Cubs' depth prevails while Seiya works to rejoin lineup

NEW YORK -- With his Cubs hat flipped around backwards, Seiya Suzuki went through his pregame batting practice at Citi Field on Tuesday afternoon. Based on the line drives and homers launched, onlookers would not guess this was a slugger mired in a persistent, punishing slump.

“I don’t feel bad at all during practice,” Suzuki said via his interpreter, Toy Matsushita. “But when I get into the game, I guess I get too eager to get those results. And so, to get those results, I feel like I need to relax a little bit more.”

Tuesday’s 3-2 win over the Mets marked Suzuki’s fourth consecutive game on the bench, offering the outfielder a mental break to work on his swing and approach behind the scenes. At the same time, Cubs manager David Ross has been sticking with a group of hitters who have helped the lineup operate as one of baseball’s best units over the past few weeks.

Ross noted that Suzuki will be back in the lineup for Wednesday’s finale against the Mets.

The arrival of Jeimer Candelario at the Trade Deadline gave Chicago a way to give Suzuki this runway back to the lineup. Candelario took over full-time duties at first base, allowing Cody Bellinger to stick to center field. Mike Tauchman -- who was playing center on days Bellinger got the nod at first -- has shifted to right field for now.

“I’m not in the best condition right now,” Suzuki said. “All the guys that are out there are the guys that are getting results. That’s just part of the game. So that’s where I’ve got to step up and make sure I can get my spot back.”

To that end, righty Jameson Taillon’s stellar seven-inning outing was backed by homers from both Bellinger (solo blast in the fourth) and Tauchman (go-ahead solo shot in the eighth). Candelario also chipped in a pair of hits for a Cubs offense that has led the National League in runs (169) since the All-Star break. Chicago has gone 17-8 in that stretch.

The side benefit of this great stretch for the Cubs’ lineup as a whole has been giving hitting coach Dustin Kelly and the team’s hitting group time to dedicate to cage work and conversations with Suzuki. Ross said the progress made on that front will influence the timing of Suzuki’s regular return to the lineup.

“He knows he's a much better player than what the scoreboard numbers say,” Kelly said. “The depth of our lineup helps everybody. It’s going to help Seiya that Tauchman’s playing really, really good. It gives him a chance to take a breather.”

Suzuki got off to a strong start this season, turning in a .293/.385/.487 slash line over his first 42 games across the first two months. Over June and July, that production cratered to a .212/.282/.296 showing, leading to the decision to remove him from the starting lineup for a period.

One glaring issue has been Suzuki’s production against fastballs. Here is a month-by-month look at his slugging percentage (and expected slugging) against heaters of all varieties:

April: .533 SLG (.492 xSLG)
May: .490 SLG (.406 xSLG)
June: .227 SLG (.384 xSLG)
July: .288 SLG (.389 xSLG)
August: .167 SLG (.175 xSLG)

“He cares intensely about his craft. He's a guy that works tirelessly,” Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner said. “He'll end up hopefully looking back on this time just as something that he learns from, and I expect him to be a big part of our rest of our season and an impact guy.”

Ross has described Suzuki as being caught “in between” with his swing lately, which is a sign of a hitter struggling with timing and picking the wrong pitches to attack. Kelly said the hitting group has been focusing on getting Suzuki to focus on fastballs first, then reacting to other offerings.

“When you start guessing wrong, then you’re lost. You’re kind of in no-man’s land of what pitch is coming,” Kelly explained. “So we’re just trying to get back to the basics of, ‘You do really, really well on this in this part of the zone. So that’s where you’re going to hunt. That’s where your damage is.’”

Asked if he has learned anything about himself during this tough stretch, Suzuki pondered his answer before replying: “When you think about too many things, it’s not going to be good for you.”

Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson said that is an all-too-familiar problem that every hitter encounters at different points.

“It’s so easy to overthink in this game,” Swanson said. “It’s so funny, because in this game, man, when you’re going good, people are like, ‘What’re you thinking about?’ You’re like, ‘Nothing. I’m just playing. Just having fun.’ I’m convicted to a plan and I just stick to it and if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out. But at least I went down with what I wanted to do.

“I think the biggest thing is learning how to give yourself grace for not being perfect. That can be hard.”