Dansby Swanson isn’t putting too much stock into his individual accomplishments. However, he is reveling in the fact that his recent video-game numbers have contributed to the Chicago Cubs’ winning ways.
Swanson will look to continue his torrid stretch on Friday as the Cubs open a three-game series against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals.
Swanson highlighted his three-homer, eight-RBI performance on Wednesday with a grand slam in the eighth inning of Chicago’s 23-3 romp over the San Diego Padres.
He has driven in 26 runs over his past 10 games. The only other players who knocked in at least that many runs over a 10-game span since RBIs became an official stat in 1920 are Hall of Famers Mel Ott (1929), Lou Gehrig (1930 and 1931), Jimmie Foxx (1933) and Joe DiMaggio (1939), per MLB.com.
“I think at the end of the day the coolest part about it is RBI helps teams win games, and we’re doing that really well right now as a group,” Swanson said after the Cubs’ fifth win in a row and 15th in 19 games.
“So whatever it takes for the group to succeed is all that matters to me, and it will continue to be that way until one day they won’t let me play this game anymore.”
For all of his recent success, Swanson is batting just .210 on the season. He went 0-for-16 in the four games prior to the San Diego series, during which he went 8-for-13 with five homers, 11 RBIs and seven runs.
Swanson struggled against the Cardinals during a series in late May, going 1-for-9 with four strikeouts and no RBIs. St. Louis won two of the three contests.
Chicago left-hander David Peterson (4-6, 5.86 ERA) will get the start on Friday opposite St. Louis right-hander Andre Pallante (9-5, 3.83).
Peterson pitched well in his first start since being acquired from the New York Mets, allowing two runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings en route to an 8-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.
Peterson, 30, was shelled in his last encounter with the Cardinals, yielding six runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings on June 10. Overall, he has a 9.00 ERA without a decision in two career appearances (one start) against St. Louis.
Pallante was 5-0 in his previous six starts before surrendering five runs on 11 hits in 6 2/3 innings during a 5-1 setback to the Miami Marlins on Saturday.
His lone no-decision since early April came against the Cubs on May 29, when he yielded four runs on eight hits in three innings. Pallante, 27, is 0-4 with a 5.12 ERA in 13 career appearances (six starts) vs. Chicago.
St. Louis likely will need Pallante to work deep into the game after the team’s bullpen was taxed by Dustin May exiting two outs into the Thursday contest against the Atlanta Braves due to an ankle injury. The Cardinals’ relievers picked up May by combining to scatter three hits over 8 1/3 scoreless innings in an 11-5 win.
Jordan Walker belted a three-run homer in the first inning and added an RBI single in the seventh for St. Louis, which has won three of its past four games.
“Unreal,” Walker said, according to MLB.com. “We showed what we can do as an offense. On the pitching side, hell of a job for them to lock it in and the bullpen come in a tough situation.”
Walker went 1-for-11 with two strikeouts and no RBIs in the previous series against the Cubs.
–Field Level Media
