Wisdom builds confidence; Heuer closer to return
Patrick Wisdom's monthly splits have been drastic.
In April, he had 10 home runs and a .663 slugging percentage that was fifth-best in MLB. In May, it was 2 home runs, a .161 batting average and .304 slugging. That is, until Sunday when Wisdom smacked a pair of home runs into the left field bleachers and drove in all 5 Cubs runs.
He hadn't homered since May 10, but now has 14 on the season. He also moved past Nico Hoerner into the team RBI lead with 28.
"It felt good," he said after the game. "Made some adjustments and hit the ball forward. Swinging on pitches I do damage on, focusing on that. Not swinging at balls. Just switching up the mentality."
No one really expected Wisdom to continue his April pace, when he played like an MVP candidate. But he thinks Sunday's performance shows that version can return.
"No doubt," Wisdom said. "I did it before, I know I can do it again and I think that's where it starts is believing that between my ears."
Heuer shows progress:
Reliever Codi Heuer is eligible to come off the 60-day injured list Monday, but probably needs a little more time in Iowa as he returns from Tommy John surgery.
Heuer has made eight appearances for Triple A Iowa, most recently on Saturday night in Nashville. He gave up runs in three of the first five outings.
"I think he still feels like he's just a tick off and wants to lock in his mechanics and his strike-throwing," manager David Ross said Sunday. "Seems to be getting better every single day. So when he's comfortable and his date's up, I'm sure we'll see him sometime soon after he feels great."
Heuer made his major league debut with the White Sox in 2020 and his average fastball was clocked 97.6 miles per hour. He made 25 appearances for the Cubs late in '21 after being part of the Craig Kimbrel trade, then missed all of last season.
"The arm is obviously electric stuff when he's in the zone, when he's healthy," Ross said. "We've got to get that (bullpen) figured out a little bit and he would definitely help if he's able to come back and be the version of himself we think he is."
Around the horn:
Manager David Ross updated Cody Bellinger's rehab Sunday. The center fielder has been out since May 16 with a left knee contusion. "Nothing's really changed, feeling better every single day, slowly but surely," Ross said. "Was able to do a lot of little things, but not quite running yet. Doing some pool work." ...
Cubs pitching prospect Ben Brown set a season-high with 11 strikeouts in 5⅓ innings Saturday at Nashville. Between Iowa and Tennessee, he has 66 strikeouts in 44 innings this season and a 2.25 ERA. ...
Nick Madrigal made his Iowa debut this weekend by collecting 2 hits in each of his first two games, with a triple and 4 RBI. ... Cubs pitcher Drew Smyly threw his 1,000th career inning Sunday in the first.
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