“`html
Kyle Tucker Breaks Out of Slump in Cubs’ Rout of angels
ANAHEIM — Maybe all Kyle Tucker needed was a trip to Angel Stadium.
After going 25 games without a home run – his longest stretch since the first 27 games of his career — the All-Star right fielder hit his second adn third within 24 hours, kick-starting the Cubs’ 12-1 rout of the Angels on Saturday night.
“This is the nature of the game,” manager Craig Counsell said. “We don’t want slumps. We hate slumps.They’re mentally exhausting to go through, but they happen. Kyle will be better moving forward because of this, but it’s part of the game that happens and you got to get through it. He’s a great player. He works hard to figure it out and get back on track.
“We need him to do it, and he’s done so.”
After posting a slash line of .291/.395/.537 with 17 home runs and 52 RBIs through June and being named an All-Star for the fourth consecutive year, Tucker’s numbers nosedived.
Tucker slashed .189/.325/.235 from July 1 through Aug. 18 while playing through a hairline fracture in his right hand — only recently revealed. He sat in three straight games earlier this week as part of a mental reset.
“Mentally, he needed some days,” Counsell said. “it wasn’t a physical thing, it wasn’t a mechanical thing. At that point mentally as a player, you just need some days where you’re watching the game and don’t have to worry about performing.”
Tucker kept it going on Saturday. He felt like he was late on his swing after a flyout to left field in the first inning. So he made a mental note to start early next time.
The result: He jumped on a sinker down and in from Halos starter Victor Mederos, driving the ball a statcast-projected 399 feet to right field for a two-run homer to put the Cubs on the board in the top of the third inning.
Three innings later, Tucker did it again.
