The Chicago Cubs will keep star shortstop Dansby Swanson in the nine hole in the second game of a three-game series against the Washington Nationals.
Swanson has struggled at the plate this season, and after going hitless on Tuesday in a game the Cubs won 8-6, Chicago decided to keep him batting ninth.
The Cubs lineup is as follows:
- P. Crow-Armstrong CF
- S. Suzuki RF
- A. Bregman DH
- C. Kelly C
- M. Busch 1B
- N. Hoerner 2B
- T. Taylor LF
- P. Ramírez 3B
- D. Swanson SS
Swanson is hitting .213 with 17 home runs and 64 RBIs this season. In the series opener, he went 0-for-2 with a walk, while he struck out once. In his last 15 games, Swanson is hitting .189 with 1 home run and 4 RBIs as he’s in the midst of a cold stretch.
Swanson is in the fourth year of his seven-year, $177 million deal with the Cubs.
Swanson in The Midst of a Frustrating Season
Entering the year, Swanson was expected to be a key part of the Cubs’ offense.
However, Swanson has struggled at the plate, and his defense has also taken a step back. Back in June, amid a cold slump, Cubs manager Craig Counsell opted to bench him for a few games so he could try to figure stuff out.
“I think just at this point, just trying to give him a couple days away from the game,” Counsell said. “Obviously he’s healthy, he could be in there, but [we’re] just trying to get a different look. … The things that he’s working on doing, we think, are good things and the right things. We haven’t seen many signs of positive results from it, but let’s try to commit to a couple more days of good work and maybe cement some of those thoughts and habits.”
Counsell said the Cubs were working on some mechanical adjustments for Swanson. Yet, his bar has still struggled at times this season, but the hope is he will get right for a deep playoff run.
Cubs Take Game 1 of Series
Chicago won the first game of a three-game series against the Nationals on Tuesday by a score of 8-6.
It was a high-scoring game as Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki helped the Cubs offense roll.
“They’re forming a one-two punch that is as good as there is in baseball,” Counsell said.
Counsell, meanwhile, believes Tuesday’s win shows how the Cubs can score in a variety of ways and break a pitching staff down.
“It was a real example, I think, of a strength of our offense and what our offense can do to a pitcher,” Counsell said. “I think that’s our offense at its best, really. We didn’t maybe put up the big number, or get the big hit – the home run with men on base or the double with men on base – but man, those first five innings, we made it really hard on them every single inning.”
The Cubs are 70-50 and 4 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers for the top spot in the NL Central.
Cubs Announce Dansby Swanson Decision During Nationals Series