As currently constructed, the Cubs offense isn’t meant to be carried by one single hitter.

“I think, in the end, offensive production comes because you have different guys every day,” manager Craig Counsell said Saturday morning. “I think that’s how this lineup is gonna work.”

A few hours later, that’s exactly what the Cubs’ hitters did.

Every starter except Ian Happ reached base on Saturday and every hitter but Nico Hoerner either scored or drove in a run in the Cubs’ 8-1 victory over the Mets at Wrigley Field. It was the Cubs’ largest margin of victory since April 7, when they beat the Dodgers by the same score.

A day after missing an opportunity to score early runs, the Cubs made sure to capitalize on a chance to strike in the 1st inning. They brought all nine hitters to the plate against Mets’ starter Tylor Megill in the opening frame, scoring 5 times to stake themselves to an early lead.

The frame was capitalized by a pair of back-to-back extra-base hits — an RBI double from Dansby Swanson and an RBI triple from Pete Crow-Armstrong. The Cubs forced Megill to use 38 pitches to pick up the first three outs of the game.

The Cubs received production from their newest hitter, catcher Tomás Nido, who was acquired earlier this week and made his first start as a Cub. Nido was 1-for-4 with a double and a run.

“So, I think a big part of that is getting production, for us, from eventually the catchers from Dansby, from Nico kind of getting going,” Counsell said. “And that’s how we’re going to be consistent. That’s the best way to be consistent, is to be able to rely on the nine spots, a different day, every week or so through some different stretches.

“You’re always going to ask me about the guy that’s cold and there’s always going to be somebody that’s swinging it well. But if we can talk about nine guys instead of like, four guys, we got a better chance to be consistent.”

That was plenty of support for Jameson Taillon, who tallied one of his best outings as a Cub.

The righty recorded 10 strikeouts over 7 innings, allowing just a run. It the first time Taillon recorded double-digit strikeouts in a start since August 4, 2021, when he was a Yankee.