Tucker adds 2 more homers, Cubs offense finally explodes
The Cubs played another low-scoring, 1-run game on Friday against the Angels. But maybe getting home runs from both of their slumping all-stars — Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong — will finally awaken the offense.
It seemed to help Saturday in Anaheim, where Tucker added 2 more home runs, worth a total of 5 RBI. The Angels used to be an AL West Division rival when Tucker played in Houston, and Saturday's blasts gave him 27 career home runs against them.
A second smash hit was added by catcher Reese McGuire, who belted a grand slam in the sixth to make it 6-0. A Michael Busch RBI single, then Tucker's second home run made it 10-0 in the sixth. The Cubs won 12-1.
The Cubs reached double-figure runs for the first time in August and just the second time since the all-star break. Prior to the break, the Cubs had 16 games with double-digit runs scored. The Cubs had been last in MLB in runs scored this month, averaging just under 3 per game.
Starting pitcher Cade Horton, meanwhile, rolled through six scoreless innings on just 74 pitches. He allowed 3 hits, with 1 walk, and 3 of his 7 strikeouts came against Mike Trout.
A night earlier, Tucker was his usual nonchalant self after hitting his first home run in just over a month.
“Felt good to get a ball in the air and hit it hard and put a run on the board,” he told reporters after the game. “So it was nice.”
Crow-Armstrong had the more dramatic homer, a solo shot to right field that broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the ninth. Daniel Palencia then retired the side in order, with a pair of strikeouts, to finish the win.
“I've been wanting so badly to be able to celebrate something like that with (teammates),” Crow-Armstrong said after the game. “These 1-run games are always stressful.
“I've leaned on everybody in here, so I really feel like I owe it to them to stat picking it up. That's important. That's what's keeping me going every day.”
Heading into Saturday's game, Tucker was hitting .145 during the month of August, while Crow-Armstrong was at .159.
“Without sounding too sour about anything, it's about time I stepped up in a situation like that,” PCA said. “It felt great, but it's time to start putting up more runs and being a part of that. Javy (Assad) just came out and diced.
“We've shown that we're a really capable offense of coming back in games all year, we've shown that we're really capable of putting up big numbers in any inning. After really good balls being thrown by our pitchers on such a regular basis recently, it's nice to feel like I kind of gave them what they deserved.”
The Cubs will go for the three-game sweep on Sunday afternoon with a pitching matchup of Jameson Taillon vs. Cubs legend Kyle Hendricks.
“It's going to be fun, for sure,” Hendricks said Friday. “It almost brings me back to when we shut down with COVID. Some of us would still meet up and go out to the fields (in Mesa) and do scrimmages, basically. So I faced a lot of my owns guys during the COVID year.
“It'll be down to business. That's how it is on both sides. It will be for some bragging rights for sure.”