson continues to hit in the No. 5 spot, especially against righties.
