ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Michael Conforto thought he had connected on a grand slam for his first home run with the Chicago Cubs.
Instead, Conforto’s 414-foot barreled ball in the fifth inning Wednesday slammed off the center-field wall just beyond the outstretched glove of the Tampa Bay Rays’ leaping center fielder Jonny DeLuca. Conforto settled for a two-run double with a third run scoring when Dansby Swanson raced home as the Rays committed two errors on the relay. Conforto sparked a five-run frame in the Cubs’ 6-2 win on Wednesday to take the series and move back to .500 (6-6).
“I thought I got it,” Conforto said. “It’s a little embarrassing. Just watched it, walked out of the box. He almost caught it, too, so I’m glad he didn’t catch it. But it’s a good swing.”
Manager Craig Counsell called the contact they got from Conforto (three hits, three RBIs, two walks) in the last two games an important development. Conforto felt he had been late getting ready to hit and having his hands set, contributing to starting the year with five strikeouts in his first nine at-bats.
Chicago Cubs’ Michael Conforto watches his two-run double off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Joe Boyle during the fifth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
“Adding another position player and another left-handed bat to something that we can mix and match based on pitching matchups is going to make us more successful and more offensive as the year goes on,” Counsell said after the game.
Conforto getting more locked in helped the Cubs take the series against the Rays. There are three other key takeaways in the Cubs’ series performance.
1. Nico Hoerner showing slug.
Chicago Cubs’ Nico Hoerner celebrates his solo home run off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Joe Boyle with third base coach Quintin Berry (0) during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
It took until late June for Nico Hoerner to finally slug his first home run of the season in the Chicago Cubs’ 79th game last year.
Hoerner needed just 12 games to launch his first long ball of the 2026 campaign by sending a 1-2 sweeper from Tampa Bay’s right-hander Joe Boyle over the left field fence for a leadoff home run in the Cubs’ 6-2 win on Wednesday at Tropicana Field to secure a series victory.
Hoerner also recorded an RBI double in the Cubs’ five-run fifth inning, part of a three-hit night.
“We’re well aware as players things that we don’t do at a high level or things that we can do better, and it’s part of my game that I don’t do it at a high level, but what do you do with that?” Hoerner said after the win. “And for me, I’ve had stretches where I’ve thought of hitting for power as taking chances and big swings, and I think that’s taken me away from some of my strengths and has honestly been a little sloppy and not the best version of myself. But I also don’t regret those times because I think it’s all part of figuring out who you are as a player.”
Hoerner already has six doubles this year after tallying 29 a season ago. His extra-base hit percentage (XBH%) currently sits at 13.2%, well above the 6.4% he averaged the previous four years. Expecting Hoerner to maintain that level of XBH% over the course of this season isn’t realistic, but the Cubs have seen a shift in his ability to hit for more slug dating to the final weeks of last season.
“Hitting for power isn’t necessarily hitting home runs for me,” Hoerner said. “I’m not going into at-bats trying to hit home runs. But I do want to get pitches that I can drive. I want to hit balls hard on high line drives, preferably to the pull side in the air, but not getting away from the things that make myself, myself.”
2. Colin Rea delivering as usual in an important role.
Chicago Cubs pitcher Colin Rea delivers to the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
Less than a week ago, the Cubs weren’t anticipating Javier Assad and Colin Rea making starts in Tampa.
Injuries to Matthew Boyd and Cade Horton forced the Cubs to pivot and rely on their depth, and the two right-handers delivered against the Rays. Assad and Rea combined to allow just one run and five hits in 10 2/3 innings. Their composure on little notice impressed but didn’t surprise their teammates. This isn’t the first time each has shown he can deliver in tough circumstances.
For Rea, he again becomes valuable to the rotation with Horton out for the rest of the season.
“Just being ready for anything,” Rea said after Wednesday’s win. “Being prepared for whatever role that may be, and guys are going to have to step up and fill those roles.”
Counsell believes Rea’s low, steady heartbeat is a strength of the veteran’s.
“He’s not going to let the situation change him,” Counsell said. “He’d give you this effort if he’s pitching in a beer league game on Tuesday night in Iowa — that’s what he’d give you. So that’s just Colin, and that’s what we love about him and respect about him.”
3. Offensive shows what it can be.
Carson Kelly of the Chicago Cubs hits a double in the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on April 8, 2026, in St Petersburg, Fla. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
The Cubs know their lineup is capable of beating teams in a variety of ways offensively.
Their back-to-back wins against the Rays showed that any hitter in the lineup is capable of delivering big hits. After managing only 11 runs and 19 in their first four games of the road trip, the Cubs put up 15 runs and 24 hits in the last two games versus Tampa Bay. Playing in the Rays’ domed ballpark certainly helped after dealing with varying weather and temperatures during their first nine games of the season.
For as much as the Cubs didn’t panic when the offense didn’t produce as they envisioned at the onset of the season, the group knows what they’re capable of when the lineup gets rolling. Hoerner described their offensive numbers the last two days as “super uplifting” and said it’s always a big deal when the entire lineup clicks. The Cubs hope it’s the start of the offense having more games where they can carry the pitching staff.
“It’s a new team every year, no matter how many guys you bring back,” catcher Carson Kelly told the Tribune. “Teams are going to go through this. There’s going to be some ups and downs. It felt, these last couple of days, it felt like a lot of the games we played last year. You could feel the energy. You can feel it. And winning is contagious.”