Good morning, Chicago.

Dansby Swanson is used to his bat being a go-to selection when a teammate needs some hits.

Former teammates Travis d'Arnaud and Joc Pederson would often borrow his bat, and Swanson had suggested to Alex Bregman for a while to consider using a bigger bat like his.

Before Monday's series opener for the Cubs, Bregman finally decided to try Swanson's bat — a Marucci JD20 model, 34 inches in length in both 32 and 31 1/2 ounces — which these days is considered bigger than what most players use.

"It was funny when I found out that he was going to do it, " Swanson said. "I was like, dude, it's guaranteed he's getting four hits tonight."

Swanson's prediction proved prescient.

Bregman recorded his first four-hit game as a Cub. Using the bat again in Tuesday night's 10-2 win, he tallied three more hits. His seven hits in his last two games, both wins against the Cardinals, tied his career high for most in a two-game stretch, something he hadn't done since 2018. Four of those hits went for extra bases, including a home run Monday.

Today’s eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History