ANAHEIM — Kyle Tucker’s homer drought has come to an end.
In his first plate appearance in Friday night’s 3-2 win against the Angels, Tucker crushed a Statcast-projected 405-foot home run over the right-field wall at Angel Stadium to put the Cubs up 1-0.
Tucker’s home run snapped a 25-game streak without a long ball, the second-longest homerless streak in his career. The only longer stretch was a 27-game homer drought to begin his MLB career from July 7, 2018 to Sept. 3, 2019 with the Astros. Tucker’s solo shot also represented his first extra-base hit since a double on July 30 in Milwaukee.
“It felt good to get a ball in the air and hit it hard and put a run on the board,” Tucker said. “I haven’t done that in a while. It was nice to be back doing that.”
In between those home runs has been a whirlwind for Tucker, and especially so this week. After the Cubs outfielder struggled in Monday’s game against the Brewers, and even heard boos from the Wrigley Field faithful, Cubs manager Craig Counsell announced that Tucker would get a reset and ended up sitting for the doubleheader on Tuesday and Wednesday’s game.
On Thursday, Tucker returned to the Cubs lineup, but it was also revealed that he was diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his right hand in June. Counsell said that the injury has healed and Tucker was able to play through the pain, but it nonetheless added more fuel to the fire in Tucker’s struggles.
“Kyle’s just so pro. Any guy with a track record like that, I think you’re always just waiting for that one swing from him,” Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said. “He got us off to a good start tonight. He’s been battling whatever he’s been battling but he hasn’t made that the thing. All he’s done is come in and work.”
After running a .911 OPS with 12 home runs in his first 58 games through the end of May, Tucker has struggled since that point, posting a .720 OPS with six home runs in 64 games since the beginning of June entering Friday’s game.
Tucker, who is in his first year with the Cubs after an offseason trade with the Astros, is entering the final months before he can hit free agency for the first time in his career. With Tucker widely expected to receive one of the largest — if not the largest — contracts this offseason, his recent struggles are likely a blip on the radar, but they’ve been pronounced amidst the rest of Chicago’s issues.
Tucker also hasn’t been the only key Cubs hitter that has struggled recently. Entering Friday, Tucker, Seiya Suzuki, Michael Busch and Dansby Swanson each had a sub-.600 OPS in the second half, while Crow-Armstrong was running a .672 OPS since the All-Star break.
Crow-Armstrong, too, snapped out of his funk on Friday night with a solo home run against Kenley Jansen in the ninth inning to break the 2-2 tie. Like Tucker, it’d been quite some time since Crow-Armstrong had last homered — nearly a month, to be exact, on July 23 against the Royals.
“It felt really good. Without sounding too sour, it was about time that I stepped up in a situation like that,” Crow-Armstrong said. “It’s time to start putting up more runs and for me to be a part of that.”
The first half of Crow-Armstrong’s season was truly magical stuff. In 95 games, Crow-Armstrong had an .847 OPS with 25 home runs and 27 stolen bases, all while playing elite center-field defense. He was selected to his first All-Star Game, started the Midsummer Classic and looked like a real threat to battle Shohei Ohtani for NL MVP.
Up until Friday, though, Crow-Armstrong had struggled mightily in the second half, with his game-winning homer being just his third home run since the All-Star break.
“It’s definitely something to build off of. That feeling of contributing,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I haven’t been playing my part since the break.”
In order for the Cubs to get right, they’re going to need their stars to play like stars, especially with the postseason looming in the not-so-distant future.
“Two guys who needed a big hit, and just getting them a contribution to a win on the offensive side makes everyone feel good,” manager Craig Counsell said. “The game doesn’t grant you any favors. You just have to keep coming out and keep trying to do it.”
