ANAHEIM — Perhaps all Kyle Tucker wanted was a visit to Angel Stadium.
After going 25 video games with out a dwelling run — his longest stretch because the first 27 video games of his profession — the All-Star proper fielder hit his second and third inside 24 hours, kick-starting the Cubs’ 12-1 rout of the Angels on Saturday evening.
“That is the character of the sport,” supervisor Craig Counsell stated. “We don’t need slumps. We hate slumps. They’re mentally exhausting to undergo, however they occur. Kyle will probably be higher transferring ahead due to this, nevertheless it’s a part of the sport that occurs and you bought to get by means of it. He’s an incredible participant. He works onerous to determine it out and get again on monitor.
“We want him to do it, and he’s performed so.”
After posting a slash line of .291/.395/.537 with 17 dwelling runs and 52 RBIs by means of June and being named an All-Star for the fourth consecutive yr, Tucker’s numbers nosedived.
Tucker slashed .189/.325/.235 from July 1 by means of Aug. 18 whereas enjoying by means of a hairline fracture in his proper hand — solely lately revealed. He sat in three straight video games earlier this week as a part of a psychological reset.
“Mentally, he wanted some days,” Counsell stated. “It wasn’t a bodily factor, it wasn’t a mechanical factor. At that time mentally as a participant, you simply want some days the place you’re watching the sport and don’t have to fret about performing.”
Tucker stored it occurring Saturday. He felt like he was late on his swing after a flyout to left subject within the first inning. So he made a psychological observe to begin early subsequent time.
The outcome: He jumped on a sinker down and in from Halos starter Victor Mederos, driving the ball a Statcast-projected 399 toes to proper subject for a two-run homer to place the Cubs on the board within the high of the third inning.
Three innings later, Tucker did it once more. This time, he took benefit of a dangling changeup from reliever Carson Fulmer and hit the ball to virtually the identical spot in proper subject as his first one. That introduced in three runs because the Cubs’ lead ballooned to 10 runs.
“I form of figured if I might simply get that timing — simply be a bit of bit early and begin with issues a bit of bit early — I’ll be effective,” Tucker stated. “I attempted to try this within the subsequent couple at-bats, and it labored out effectively.”
It additionally may need one thing to do with the ballpark.
In his final 25 video games towards the Angels, Tucker has slugged .839 with 11 dwelling runs and 26 RBIs. He has homered in 4 of his final six video games at Angel Stadium. He has a 1.030 OPS with 27 dwelling runs and 69 RBIs in 81 profession video games towards the Halos, an opponent he’s accustomed to from his seven years with the Astros.
If you happen to ask Tucker, he simply tries to place good at-bats and good swings collectively no matter the place or who he’s enjoying. However Reese McGuire, who tied his profession excessive with 5 RBIs — which additionally occurred at Angel Stadium, on April 7, 2024, as a member of the Pink Sox — had a special perspective.
“It have to be the West Coast air or one thing,” McGuire stated. “I keep in mind having a superb collection right here final time and for positive, as a baseball participant, I feel whenever you really feel good in a ballpark, you possibly can add some confidence to a collection.”
With 10 mixed RBIs from Tucker and McGuire, paired with six scoreless innings and 7 strikeouts on the mound from starter Cade Horton, the Cubs have been clicking on all cylinders on Saturday.
“Tonight, we did that,” Horton stated. “And it was actually particular to observe. [Kyle’s] been placing within the work. We knew he was going to show the web page in some unspecified time in the future, and it’s a good time to try this.”
