Cubs takeaways: What we learned in 10-6 win over Rangers that sealed series win
CHICAGO — The Cubs had an opportunity to win their third consecutive series Tuesday.
They accomplished that feat in another chilly night at Wrigley Field, beating the Texas Rangers 10-6.
Here are three observations as the Cubs (9-5) look for the sweep over the Rangers (8-4) on Wednesday:
Dansby’s big day
Dansby Swanson delivered when the Cubs needed their star shortstop the most — twice — and the biggest came late in the game.
With one out in a tie game and the bases loaded in the eighth inning, Swanson delivered an opposite-field, two-run single that gave the Cubs the lead, right after the bullpen had blown a three-run advantage.
Swanson also hit a solo homer that kickstarted a three-run second inning after the Cubs had trailed 2-0, and he finished 2-for-4 with four RBI.
It marked the first time in Swanson’s 10-year MLB career that he had a stolen base, a home run and a four-plus RBI game.
Kyle Tucker undoubtedly has been the Cubs’ slugger and most daunting presence in their lineup — he was intentionally walked in the eighth with first base open and scored on Swanson’s knock — but the Cubs need more than just him. Tucker will have his slumps this season — every player does. And while Seiya Suzuki looks the part of a solid Robin to Tucker’s Batman, a resurgent Swanson would be welcome in the Cubs’ offense.
Last season was a down year for the Gold Glove shortstop at the plate. He had a .701 OPS with 16 home runs and a 99 weighted runs created plus (wRC+), one percentage point below league average. He’s never been a game-changing hitter like Tucker, but he had a .744 OPS, 22 home runs and a 106 wRC+ in 2023, and a .776 OPS, 25 home runs and a 117 wRC+ in 2022, his last year with the Atlanta Braves.
This season, Swanson has four home runs, an .809 OPS and a 125 wRC+. He might not sustain that production, but if he can return to his previous levels, it’d be a welcome sign.
Oh, and is if that wasn’t enough, Swanson made a nifty play to record the first out of the ninth and tagged a would-be base stealer for the second out. It really was Dansby’s day.
Bullpen musings
Let’s be honest: This blown lead wasn’t entirely the bullpen’s fault. But they still must be better.
You can argue that two of the three runs they allowed came from a combination of bad luck and bad defense. The Rangers’ fourth run in the seventh inning was a result of a Leody Taveras triple that bounced over Ian Happ’s head in left field and rolled to the wall, allowing Josh Jung to score.
Tucker probably will want a do-over on the fly ball that went past him, too, resulting in a triple for Jung and a run to be scored.
But the bullpen can’t allow the Rangers’ No. 7-through-9 hitters to go 4-for-6 off them with two triples and a double, either.
If there’s any solace, it’s the fact that Julian Merryweather, Porter Hodge and Ryan Pressly combined to pitch the final three innings without issuing a walk. Free passes have been Cubs relievers’ bugaboo so far this season.
The Cubs’ bullpen had walked 27 hitters this season entering Tuesday, the second most in the majors. That can’t happen. Pressly especially has been bitten by the proverbial walk bug. He had six walks in six innings this season and had a 20 percent walk-rate. He’s never been above 7.7 percent in a full season.
It wasn’t clean in the ninth, but there were no free passes from the Cubs’ closer.
Taillon’s quality start
Jameson Taillon wasn’t his best.
Yet the veteran right-hander still found a way to turn in a quality start in frigid temperatures and put the Cubs in position to win, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk over six innings with six strikeouts. He found that success by incorporating his curveball more.
The 33-year-old used the pitch 21 percent of the time — 18 times — and generated five whiffs on it. He had used it 12 percent of the time this season, opting for a four-seam/cutter mix in his first two outings. He used his curveball seven times against the Athletics in his last start and didn’t garner a swing and miss on it.
Taillon had a rough first 2025 outing that will affect his stat line for at least a few starts. His ERA still sits at 6.06, despite allowing just five earned runs across 12 innings over his last two starts. That number surely will lower with more performances like Tuesday’s — and the Cubs gladly will take them.
They’ve become quite the norm lately.
Cubs starters are 3-0 with a 2.67 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 30.1 innings over the first five games of this homestand with four quality starts. That includes a five-run, four-inning outing from Ben Brown in Sunday’s 8-7 loss to the San Diego Padres. It’s a 1.37 ERA and 0.80 WHIP without that start.
That’s a welcome sign for a starting staff that finished sixth in the majors in ERA (3.77) in 2024.