CINCINNATI — The last 51 games of the season might not be enough time for the Cubs to crawl back into the playoffs.

But a strong, consistent offensive outburst, like on Wednesday, can make the final two months interesting.

And Nico Hoerner and the Cubs believe that could be a possibility.

“I think you look at the lineup that we rolled on the last two days, I feel like on paper it’s the best version of us that we’ve had so far this year and I’m really excited to see what that looks like especially since it’s filled with guys that are going to be back in years to come as well,” Hoerner said after the Cubs 13-4 win over the Reds. “And so, we’re going to make, obviously, the most of this year, but fun to see what that holds. And I don’t think there’s really any reason to put ceilings on it.

“Obviously, today’s a nice start, but I do think we’re in a good spot post-trade-deadline.”

It was a fast and relentless onslaught from the Cubs’ bats.

They hit a season-high 9 doubles, their most in a game since August 30, 2010, against the Pirates. Every member of the Cubs’ starting lineup recorded a hit, only the third time they’ve done so this season and were 9-for-15 with runners in scoring position.

All those components have been sorely lacking for chunks of the season this year.

[WATCH: Isaac Paredes on collecting his first 2 hits as a Cub]

Most importantly, they tacked on when things were dicey.

The Cubs were cruising 6-0 and Kyle Hendricks had faced the minimum through 4 innings. In the 5th, Cincinnati cut the lead to 3 when Jake Fraley hit a 3-run home run off Hendricks.

The Cubs quickly answered with 2 outs in the 6th. Pete Crow-Armstrong singled, stole second base to extend his streak of successful stolen base attempts to 20 and advanced to third on the throw. Ian Happ — who finished a triple shy of the cycle — hit a 2-run home run to center to give the Cubs a 5-run lead.

They added another run after back-to-back doubles from Isaac Paredes and Seiya Suzuki. The Cubs added 2 more runs in the 7th and another pair in the 8th.

“I think just the freedom in which guys hit with a lead. I think it does matter,” Hoerner said. “I don’t think anyone’s saying, ‘OK, now we have a lead and I’m gonna change anything,’ but we do all feed off of each other and I think those things come a little bit more naturally sometimes when we have success individually or as a group.

“And [it’s] a nice reminder, just of the quality at-bats that we have in this lineup and how much we all benefit from each other’s success.”

Now, the key is to do it over 51 games — and carry that into the future, playoffs or not.

“I don’t think there’s like a one thing for the group to change or to focus on, but we all know that we can produce at a higher level but you gotta do it,” Hoerner said. “I think it takes some self-reflection. But most of us feel like we have a lot more that we can do and what we have to prove in the last couple of months.”