Kyle Tucker stated he wasn’t in search of something particular Saturday afternoon.
Simply higher really feel for a swing that has plagued him all season.
In what supervisor Dave Roberts described as a “very telling” transfer from the group’s $240 million offseason signing, Tucker went out on the sector twice forward of Saturday’s sport for some uncommon open-air batting apply.
There was one session off a velocity machine hours earlier than the sport. Then, one other throughout conventional pregame batting apply — his first time taking part in that every one season.
Usually, Tucker does all his swing work out of sight within the group’s clubhouse batting cages.
Then once more, usually, the four-time All-Star isn’t struggling the best way he has currently.
“He’s working arduous,” Roberts stated, “to attempt to work by way of it.”
The excellent news for Tucker: A day after his batting apply periods, he appeared to lastly discover one thing within the Dodgers’ rubber-match win Sunday over the Phillies, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a pair well-struck balls.
He laced a 100 mph line drive within the first inning that was unfortunate to seek out the glove of Justin Crawford in middle.
He chopped a 92 mph one-hopper within the third that was very fortunate to kick off the bag at first for an RBI single.
Then, on his fourth-hardest-hit ball of the season within the fifth inning, he smoked a rocket of a double off the wall in deep proper.
“At this time,” Roberts stated, “appeared [like] extra of who he’s.”
The issue for Tucker, a minimum of so far of his debut Dodgers marketing campaign, is that he has not been capable of translate breakout days corresponding to Sunday’s into extra extended scorching streaks.
The nine-year veteran remains to be hitting simply .242 on the season, on tempo for a career-low mark. He has simply 4 residence runs and a .729 OPS, struggling to seek out a lot energy in his left-handed mechanics.
The largest “crimson flag,” Roberts stated earlier than Sunday’s sport, remained Tucker’s elevated fee of chasing pitches (24% this 12 months, in comparison with 17.5% the final two years) and whiffing on swings (22.7% this 12 months, in comparison with 20.2% and 19% the previous two seasons).
“I believe that speaks to not being selective sufficient,” Roberts stated. “As a result of he’s a man that, by nature, can run deep counts and nonetheless be superb getting to 2 strikes. Nevertheless it simply looks as if he’s far more hyper-aggressive than I recall.”
A number of weeks in the past, Tucker appeared to show a nook. After batting .233 with a sub-.700 OPS within the opening month of the season, he was bumped down the batting order, made some delicate refinements to his strategy, then hit .268 with an .849 OPS over his subsequent 28 video games.
However even then, Roberts stated, Tucker nonetheless “didn’t look proper, and I don’t suppose he felt proper.”
Certainly, on this homestand, he fell again right into a 1-for-16 droop earlier than Sunday’s two-hit efficiency, triggering a pair outbursts of frustration main as much as Saturday’s on-field BP work.
“I believe that it speaks to his toughness and battle to nonetheless attempt to carry out,” Roberts stated. “Nevertheless it nonetheless wasn’t proper, so far as not even near being locked in.”
The Dodgers have been simply superb regardless of Tucker’s inconsistent manufacturing, after all. They’ve gained 14 of their final 17 video games and 5 consecutive sequence to construct a 5 ½-game lead within the Nationwide League West.
Nonetheless, they’re paying the 29-year-old a whopping $60 million this season for a cause.
And whereas he lastly lived as much as that billing Sunday, the seek for consistency continues to pull on.
