Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson’s bat is undoubtedly back. And that’s allowing him to affect the game in every way he can.
‘‘He’s a player that can do everything on the field, right?’’ second baseman Nico Hoerner said. ‘‘Not many guys can do that.’’
Swanson’s season-opening slump is beginning to feel like ancient history after he has roared to life in the last several weeks. He has a batting average near .400 and a half-dozen home runs in his last 17 games.
That includes the long ball he smacked out to the bleachers in the Cubs’ 7-3 victory Saturday against the White Sox, his 10th of the season. Swanson was on base four times, adding a single and a couple of walks, and swiped two bases to help set up runs.
It was a display of his game in full, one that helps the Cubs in multiple ways.
‘‘Dansby had a great offensive game today,’’ manager Craig Counsell said. ‘‘His at-bats were exceptional today. . . . I thought he had a really, really nice game, one of his better games, even though he’s maybe had some more gaudy numbers. But that was a really nice game by Dansby offensively.’’
The Cubs have proved themselves capable of scoring in a variety of ways throughout their hot offensive start to the season, which had them trailing only the Dodgers in terms of runs scored entering play Saturday.
Swanson was a prime example of that all by himself Saturday, not just hitting a homer but doing small-ball stuff such as working counts, drawing walks, getting on base and getting himself into scoring position.
During his offensive rough patch early in the season, he played great defense and made an impact in other areas. Now that the bat is alive, he’s having an effect on all areas.
‘‘It’s important to be well-rounded,’’ Swanson said, ‘‘because not every day — especially here [at Wrigley Field] — can you hit balls out of the ballpark. Not every day are you going to be feeling good or confident with where you are swing-wise or in the batter’s box. So being able to find different ways to help the team win is important.’’
PC-Anywhere in the lineup
Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has filled in as the Cubs’ leadoff man with left fielder Ian Happ on the injured list with a strained left oblique.
Just like everything else he has tried this season, he has succeeded.
Crow-Armstrong is batting .400 in six games at the top of the lineup. That includes the monster day he had Friday, when he homered, collected four hits and drove in six runs in a victory against the Sox. He added a two-run single, a triple and a stolen base Saturday.
But Crow-Armstrong said he has no designs on turning Happ into the Wally Pipp of leadoff hitters.
‘‘If anything, the adjustment [to the leadoff spot] was getting over any anxiety of filling his shoes,’’ Crow-Armstrong said after the game Friday. ‘‘But I’ve been pushing in the right direction, and it’s been a really easy transition. I hope that it’s [as] a temporary place-filler.’’
Counsell was even less interested in speculation about a brewing position battle at the top of the order.
‘‘Whatever spot [Crow-Armstrong] hits in the lineup, a really good offensive player will figure it out,’’ he said Saturday. ‘‘Where he hits? Whatever.’’
Walks and no walks
The Cubs walked 11 times against Sox pitching Saturday.
Meanwhile, starting pitcher Matthew Boyd walked no one and made it three consecutive starts without issuing a free pass.
Cubs starting pitchers entered play Saturday with 63 walks, the second-fewest in the majors.