PITTSBURGH — Chicago Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly knew the questions were coming.
That’s the life of a big-league hitting coach. The Cubs’ 10-game losing streak and the lineup’s prolonged top-to-bottom slump over the last two weeks naturally invites more scrutiny for an offense that’s better than what it has shown.
After snapping the skid with Wednesday’s blowout win, the Cubs salvaged a split of their four-game series in Pittsburgh by taking advantage of defensive miscues to beat Pirates ace Paul Skenes in a 7-2 victory. The Cubs (31-26) still struggled with runners in scoring position, going 2-for-10 and leaving eight on base, but they did enough to come away with the win.
Even on the heels of a 10-run night Wednesday at PNC Park, the Cubs came into the series finale tied for the second-fewest runs scored and third-lowest wRC+ (weighted runs created plus) in the majors over the previous 19 days.
“Obviously the last couple years our offenses have gone into little spells, but not like this,” Kelly told the Tribune before Wednesday’s win. “There were times where we were in funks, we were still winning games, but to be in a funk like this and really not have things go your way at all, it’s tricky to deal with.
“We’re positive — we have to be — but at some point you’re like: You know what? This sucks and this is not fun, and we’ve got to figure out a way to change it.”
Ian Happ homered in both wins, his two-run shot in the eighth Thursday giving the Cubs a welcome 5-2 cushion. They added another run in the inning when Seiya Suzuki scored on a passed ball on ball four to Miguel Amaya.
Pete Crow-Armstrong then enlivened the dugout in the ninth with a nifty headfirst slide and swim move to avoid the tag as the Pirates played the infield in. He was initially ruled out, but the call was overturned on manager Craig Counsell’s challenge. Crow-Armstrong was so confident he was safe, he pantomimed high-fives to his teammates to celebrate the run as he walked through the dugout.
The vibes certainly have shifted for the Cubs in the last 48 hours.
“It’s been a grind, I don’t think there’s any other way to put it,” Kelly said. “To have this many guys scuffling at the same time makes for some tense moments. And everybody feels the pressure right now. At-bats feel like they’re more important than the next, and when we’re really good we understand that this is a collective group.
“This lineup isn’t built around two guys, and when we’re rolling, everybody’s contributing and everybody’s doing a little piece of it. And when you’re struggling, it feels like nobody is. So just getting the guys back to, hey, this whole group is what makes this lineup good. It’s not one particular guy that has to carry us or has to go off. Everybody understands that it’s easier said than done.”
The two wins don’t erase the offensive issues the Cubs have experienced lately. Although they still aren’t fully out of their offensive funk, Counsell believes Alex Bregman is on the verge of delivering more power production.
Getting Suzuki going could be the X-factor. He drove in two runs Thursday after tallying only one RBI in his previous 17 games. During that span, Suzuki hit .129 with a .194 on-base percentage and .145 slugging percentage. He has just five extra-base hits in May.
Suzuki and the Cubs know more is needed from the slugger.
“We need Seiya, and we know when he gets going well how much damage there is,” Counsell said. “So he needs some positive things to happen, and tonight was a night he got some positive things.”
In assessing his struggles this month, Suzuki believes he has been tense at the plate with runners in scoring position because he hasn’t been coming through in those spots. He’s focusing on trying to stay calm when he gets RISP chances and trusting the work he has put in and his communication with the hitting coaches.
“I think today I was able to stay calm,” Suzuki said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry. “It was tough, the moments where in batting practice I was trying to come up with creative ways to try to figure out how to get that big hit, staying tenacious. And the past few weeks, I haven’t been performing well, but today I’m glad I got that hit off of a really good pitcher.”
If working through these stressful stretches at the plate with the Cubs hitting coaches has taught Suzuki anything, it’s that a hitting coach job doesn’t await him in his post-playing future.
“I might go bald,” Suzuki said with a big grin.
