(670 The Score) As the Cubs have battled for playoff positioning for weeks, right fielder Seiya Suzuki has made a considerable impact.
Suzuki overcame struggles early in the season to become one of the Cubs’ most important players in the everyday lineup. Since Aug. 9, Suzuki is hitting .357 with 11 home runs, 33 RBIs and an 1.106 OPS. He's now hitting .283 with 20 home runs and 70 RBIs and an .838 OPS over 133 games this season.
Cubs manager David Ross believes Suzuki’s turnaround stems from a different mentality in the second half of the season.
“The main thing is he’s not putting so much pressure on himself,” Ross said on the Bernstein & Holmes Show on Tuesday. “He’s having fun. I think he’s in a good place. He has been for a while now — mechanically and timing (is) good. He doesn’t seem off-balanced at all. I think he’s navigated the league a little bit and seen what teams are trying to do with him and talked through it with our hitting guys.
“He’s just stayed really consistent to his approach. He looks really balanced. The timing within his mechanics are really clean. And he’s having good time, fun times. A lot more smiles coming out of him consistently than there were early in the season.”
Suzuki, 28, is playing in the second season of a five-year deal that he signed with the Cubs prior to the 2022 season.
The Cubs open a three-game series against the Braves on Tuesday evening at Truist Park in Atlanta. Pregame coverage starts at 5:45 p.m. CT on 670 The Score, with first pitch set for 6:20 p.m.