BOX SCORE

Wednesday played out exactly as the Chicago Cubs needed it to. And as a result, they still have not been swept in a three-game series this season.

As bad as things may have felt for the fanbase after difficult losses on Monday and Tuesday night, a 10-3 win Wednesday means the Cubs leave Milwaukee trailing the Brewers by just a game in the NL Central.

The Cubs received bounce-back games from two of their most important players and a boost from young prospect Moisés Ballesteros, who was called up from Triple-A Iowa before the game and immediately inserted into the lineup.

Here are three takeaways from Wednesday’s win over the Brew Crew:

Ballin’

Ballesteros provided a jolt to the Cubs lineup in his first MLB game since May 19.

With the bases loaded, two outs and the Cubs nursing a 2-1 lead over the Brewers, Ballesteros came up against Milwaukee ace Freddy Peralta. The 21-year-old DH served an 88 mph changeup into left-center for a bases-clearing double to give the Cubs a 5-1 lead.

It was the biggest hit of the ballgame — and the biggest hit of Ballesteros’ young career.

He was just 3-for-16 with zero extra-base hits and three RBI in five games in his first go-round in the big leagues in May.

The Cubs called Ballesteros up Wednesday and designated veteran infielder Vidal Bruján for assignment.

With Ian Happ banged up, Ballesteros entered the lineup for the finale with the Brewers as Seiya Suzuki slid into left field.

Justin Turner replaced Ballesteros in the sixth inning as the Brewers went to a lefty on the mound and the veteran responded with a leadoff double. Turner later came around to score on a Dansby Swanson RBI double. Happ later replaced Turner and homered in the ninth inning.

Depending on the moves the Cubs made before Thursday’s trade deadline — as well as Happ’s status in the coming days — Ballesteros’ time in Chicago could be short-lived. But he certainly made his impact felt with a huge hit on Wednesday.

Shota rights the ship?

It wasn’t an emphatic bounceback, but it was certainly a step in the right direction for Shota Imanaga, coming off one of the worst starts of his brief MLB career.

The Cubs ace allowed two homers — both solo — and three runs in five innings against the Brewers. And most impressively: He did not walk a batter while striking out eight.

The Cubs are now 20-2 when Imanaga takes the mound after a loss.

That was certainly encouraging for the Cubs after Imanaga’s velocity was down last Friday on the South Side. He was tagged for seven runs, three homers and 12 hits against the White Sox in just three innings.

The Cubs need Imanaga to be right down the stretch if they’re going to lock up the NL Central and make a deep run in October.

Heart of the order

A huge part of the Cubs’ success in the first half of the season was a dynamic, high-powered offense.

That hasn’t quite been the case since the All-Star Break and it’s easy to see why. The heart of the order struggled to produce in the first 11 games since the break and is a major reason behind why the Cubs went 5-6 in that span.

Michael Busch, Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki — the 1-through-3 hitters in the lineup — entered play Wednesday with a combined .165/.308/.266 slash line (.574 OPS) in the 11 games since the All-Star Break.

That trio flipped the script Wednesday.

Busch led off the game with a home run:

Suzuki walked twice and Tucker collected two hits, walked twice, drove in two and scored a run.

That’s especially encouraging to see from Tucker, who has been mired in a month-long slump. From June 25 through Tuesday, the star right fielder hit just .217 with a .674 OPS and only six extra-base hits (two homers, four doubles) in 26 games.

The Cubs certainly hope Wednesday was a sign of things to come for Tucker.

The Cubs will enjoy an off-day Thursday, though Jed Hoyer’s front office is expected to be busy before the 5 p.m. trade deadline.