Cubs continue historic offensive stretch at raucous Wrigley

CHICAGO -- The decibel level at Wrigley Field kicked up several notches as Christopher Morel awaited a full-count offering from Buck Farmer in the fifth inning Wednesday.

The raucous crowd was seemingly waiting to burst as the ball carried to right-center field. Morel hit it 399 feet, missing a homer by a few feet, and settled for an RBI double.

There was a palpable buzz at Wrigley on Wednesday, not just because the Cubs rallied from two three-run deficits in a 16-6 win over the Reds. They entered August in the thick of the postseason hunt, after two straight years of Trade Deadline selloffs and a fanless, shortened 2020 season.

It’s something not lost on David Ross, though the Cubs manager isn’t taking any victory laps with two months left in the season. Not even close.

“It's enjoyable to be in the race for sure,” Ross said before Wednesday’s game. “My manager brain wants to go, ‘We’ve got a long way to go,’ right? Said that a bunch of times. We’ve got a lot of games still left to play.

“We haven't done anything up to this point. We're still a good way back from the team across the way. We’ve got to go out and compete. A couple more games with them and chase down this thing.”

The Cubs are certainly competing. They’re 12-3 their past 15 games and 29-17 since June 9. At 55-53, Chicago is just two games back of the Reds and Brewers in the loss column.

Their offense has led the charge since the All-Star break -- the Cubs lead MLB with 145 runs, and a chunk of that is from the past 27 hours. The 36 runs they’ve scored the past two games is their most in a two-game span since at least 1900. According to Cubs historian Ed Hartig, they last pulled it off June 29-30, 1897. Even more rare: They're the first team in AL/NL history to record 10 extra-base hits and five homers in back-to-back games.

Wednesday, the Cubs tallied 16 hits and five home runs. Ian Happ hit two, and Morel, Dansby Swanson and Seiya Suzuki each produced one. Among a long list of offensive contributions, Jeimer Candelario went 4-for-4 in his second game back with the Cubs.

The Cubs didn’t score in the first inning, but made Reds starter Brandon Williamson throw 24 pitches. After going down 1-2-3 in the second, they scored in every inning afterward.

“I think the more impressive part is getting down early and fighting back,” Happ said. “It’s not just the homers. It’s guys going out there, getting on base, the singles that lead to getting pitchers deep into pitch counts and being able to take advantage.”

Said Ross: “Nobody’s going outside of what they’re trying to do. … These guys are just staying within themselves. Balls are going all over the place. Really big walks too.

“If you’re not going to pitch to a guy or give him something to handle, the guys are willing to take their walk. That pass-the-baton mentality has really been impressive.”

So has Candelario. He’s the first Cub with eight hits in a two-game span since Kris Bryant (Aug. 18-19, 2016). But for how good he’s feeling at the plate, the Cubs’ big wins since his arrival take precedence.

“I feel good because we’re winning,” Candelario said. “I feel good. You always feel good when you’re in position to help your team win. That’s on my mind right now. I want to contribute. I want to come here and fit in with the guys and keep going.”

There’s a long way to go this season, with plenty of matchups remaining against Cincinnati and Milwaukee. And after this series, the National League-leading Braves come to Wrigley for a three-game set.

But it’s hard not to notice the difference in where the Cubs sit in the playoff picture, at this point on the calendar, compared to the last two years. And although Wrigley Field always has a lively atmosphere, it’s felt heightened this week.

“It's fun to win,” Happ said. “Winning is what we're all here to do, and when you're winning, it's a lot more fun than the opposite. I think a lot of guys in this room have been in that spot in different places, some of us here.

“I think for the guys that were here last year, the encouraging thing was there still were the crowds. The crowds were still there. They were still excited when we would win ballgames. To be able to be in this position with this momentum for the crowd in August, that's the exciting part.”