Cubs left-handed hitter Kyle Tucker stayed inside a fastball and sent it on a line the other way. It carried over the left-field fence for the big hit in the Cubs 4-3 win Tuesday against the Braves.
That three-run homer in the third extended a hot stretch at the plate for Tucker. He entered the game with a 1.207 OPS over the past week and a half.
Tucker, who also singled in the fifth inning to go 2-for-3, left the game after the sixth inning with what the team called left calf tightness. Utility player Willi Castro replaced him in right field.
“I felt a little soreness the last couple days,” Tucker said. “But I felt it a decent amount coming in today. I tried to do some treatment stuff, get ahead of it earlier, before the game. Did as much as I could.
“Going into the game, it felt alright. And then, as the game went, just got a little more sore, tight. And eventually I was just like, I’d rather not try and test this much further and make it any more than it really is.”
Manager Craig Counsell said he plans to give Tucker the day off Wednesday, going into the off day Thursday. And the team will re-evaluate Tucker on Friday.
Tucker’s recent hot streak dates back to the series opener in Anaheim, when he and Pete Crow-Armstrong both snapped 25-game homerless streaks.
At the time, it felt like a turning point for the pair of struggling All-Star outfielders. But that ended up only being true for one of them.
Crow-Armstrong’s performance has remained uneven. He recorded five hits in the next five games. But he went hitless for three games in Colorado, finally breaking the streak with a two-strike bunt single in the Cubs’ win against the Braves Monday.
The Cubs, knowing the boost Crow-Armstrong can give the lineup when he is swinging the bat well, recalled rookie outfielder Kevin Alcántara on Monday to have someone who could give Crow-Armstrong a break against at least some left-handed starting pitchers.
Alcántara made his season debut Tuesday, starting in center field against Braves left-hander Joey Wentz.
The Cubs also used some time off to help Tucker get back into a groove at the plate. His power slump predated Crow-Armstrong’s, going all the way back to the beginning of July. And Counsell gave Tucker three straight games off shortly before he hit three home runs in two games against the Angels.
“The guy’s great to have around,” Crow-Armstrong said after the first game of that series. “And he’s been battling whatever he’s been battling, but hasn’t made that the thing. All he’s done is come in and work, and play a good right field, and deal with the Wrigley sun and the Wrigley wind, and wind blowing in his face when he’s hitting. … He’s just been a pro. And if anything, he has shown me how to stay the course, like a ton of others have.”
Crow-Armstrong doesn’t have the long track record that Tucker does. But between a strong second half of 2024, and a MVP-level first half of 2025, he’s proven that he can sustain a hot streak at the plate.
Alcántara gives him the chance to take a breather and stay fresh down the stretch while searching for the key to another strong run.
“I came here to win,” Alcántara said before the game, adding that he was up for whatever role Counsell presented him. “I’m trying to enjoy the game and enjoy the clubhouse with the guys. I’m very proud because I want to be here for a lot of time. … If I’m winning and I’m on the bench, I’m happy.”
The Cubs escaped with the win Tuesday, even as the Braves staged a partial comeback against Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga. He allowed three runs, one on a wild pitch and two on solo homers, in six innings.
Alcántara singled in his first at-bat Tuesday, and when Tucker homered two batters later, Alcántara was the first Cub to cross the plate.
Maddie Lee
Source link