3 Takeaways After Cubs Offense Breaks Through to Crush Rockies, Take Series

The Chicago Cubs (39-36) have now clinched back-to-back series wins for the first time since May 6.

An 8-6 rubber-match win over the Colorado Rockies (28-47) on Wednesday secured that result, and it's a breath of fresh air for a team that has struggled to produce offensively over the last six weeks.

It shouldn't have been as close after a masterful two-run, 5.2-inning outing from Javier Assad, but the Cubs' bullpen let four unanswered runs slip through late in the game.

Here are three things we learned from the night!

Touchdown, Cubs

Jun 17, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson (7) is greeted by catcher Carson Kelly (15) after hitting a two-run home run against the Colorado Rockies during the second inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Football season is still a ways away, so the Cubs took matters into their own hands against Rockies starter Sean Sullivan in the 2nd inning on Wednesday.

It all started with Alex Bregman's leadoff walk. Ian Happ singled, and then Matt Shaw smoked a 102.4-mph triple into the right-center gap to score both runners.

Matt Shaw scorches a triple into the gap to score two. 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/nRX3VN7c8b
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 18, 2026

A sidebar on Shaw: He's been red-hot since returning from the IL on June 9, going 5-for-12 with four RBI and three runs scored. It's a very positive development for the 24-year-old after he hit just .045 in May (1-for-22) before going down with back tightness.

Carson Kelly piggybacked Shaw with a gapper of his own, and the Cubs already had a three-spot with nobody out.

Adding to the damage was Dansby Swanson, whose eighth home run of the season was his first since May 18 and just his second since April 24.

Seiya Suzuki's double made it 6-0, and aptly, Bregman bookended the scoring with a sacrifice fly as the Cubs batted around in the inning.

Seven runs tied a season-high in an inning — the first was on May 7 vs. the Cincinnati Reds. The Cubs' record on May 7? 26-12, with a 3.5-game lead in the NL Central. The Cubs will take any sort of sign right now that says they can turn things around — maybe this is one of them.

There He Is!

Jun 17, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson (7) is greeted by manager Craig Counsell (11) after hitting a two-run home run against the Colorado Rockies during the second inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

He may be an elite defensive shortstop, but not much else has gone right for Swanson this season.

In fact, he's had one of the worst offensive seasons in MLB in 2026.

Dansby Swanson among 156 qualified hitters this season:

.175 AVG - 156th
.306 SLG - 152nd
.587 OPS - 152nd
.269 wOBA - 149th
69 wRC+ - 149th
— Carson Wolf (@TheWrigleyWire) June 17, 2026

Entering Wednesday, his .175 batting average was the worst among 156 qualified hitters. His slugging percentage and OPS each neared the bottom of the pile. His last multi-hit game was May 27, and he's gone hitless in eight games in June.

He's never struggled quite like this in his career. He needed quite literally anything to get him going.

🚨dansby dinger🚨 pic.twitter.com/Ex5ytAoMWs
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 18, 2026

That home run in the 2nd had to feel good for Swanson. He didn't show much emotion while rounding the bases, but that was a big one for him.

PCA Doing PCA Things

Jun 17, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) gestures after hitting a home run against the Colorado Rockies during the fourth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

The Cubs' seven-run inning, shockingly, didn't have anything to do with Pete Crow-Armstrong.

But he still made sure his presence was felt!

fun fact: pca has homered in three straight games.

⭐️: https://t.co/hFFdpa6mDR pic.twitter.com/VOFwu3d3gw
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 18, 2026

It came via his 15th home run of the season in the 4th inning, which he curled just fair beyond the right-field foul pole. The play was reviewed, but there was no clear evidence that it was foul. So Crow-Armstrong, squinting after his eyes at the replay video board, trotted back to home plate to mark his solo shot in the scorebooks.

It was Crow-Armstrong's third straight game with a home run and his eighth this month.

With 15 long balls and 16 stolen bases, Crow-Armstrong is on pace for yet another 30/30 season. If he were to keep this pace up, he'd join Sammy Sosa as the only two Cubs to join the 30/30 club twice.

Coming Up Next

The Cubs will welcome the Toronto Blue Jays to Wrigley Field beginning Friday. Both teams have yet to announce starting pitchers for the series.

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