WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Chicago Cubs finally found the superstar hitter the lineup has needed in Kyle Tucker, and the acquisition is already paying off beyond the lefty slugger’s production.
Over the last seven weeks, Seiya Suzuki has taken a vested interest in watching Tucker hit knowing how much can be gleaned from watching a talented hitter work. Suzuki has specifically absorbed being more aggressive and applied that approach to help him break out of his brief early-season funk.
Suzuki and the Cubs feasted on A’s pitchers during their three-game sweep, culminating with Wednesday’s 10-2 victory at Sutter Health Park. The Cubs outscored the Athletics 35-9 and slugged eight home runs.
Suzuki went 7 for 15 in the series with four extra-base hits, four runs and nine RBIs.
“One of my characteristics is when I’m not going well, I’m too selective,” Suzuki said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry. “So just keeping that approach of staying aggressive.”
Suzuki’s third career multi-home run game provided the spark, his three-run blast in the second off A’s left-hander Jeffrey Springs part of a four-run inning. Pete Crow-Armstrong, who had two hits including an RBI double Wednesday, declared Suzuki “probably pound for pound has some of the most juice in the league.”
Suzuki’s shift this season toward being more aggressive has been apparent to manager Craig Counsell, who believes that mentality will benefit him moving forward.
“It’s where we want him to be, and I think that’s going to bear some good fruit here,” Counsell said. “He has the power to hit home runs everywhere, and that’s what’s fun to see. The raw power, Seiya is probably No. 1 on the team and so just getting the ball in the air wherever is a good thing for Seiya.”
The combination of Tucker and Suzuki in the prime spots of the batting order sets up a deep lineup to produce when the two are as locked in as they have been the last few games. Tucker entered Wednesday having homered in a career-best four consecutive games. Although Tucker went hitless in the series finale, he recorded two walks and scored a run.
“I try and get pitches I think I can handle and just be aggressive with those,” Tucker said Tuesday. “I mean, if the pitchers want to throw balls or try and get me a chase, I try and lay off them and be a little patient with those and just try and attack the ones I think I can crush. So I just try and do that just as consistently as I can.”
Counsell has been batting Tucker second and Suzuki in the three-spot against right-handed starters. And with that alignment, there likely will be scenarios in which teams intentionally walk Tucker to bring up Suzuki, as the A’s did in the fourth inning Tuesday to load the bases with one out and the Cubs holding a two-run lead. Suzuki worked the count full before striking out on a sinker up in the zone.
While Suzuki was disappointed by the strikeout, he reiterated a desire to be on the attack in those moments.
“It’s going to happen if Tuck keeps swinging the bat like this, it’s going to happen a lot,” Counsell said. “So he’s going to have those at-bats, and you want those at-bats with guys on base.”
Veteran reliever Ryan Pressly spent the entirety of Tucker’s seven years in Houston as his teammate, witnessing firsthand how challenging he can be for opposing pitchers.
“Don’t tell him this, but he’s a special player,” Pressly said, grinning. “He really is special. Watching him come up and how he swings, it’s really fun. I’ve had a front-row seat to it for a couple years now — every time he comes up to the plate something pretty cool could happen.”
While the Cubs offense showed its potential during the three games against the A’s, the pitching staff’s upside shouldn’t be overlooked either. The bullpen did not surrender a run in 9 1/3 innings ...
