Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson was benched Saturday. Well, mostly.
Hitting .139 in his last 11 games, Swanson didn’t start against the Giants. Nico Hoerner shifted from second base to short, and rookie Pedro Ramirez played second.
‘‘At this point, just give him a couple of days away from the game,’’ manager Craig Counsell said. ‘‘Obviously, he’s healthy and could be in there, but just try to give him a different look and a little break mentally.’’
Though Swanson’s defense has remained strong — he’s tied for third in the majors among shortstops with six outs above average — the Cubs still need something from his bat. The hope is that some of the positive work he’s doing will translate to better production on the field.
Perhaps the break will help get things right for Swanson.
‘‘You’re trying to create good swings, trying to create consistent swing decisions and good swings,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘That’s what produces the results.’’
Counsell clarified Swanson was available to play, and that came to pass in the bottom of the 10th inning.
Moises Ballesteros made the final out of the ninth and was slated to be the Cubs’ runner at second to begin the 10th. Counsell chose to pinch-run with Swanson, and he subsequently scored the winning run on a single by Michael Busch and an error by Giants right fielder Victor Bericoto.
Brown delivers again
The nascent All-Star campaign for right-hander Ben Brown is surging.
Brown allowed one hit and struck out five in 5⅓ scoreless innings, throwing a season-high 87 pitches. Despite seemingly cruising along, Brown was lifted after the Giants’ Casey Schmitt lined out to center.
‘‘Ben was just done,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘That was the limit that we were going to go with him.’’
The Cubs know they must be careful with Brown, who started the season in the bullpen. Though they gradually are stretching him out, the Cubs will be cautious with the 26-year-old, who has emerged as their best starter.
Brown understands the plan and said there has been open dialogue among him, the training staff and the Cubs’ coaches.
‘‘Everybody has a pretty good gauge of how I’m feeling and what I need to go out there and compete,’’ said Brown, who has a 1.44 ERA in six starts. ‘‘Obviously, what I’m doing is pretty unique from a build-up standpoint, so they’ve been honoring that. It’s been really nice.’’
Pen pals
After Brown was taken out, the Giants’ Rafael Devers immediately homered off Caleb Thielbar. Daniel Palencia gave up a run in the ninth that would’ve been decisive if Pete Crow-Armstrong hadn’t homered to tie the score. Other than that, the Cubs’ bullpen gave them a chance.
Ryan Rolison navigated the 10th, getting the last two outs by striking out Devers and inducing a pop-up from Luis Arraez to strand runners on first and second. Earlier, Jacob Webb pitched two scoreless innings.
Rolison lowered his ERA to 2.49, a giant improvement from the 7.02 he had last season with the Rockies.
‘‘That guy looks like a whole different pitcher than the moment he showed up,’’ Brown said. ‘‘He’s grown so much, and it’s a testament to his work ethic. It’s been really impressive to watch him develop.’’
More on the pen
Multiple outlets reported the Cubs are acquiring minor-league left-hander Antoine Kelly from the Dodgers. There was no immediate word about what the Cubs are giving up in the deal.