Tucker channels frustration into Cubs’ winning rally
The Cubs have been searching for a moment that might kick them out of their offensive slump and back into gear.
Maybe their postgame golf competition Saturday will help. Or the blast of noise from the Air and Water Show that sent the dugout scrambling for cover Friday.
“It got me, absolutely,” manager Craig Counsell said about the jet noise. “I was in the corner of the dugout, like, ducking.”
Or maybe Saturday's fifth inning, when Kyle Tucker struck out and angrily threw his bat to the ground, will do the trick. Tucker ended up collecting 2 hits, an important stolen base and scored the go-ahead run as the Cubs pulled out a 3-1 victory over Pittsburgh at Wrigley Field.
Tucker's last 2-hit game was Aug. 3 against Baltimore. In between, he went 3-for-32 at the plate (.093). He still hasn't hit a home run since July 19.
“Really, I don't necessarily care (about the hitting slump) as long as we're winning games,” Tucker said. “Hopefully today's the start of a long stretch of those.”
Even with Saturday's hits, Tucker's .369 OPS in August is easily the lowest in a month since his rookie year. Lately, he's been seen throwing bats in anger and firing a helmet at the dugout wall. Known for being even-keel, those outbursts are out of character for Tucker.
“It just kind of happens,” he said. “I mean, normally I don't really show much emotion out there or anything. I just try to do my job. It's been tough the last two months or so.”
With the score tied 1-1 in the bottom of the eighth, Tucker led off with a single, then stole second. A day earlier, Pete Crow-Armstrong took off for the second with the Cubs trailing by a run in the ninth inning. He beat the throw easily but was out for sliding past the bag, a moment that summed up the past few weeks of Cubs futility.
This time, Tucker not only stole second base, he managed to hug the bag and scored on Seiya Suzuki's RBI single. Before the inning ended, Nico Hoerner added an RBI double and the Cubs were on their way to victory.
“There was a great stolen base in there, a gutsy stolen base,” manager Craig Counsell said “Kyle took a risk, thought he had something and picked the right pitch to go on.”
With closer Daniel Palencia out sick, Brad Keller came on to record his first save of the season and third of his career. Counsell said if there was an unsung hero of this Cubs season, he'd nominate Keller for the award. The former starter has a 2.48 ERA out of the bullpen this year.
“That's awesome to hear,” Keller said. “That's special and means a lot to me. When I signed here, I didn't really know what to expect. I guess I signed here to be a starter.”
The Cubs had some ideas for how he could be more effective. Keller was receptive and the changes have paid off.
“Minor tweaks, like pitch usage, tweaks to grips, getting the sweeper going, sinker more consistent — things like that,” Keller said. “So I wouldn't say it was like a ton of stuff. It wasn't like a whole revamp, but it was enough to change my mentality when I pitch, for sure.”
Starter Shota Imanaga went 7 innings and was in complete command most of the time, other than a Tommy Pham home run in the fourth. The score was 1-1 when he left the mound, though, so reliever Andrew Kittredge got the win.