The Cubs’ two-tiered approach to winning is something we rarely see in today’s game

One of the secrets to the Chicago Cubs’ success this season is that they are not one team. They are two teams, stunningly different in their approaches yet equally potent and effective.

At Wrigley Field, the Cubs are a frenetic dynamo capable of driving opponents to distraction with their super-charged, balls-to-the-wall baserunning. That baserunning is a major reason why the Cubs are winning two of every three home contests and outscoring opponents by 1.4 runs per game.

On the road, a stunningly different Cubs team takes the field. The speed game takes a back seat to an elite power explosion that has led Chicago to an unnervingly good 20-12 road record, winning by an average margin exceeding two runs per game.

Speed and power is the sine qua non offensive recipe that all teams dream of but few actually achieve. Then there’s the Cubs, the only team in baseball that ranks top five in both categories. The four teams ahead of them in homers rank 11th, 18th, 20th and 29th in steals. The only team with more steals – the Rays – ranks 14th in homers.

The Cubs have weaponized their versatility as circumstances dictate.  Through 31 home dates, Wrigley has played as the third toughest ballpark for run production, in the process placing a premium on taking an extra base. The Cubs have been perfectly suited to deal with that reality. They have hit only 26 home runs at home…but they’ve stolen 56 bases in 64 attempts. In 18 of their 22 home wins, the Cubs have stolen at least one base.

But when the road beckons with its more offensively favorable layouts, the Cubs transform from The Flash to the Incredible Hulk. They’ve only stolen 25 bases in 32 attempts on the road; that’s few2er than half their home steals in just two more games.

But they’ve hit 62 home runs, more than twice as many as at Wrigley. The same team that is averaging just eight tenths of a homer per game at home is producing at a rate of 1.9 homers per game in road greys.

Somebody with more energy than me is free to plow through the game’s records to find the last time a winning team showed that level of home-road power disparity. But they better be patient because they’ll be at it a while.

Opponents who have seen the Cubs both at Wrigley and at their place must be wondering what kind of multi-faceted wizardry Chicago is employing. Consider the Cincinnati Reds. Not long ago, the Cubs invaded Cincinnati to take two of three games by a combined score of 28-20. In the process, they slammed nine home runs.

One week later, the Cubs welcomed the Reds into Wrigley, again winning two of three. This time, however, the margin was tighter, 11-9 over the three games. Into strong prevailing northerly winds and with every base counting, the Cubs’ homer production fell from nine to just one. But they stole four bases in the series.

When the Cubs took two of three in Los Angeles in April, they riddled the Dodgers with seven home runs. A week in Chicago, the same offense supplemented four home runs with eight stolen bases in 10 attempts. Result: Two more wins.

Most good teams can do one thing well, and it’s usually hit the ball a long way. The five teams with the best winning percentages as of Saturday – the Tigers, Cubs, Yankees, Mets and Dodgers – all rank among the top 10 in homers. But only one – the Cubs – stand top 10 in both power and speed.

It’s like a boxer who can jab you to death or level you with a single shot…a true two-fisted attack.