WEST SACRAMENTO -- What makes Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker such a good hitter? There are plenty of signs.
For veteran teammate Justin Turner, it¡¯s how Tucker is willing to punish pitches over the plate but refuses to chase outside the strike zone. To manager Craig Counsell, Tucker¡¯s ability to crush a first-pitch home run against a tough lefty pitcher -- as Tucker did Sunday against Arizona¡¯s Joe Mantiply -- stands out.
¡°He¡¯s just a great hitter,¡± Counsell said. ¡°It¡¯s just different.¡±
In the Cubs¡¯ 7-4 win over the Athletics on Tuesday night at Sutter Health Park, Tucker showed that once again.
The star slugger launched a homer for a career-high fourth consecutive game, finishing 2-for-3 with a double and a pair of walks as the Cubs claimed a series victory over the A¡¯s.
Chicago led from the outset once again after Seiya Suzuki¡¯s three-run smash off the batter¡¯s eye in center field in the first inning, but Tucker¡¯s solo homer in the third -- after the A¡¯s got two runs back on a Brent Rooker blast -- gave the Cubs some breathing room.
Since starting 2-for-16 in his first four games with the Cubs, Tucker has gone 10-for-18. His OPS is up to 1.303.
According to Counsell, Cubs teammates and Tucker himself, there¡¯s little secret to the outfielder¡¯s success -- just the tried-and-true method of staying aggressive in the zone and laying off chase pitches.
That¡¯s probably the basic approach for most hitters, but Tucker certainly isn¡¯t most hitters.
"He literally wants to swing at strikes and take balls,¡± Turner said. ¡°He¡¯s fine with taking his walks. You sprinkle a little talent on that, and it¡¯s a pretty good recipe.¡±
It¡¯s not just Tucker doing damage in the Cubs¡¯ lineup, either. For the second straight game, the Cubs hung a crooked number before the Athletics ever came to the plate, this time courtesy of a three-run, 445-foot blast by Seiya Suzuki off the batter¡¯s eye in center field.
The Cubs' bats stayed sharp after Monday night¡¯s 18-run, 21-hit barrage, with Turner providing an RBI single off the bench and shortstop Dansby Swanson socking an RBI double. Chicago provided more than enough offense to back starter Justin Steele, who settled in after allowing two-run homers in the first and third innings and pitched into the seventh.
Steele, whose 2025 ERA is 6.89 after three starts, said he felt good on the mound but regretted his locations on the home runs -- both sliders down and in that caught a bit too much of the plate. The first was an 0-2 pitch to A¡¯s slugger Brent Rooker, and Rooker didn¡¯t miss it.
"Myself, I¡¯ve got to do a better job of getting that in the dirt, especially when the count¡¯s in my advantage, two strikes and stuff,¡± Steele said.
But Tucker and the Cubs offense picked Steele up both times. Tucker slugged his fourth homer of the season an estimated 427 feet onto the berm in right-center in the third inning, and Ian Happ added a key insurance run with a sac fly in the fifth after Shea Langeliers¡¯ two-run shot for the A¡¯s cut the lead to one.
"The entire lineup¡¯s kind of in a groove right now,¡± Steele said. ¡°It¡¯s really fun to watch, and I¡¯m really enjoying it.¡±
It¡¯s hard to quantify how much of that is due to Tucker, whose addition via trade this offseason was the big swing the Cubs were looking for. His new teammates have certainly been impressed: Counsell said he¡¯s noticed how Cubs hitters talk about Tucker whenever he steps into the left-handed batter¡¯s box.
"It¡¯s just a problem on the other side when a guy like that can do so much damage,¡± Counsell said postgame. ¡°When he¡¯s on base or doing damage, obviously it¡¯s going to make our offense tough to go through.¡±
Turner, for his part, has played against Tucker plenty of times. Both players are with the Cubs for the first time this season, and the veteran Turner is certainly enjoying the new perspective. Then again, who isn¡¯t?
"You see guys from the other side and obviously have a ton of respect for ¡¯em even though they¡¯re in a different uniform,¡± Turner said, ¡°but getting to know guys on a personal level and what makes them tick and how they go about their work is always something that intrigues me and that I love doing.
¡°He¡¯s just a really good baseball player, man. Really good.¡±