When the Cubs offense is on, it doesn’t matter if the wind is howling in or blowing out at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs hit a team-record eight home runs to score 11 runs against the Cardinals on Friday with the wind blowing out at Wrigley Field.

On the flip side, with the wind blowing in Sunday night, the Cubs scored their first 10 runs against the Cardinals without the benefit of a home run before designated hitter Seiya Suzuki found the right-center seats. The 11-0 shutout victory came in front of a crowd of 40,319 that was pleased most of the night until podcaster Alex Cooper sang and was booed during the seventh-inning stretch.

Suzuki has 25 home runs and 77 RBIs but was passed over for the All-Star Game when rosters were announced Sunday.

He said he wasn’t disappointed.

“As a DH, I know there are a lot of great DHs,” Suzuki said through an interpreter. “Looking at how they are doing, it pushes me to do better.”

There’s a chance he still could make the team if someone drops out.

“I’m sorry, but my plans are full — just kidding,” he joked.

The Cubs (54-36) went 5-1 during the homestand. They have a four-game lead over the Brewers in the National League Central and are 6½ games in front of the Cardinals and eight ahead of the Reds.

The Cubs’ high mark in the division was a 6½-game lead June 17-18, and it melted to a two-game advantage June 27-29. But now there’s a little bit of breathing room.

Here are three takeaways after the Cubs took two of three from the Cardinals.

The All-Star pitched like an All-Star: Left-hander Matthew Boyd was named to the National League All-Star team Sunday afternoon, then went out and threw five shutout innings, allowing three hits with a walk and nine strikeouts against the Cardinals.

It was a memorable day for him.

“It’s definitely something super special,” he said of the All-Star nod. “It’s an honor and something you dream about.”

Boyd said he’s a product of the people around him and named just about everyone on the roster when thanking people.

Last year at this time, he was recovering from Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery and had not yet thrown a major-league pitch in his rehab.

“I just have a ton of gratitude,” the 34-year-old said. “I’m glad there is someone writing the script who writes a much better script than me.”

Michael Busch’s hitting is not so quiet: Over the years, the Cubs have had some pretty popular first basemen, including Mark Grace and Anthony Rizzo.

Michael Busch could join the club.

He had a legendary performance with three home runs against the Cardinals on Friday, then became just the eighth player in team history to follow a three-homer game with a home run the next game when he blasted one Saturday. He recorded seven hits in seven plate appearances. That was the longest streak by a Cub since Rizzo did it in 2016.

The streak stopped Sunday when he walked in the first inning. He was back at it in the third with a single to left. In all, he had nine hits in the three-game series.

A few weeks ago, Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Busch had been doing a great job quietly. That should be changing.

“It’s interesting in the nature of how he performs,” Counsell said. “The big, exciting game makes everybody notice. Before, he hit a home run in a week he hit .280 with an on-base percentage of .380 and a .500 slug and it would be nicely spaced out.

“It’s great. Maybe it will take a big game like that to put him on everybody’s map.”

Busch’s defense has been a plus as he learned a new position after playing second and third base with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“We gave Michael some praise last year for being a good first baseman and he’s still out there doing what got him to that point,” Counsell said. “It’s a fun part of that development, for sure. It’s fun to see that from your players.”

Jordan Wicks is making a bid for the rotation: Jameson Taillion’s spot in the rotation is in flux, but Jordan Wicks is making a bid for it. The left-hander threw 3 1/3 scoreless relief innings Sunday, allowing three hits and striking out two.

Wicks was brought up Friday when the team placed Taillon on the injured list with a right calf strain. He came back to the parent club red hot with a 1.65 ERA in his previous five starts at Triple-A Iowa.

In April he was in the Cubs bullpen and gave up three earned runs in two innings and was demoted.

Last year Wicks was 2-4 with a 5.48 ERA in 11 appearances (10 starts). In his rookie season in 2023, he was 4-1 with a 4.41 ERA in seven starts.

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.