The wind had blown out only five times in 35 games at Wrigley Field before last weekend, leading Joe Maddon to wonder aloud about a long, cold Chicago spring that led to conditions he termed "the London fog."
But when the heat finally came to Wrigley, it came with a vengeance.
And with the prevailing winds blowing out all three days against the Twins, the Cubs scored 35 runs in three games to quell fears of an all-or-nothing offense.
For a hitter, there's nothing like seeing the flags blowing straight out at Wrigley.
"It definitely is enticing," left fielder Kyle Schwarber said. "But you can't go up there just trying to take monster hacks and put the ball in the seats every time. That accounts for a lot of swing and misses. But I think we did a really good job of controlling what we could control."
Add in the 11 runs Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles, and the Cubs averaged 11.5 runs per game in their four-game win streak. They're first in the majors in hitting (.266), on-base percentage (.345), and fifth in the league in slugging (.429).
So this is the offense we all thought we'd see, right?
"We've been the same offense for quite some time now," Schwarber said. "Things happen. We're just going to keep this going."
Of course, the Twins' pitching chipped in by being bad, and even lazy. Manager Paul Molitor said by his "arithmetic" Sunday starter Lance Lynn cost himself five runs by failing to cover the bag on Ian Happ's grounder to first during the Cubs' eight-run second inning.
And the forecast for Kris Bryant's imminent return from the disabled list is sunny, with the reeling Tigers coming to town Tuesday after snapping an 11-game losing streak Saturday.
American League Central pitching is quite snackable, and good for your mental health, at least if you're an opposing hitter.
But it's more than the weather and opponents' pitching that have led to the Cubs' offensive surge.
Chili Davis' hitters meeting in Los Angeles is an easy mile-marker, as it immediately preceded a four-game win streak in which they scored 46 runs.
The basic message sent by the Cubs hitting coach evolved around the word "trust."
"We're going to be who we are as hitters," right fielder Jason Heyward said. "But (Davis) just wanted everybody to know, to have that mindset and focus and trust in each other.
"Not that we didn't trust each other before. Each guy wants to come through in each moment. But just understand the way the game plays out, it may be the next guy is the one that's supposed to get a double."
Schwarber concurred that Davis's message was heard, adding the response is evident in the post-talk offensive explosion.
"When balls are flying around the ballpark, it's contagious," he said. "Pass it on to the next guy. It's fun to watch, even if you're sitting in the dugout. It's easy when it's going good. But whenever things go bad, that's when (the trust) needs to be good as well."
Heyward, Schwarber, Javier Baez, Addison Russell and Albert Almora Jr. have all seemingly benefited from the "Chili Effect," taking some of the pressure off Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant.
Meanwhile, Maddon's revolving lineups are no longer the subject of daily Twitter angst. The Happ/Almora smorgasbord in center, which Maddon has had to defend for months, has been fascinating to watch play out.
The strikeout-prone Happ was everyone's favorite whipping boy to start the season, and conventional wisdom dictated a brief stint at Triple-A Iowa to figure out things. But after going 3-for-4 Sunday with a 437-foot home run, he's now hitting .257 with 10 homers.
Happ's numbers are not exactly great _ and the 91 strikeouts are a concern _ but nothing for Caller on Line One to continue obsessing about. Maddon even snuck Happ back in the leadoff spot, where Happ's problems began after his opening-pitch homer on Day One.
Almora, whose name should legally be changed to "Albert Why Isn't He Playing Every Day Almora Jr.," is second in the National League with a .331 average and playing Gold Glove-caliber defense in center. There is nothing not to like here, and as the last of the original "Core Four" (with Bryant, Baez and Jorge Soler) to get regular playing time, it's great to see him run with it.
Still, Happ's OPS is actually a little higher than Almora's (.839 to .826), and he's a switch-hitter with power from both sides. Almora has made 52 starts in center, about twice as many as Happ (27), who obviously plays all three outfield spots and recently subbed at third for the injured Bryant.
Is it possible Maddon did this platoon thing right?
I'll hang up and listen for my answer.
