The Chicago Cubs took advantage of the thin air in Colorado on Friday night for an 11-7 win and then grinded out a 4-3 victory Saturday night.
Now the Cubs can sweep a three-game series from the Rockies when the teams play Sunday afternoon at Coors Field.
Chicago will send left-hander Matthew Boyd (12-7, 2.82 ERA) to the mound against Colorado right-hander Tanner Gordon (5-5, 6.44) in the finale.
The Cubs pounded out 15 hits on Friday night — three by Dansby Swanson, who homered twice and drove in a season-high six runs. He added a single on Saturday night and has taken advantage of the hitter-friendly ballpark in Denver.
The Cubs can benefit from a good offensive weekend to finish August and keep pressure on Milwaukee in the National League Central. Chicago trails the first-place Brewers by 6 1/2 games.
“You kind of just hope that days like this are kind of starting the upward trajectory again as we go into September,” Swanson said. “Because this group has obviously proven that it’s capable of so many things offensively and just as a unit. Tonight was a good one and a good step, hopefully, in the right direction.
“If we just continue to roll with that rhythm, it’ll be a fun month ahead.”
The Cubs have gotten two solid outings from their starters to begin the series and hope Boyd can provide another one Sunday in a rematch of a game in Chicago on May 28. Boyd blanked the Rockies over six innings for the win in his only career start against Colorado.
Gordon was on the other side of the 2-1 loss despite giving up just the two runs over 4 2/3 innings in his only career start against Chicago.
Yanquiel Fernandez was not with Colorado for that game; he made his major league debut July 2 against Houston. He got his first hit in the big leagues two days later and went 3-for-9 over the next three games, but he struggled for most of July.
He hit his first major league home run against Pittsburgh on Aug. 1 to begin a monthlong surge that raised his batting average from .208 to .261 through Saturday night.
He hit home runs Thursday and Friday and had a single on Saturday night to stay hot. He is batting .318 in August and credits his preparation for his success.
“When you prepare right, you’re going to get the results,” Fernandez said through an interpreter on Friday. “And for me, I’m going to give it my all because I really want to stick here.”
Fernandez is one of 13 Colorado players to debut this season, a list that includes Warming Bernabel, who has supplanted Michael Toglia at first base. But Bernabel left Saturday night’s game an inning after fouling a ball off of his left leg.
“He got hit on the inside of the knee, and it did not feel good,” Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer said after the game. “It didn’t look good when he did it; I know that hurts. It looks like he’s not going to play (Sunday).”
–Field Level Media
