Tucker leads rout along with his first multi-HR sport for Cubs – MLB.com

Andrés Soto
ANAHEIM — Possibly all Kyle Tucker wanted was a visit to Angel Stadium.
After going 25 video games with no residence 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 night time.
“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 shall be higher shifting ahead due to this, however it’s a part of the sport that occurs and you bought to get via it. He’s an important participant. He works laborious to determine it out and get again on observe.
“We’d like him to do it, and he’s carried out so.”
After posting a slash line of .291/.395/.537 with 17 residence runs and 52 RBIs via June and being named an All-Star for the fourth consecutive 12 months, Tucker’s numbers nosedived.
Tucker slashed .189/.325/.235 from July 1 via Aug. 18 whereas playing through 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.”
Seems like that’s labored out up to now. Tucker’s first-inning home run on Friday was additionally his first extra-base hit this month.
Tucker saved it happening Saturday. He felt like he was late on his swing after a flyout to left area within the first inning. So he made a psychological word to start out early subsequent time.
The end result: He jumped on a sinker down and in from Halos starter Victor Mederos, driving the ball a Statcast-projected 399 toes to proper area 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 area as his first one. That introduced in three runs because the Cubs’ lead ballooned to 10 runs.
“I type of figured if I might simply get that timing — simply be slightly bit early and begin with issues slightly bit early — I’ll be wonderful,” Tucker stated. “I attempted to do 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 in opposition to the Angels, Tucker has slugged .839 with 11 residence 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 residence runs and 69 RBIs in 81 profession video games in opposition to the Halos, an opponent he’s accustomed to from his seven years with the Astros.
In the event you ask Tucker, he simply tries to place good at-bats and good swings collectively no matter the place or who he’s taking part in. 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 distinct perspective.
“It should be the West Coast air or one thing,” McGuire stated. “I bear in mind having sequence right here final time and for positive, as a baseball participant, I believe while you really feel good in a ballpark, you possibly can add some confidence to a sequence.”
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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 do this.”

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