Cubs Fans Starting To Turn On Kyle Tucker As His Season Is Turning Into A Dumpster Fire
Kyle Tucker is struggling mightily at the moment, which has resulted in a bad stretch for the Cubs.
The Chicago Cubs were absolutely rolling in the first half of the season, and outfielder Kyle Tucker was a key reason why the franchise was sitting atop the NL Central. Then the All-Star break happened, and the team and Tucker both turned into shells of themselves.
Coming out of the All-Star break, the Cubs held a record of 57-39 and were considered by many to be one of the best teams in all of baseball. Since then, the team has been holding on for dear life, having won just 10 of their last 22 games.
Nobody in Chicago could have foreseen or controlled the divisional rival Milwaukee Brewers putting together a 14-game winning streak to grab a chokehold on the division, but you couple Milwaukee's run and the Cubs' struggles, and someone has to be the scapegoat.
That someone is Tucker, and he's made himself the easiest of targets during the second half of the season.
After hitting for a combined average of .299 and 10 home runs across May and June, Tucker is hitting just .160 in his 50 plate appearances in August and hasn't left the yard since July 19. After a four-game stretch without a hit, Tucker put together a 2-for-4 day at the dish on Saturday in a 3-1 win over the Pirates, but fell back into a slump on Sunday, going 0-for-3.
With many Cubs fans already itching to voice their frustrations with Tucker, he gave them the easiest way to do so on Sunday afternoon when he grounded out to first base and barely left the batter's box.
While the month of August has been abysmal for Tucker, he does have an opportunity to get back in the good graces of the fans at the Friendly Confines this week with the Brewers playing visitors for a five-game stint.
Some quality base knocks and a series win would go a long way for both Tucker and the Cubs, who still hold onto a relatively comfortable 4.5 game lead at the top of the NL Wild Card standings. It can't be overlooked that Tucker is a pending free agent, and one many have tapped to be the highest-paid during the upcoming offseason, but those predictions may be shifting before our very eyes.
Tucker isn't the only Cub who is searching for consistency at the dish this month. All-Star Pete Crow-Armstrong is hitting just .163 for the month of August as well.