'You can just tell he's off': Cubs manager Ross sits struggling Suzuki again
With the Cubs attempting to make a charge to the postseason, David Ross needs to put the best nine players in the lineup every day.
No exceptions. If you're slumping, pick it up because every game matters and too many guys are red hot.
That's the message Ross has sent to Seiya Suzuki of late as the Cubs' manager has sat his right fielder in three of the last five games.
"We can see how off he is. Just not (in) rhythm," Ross said before the Cubs beat the Braves 8-6 at Wrigley Field on Saturday. "I think he's beating himself up a little bit, wanting to produce for the guys.
"His heart is in the right place. We've got to get his head in the right place, we've got to get his mechanics in the right place and just give him some things to get him back going."
Over his last 10 games, Suzuki is 5-for-38 (.132) with 1 home run, 4 RBIs and a .227 on-base percentage. He did go 2-for-5 with a HR in the Cubs' 16-6 win over Cincinnati on Wednesday, but that home run came off Reds catcher Luke Maile in the eighth inning.
Suzuki went 0-for-3 with 2 strikeouts against the Braves on Friday. On the first strikeout, which came against Braves ace Max Fried, Suzuki didn't even swing on pitches clocked at 81, 74 and 87 mph. In his final at-bat, Suzuki looked completely lost while flailing at a pair of Joe Jimenez 96-mph fastballs.
"You can just tell he's off with some of the swings you're seeing," Ross said. "He's not recognizing even when to get ready to hit and what pitch is even coming. ...
"Gotta stop guessing and just get a plan in place. Simplify your thoughts in these moments when things are spinning out of control."
It's unclear how long Suzuki will be out of the lineup, with Ross saying the Japanese native will return when he can help the Cubs win.
The competition for playing time has been fierce of late, too, as Mike Tauchman is hitting .373 with a .441 OBP in his last 18 games (11 starts). On the season, the Palatine native is slashing .277/.372/.433 with 6 home runs and 40 RBIs.
Tauchman led off Saturday's game with a walk and scored the Cubs' first run. He also singled in the fourth inning.
"Tauchman has been so good at the top of the lineup," said shortstop Dansby Swanson, whose 2-run HR in the first inning gave the Cubs a 4-0 lead. "I've always said that if you want to win you've got to put the best players out there as often as possible. We've been doing that over the last 6-7 weeks. … It's been fun to be a part of."
Suzuki normally has a fantastic eye at the plate, but admitted earlier this season that he'll only go after borderline pitches when his confidence is high.
"When I'm not doing well, all those borderline pitches are balls for me," Suzuki said. "And when it's (a ball), it's hard for me to get my bat out and get those pitches outside.
"But if I'm doing well, they look like strikes and I'm able to get some good barrel on those pitches."
For the season, Suzuki is 84-for-337 (.249) with a .328 OBP. He has 9 home runs and 37 RBIs in 90 games. His best stretches came during the entire month of May (.319/.417/.560 with 5 HRs and 13 RBIs); a four-game run in mid-June when he went 8-for-15; and a 15-game run in July when he went 21-for-62 (.339) with a pair of home runs.
So Ross knows the talent is there. It's just a matter of building that confidence up again.
"One thing I do know is that you get hot at the right time in our sport, nobody's gonna remember (the bad times)," Ross said. "You get hot in September and carry us to the postseason, you'll be a hero in this town. I know that."