DENVER — Welcome to Coors Field.

In trying to reboot their dormant offense, the Chicago Cubs could not have hoped for a better hitting environment. Matching up against this inferior version of the Colorado Rockies also means facing one of the worst major-league teams ever. With the playoff picture coming into focus, the timing seems ideal.

“Everyone knows that with the altitude and the way the ballpark plays,” Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson said, “you need to be ready to hit.”

Cubs fans flocked to Denver over Labor Day weekend, filling up the downtown hotels and restaurants, making this almost feel like a home series for a club that, at least from an offensive standpoint, had fallen off a cliff.

That collective slump, combined with the Milwaukee Brewers’ 14-game winning streak, created a substantial gap in the National League Central. Though the Cubs are not conceding the division title, they remain on track to host a wild-card series at Wrigley Field. This last month of the season will be all about preserving health, staying on top of game plans and building momentum.

“Let’s go, Cubbies!” chants rang out from Saturday night’s sellout crowd of 47,394. Rather than fireworks, they watched groundball specialist Javier Assad put together a quality start in a 4-3 win over the Rockies that was not particularly easy.

In his office afterward, Cubs manager Craig Counsell counted 17 base runners in the first six innings, sustained pressure that did not land an early knockout punch. That forced Counsell to use three relievers in the circle of trust — Andrew Kittredge, Brad Keller and Daniel Palencia — for the final three scoreless innings.

Chicago’s great start to the season involved an explosive offense and a resourceful pitching staff. Though the Cubs have rearranged their rotation and bullpen, the lineup has remained fairly static. With essentially the same personnel, the Cubs featured one of the best offenses in baseball in the first half, yet they now rank near the bottom of the majors in those same categories since the All-Star break.

The Cubs also faced better pitching and a much tougher schedule early in the season, finishing their season series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres before the end of April. Things were supposed to get easier against several clubs that subtracted major-league talent at the July 31 trade deadline. Instead, it has been a slog.

Internally, the Cubs point to a new reality at the Friendly Confines. Over the past three years, Wrigley Field has been the third-worst setting for hitters, according to Statcast’s park factors, ahead of only San Francisco’s Oracle Park and Seattle’s T-Mobile Park.

To combat those elements, Counsell and his coaching staff made base running a priority, emphasizing the roster’s speed and athleticism. Still, the modern game revolves around hitting home runs.

more runs, please and thank you. 😌 pic.twitter.com/k6PH5BktbH

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 31, 2025

Seiya Suzuki, who some considered an All-Star snub after a monster first half, has two home runs over the past six-plus weeks. Though Counsell praised Suzuki’s ability to draw walks and collect singles during this outage, the manager acknowledged: “The power has not been there.”

“His expected numbers are still very good,” Counsell said. “We’re seeing a bunch of foul balls straight back. That means he’s just a little bit off on that pitch that he gets to hit. How many good pitches do you get to hit? One (per) at-bat, maybe, against some of these better teams. If you don’t hit that one, you’re kind of in battle mode.”

After an MVP-caliber first half, Pete Crow-Armstrong has one home run in August. The Gold Glove-level center fielder has appeared in 133 of the club’s 136 games while logging almost 1,200 innings at a premium defensive position.

“The grind of the full season, playing every day, you’re checking on that part of it,” Counsell said. “He’s in a very good place physically. Mechanically, that’s such a fine line. There are things you’re trying to do. And then it’s like, ‘Eh, that’s not really helping,’ so you’re moving on to the next thing.

“He’s certainly got his staples that he’s trying to execute. And then when you get pitches to hit, you’ve got to do something with them.”

Early in the season, Crow-Armstrong and Suzuki fed off Kyle Tucker’s presence and created a kind of synergy. That flipped in the opposite direction when all three players began to struggle.

Tucker’s gradual decline, three-game benching and quick turnaround are well-documented. It’s reasonable to expect that one of the sport’s best hitters will perform closer to his long-established, All-Star level. Put simply, the Cubs need their best players to be in good physical condition and the right frame of mind for the stretch run.

Looking out at the vast expanse of Coors Field can be reassuring for hitters. They know that pitchers’ fastballs won’t have the same zip, and breaking balls won’t move as sharply. When they identify the right pitch and unleash their “A” swing, they can expect rewards.

“There’s a lot of grass out there,” said Cubs outfielder Ian Happ, who has five hits and two walks over these past two games at Coors Field. “That’s the biggest thing. People talk about how well it flies, and it does. There’s some balls that get to the wall that wouldn’t (somewhere else). But there’s just a lot of places to get hits, so mentally it’s a little bit freeing.

“A double hit down the line would have been 25 feet foul at Wrigley. It doesn’t curve as much here. It gives you a little bit of confidence.”

Looking ahead, Swanson had the same takeaway after finishing with two home runs, a triple and six RBIs in Friday’s 11-7 victory over the Rockies. If the Cubs have done it before, then they believe they can do it again.

“You just hope that days like this are starting the upward trajectory again as we go into September,” Swanson said. “This group has obviously proven that it’s capable of so many things offensively as a unit. This was a good step, hopefully, in the right direction, and we continue to roll with that rhythm. It will be a fun month ahead.”

(Photo of Kyle Tucker: Dustin Bradford / Getty Images)