Chicago Cubs Star Slugger Refocused After Slump
The lone dark spot during the Chicago Cubs' offensive explosion was the struggles of star outfielder Seiya Suzuki at the plate.
Starting on July 23rd, he didn't record a multi-hit game until the second game of the Cincinnati Reds series on August 2nd. During this time, he had more hitless games than games with a hit.
This prompted manager David Ross to demote him in the lineup from his usual second spot to the back half.
Despite getting two hits after being moved down in the order, Suzuki was still struggling, forcing Ross to give him days off as he tried to figure out his struggles.
The star outfielder sat out four games before returning to action Wednesday night against the New York Mets.
Suzuki immediately produced, recording three hits with a home run in the ninth inning and a triple on the first pitch he saw.
Ross promised a return to the lineup for his outfielder after giving him a break.
"I think sometimes, just a step back and watching the game with a different perspective and having a couple of days to breathe and work on something with a free mind can really help," the manager said Wednesday.
Suzuki alluded to it being a mental struggle at the plate more than anything else during his slump. He was able to fix that by taking a break and working on things with the Cubs' hitting coaches.
"I was able to organize my thoughts really well before I got into my at-bats today," the Japanese phenom said. "I wasn’t trying to think too much, just trying to focus on what’s in front of me, my at-bat. I’m glad I was able to do that today."
Chicago needs their star outfielder to star producing at the plate again as they continue their playoff push. We'll see if he's actually figured something out or if it was just a hot hitting game.
