ST. LOUIS — The Cubs are still waiting to see some slug, as they like to call it, from Alex Bregman. The Cubs third baseman came into play Saturday night with a nine-game hitting streak in which he is batting .316 (12-for-38), and has hit safely in 14 of his last 16 games.
But in his last 54 games, the equivalent of one-third of a season, Bregman has hit just two home runs in his last 218 at-bats, matching the two he hit against the Nationals on March 29.
With two days left in the month, Bregman has hit fewer home runs to this point of the season than at any other time in his career.
Here are his home run numbers by the end of May:
2017: 6
2018: 5
2019: 17
2021: 6
2022: 6
2023: 7
2024: 7
2025: 11
2026 (through May 29): 4
Bregman narrowly missed a home run leading off the second inning Saturday, his high fly hugging the left-field foul line before disappearing in the seats. Even though the umpires initially ruled foul ball, Bregman circled the bases. The home-run trot was for naught, as the umpires said a review confirmed the original call.
He then flared a single to right, extending his hitting streak to 10 games.
Bregman has been hitting in the cleanup spot since manager Craig Counsell installed him there last Sunday, but he has yet to drive in a run in six games hitting in the 4-slot and has just six RBI this month. Overall, he has 17 RBI, which ranks him eighth on the Cubs. His four home runs rank him seventh, tied with Michael Conforto (only 76 at-bats) and Nico Hoerner (not a home-run hitter).
Bregman’s lack of production has been exacerbated by Seiya Suzuki’s deep slump in May. He has just two home run and a .292 slugging percentage in 26 games this month.
“The guys that are hitting [in the middle of your order], you’re counting on extra-base production from those guys,’’ Counsell said.
Coincidentally, Kyle Tucker whose bat the Cubs ostensibly replaced with Bregman when Tucker signed as a free agent with the Dodgers, is also off to a slow start. Tucker came into play Saturday without a homer in his last 20 games, and like Bregman has just four this season. He ranks ninth on the Dodgers in home runs.
Happ, there and everywhere
Well, at least we know it’s not just a Pittsburgh thing. Cubs left-fielder Ian Happ, who grew up in nearby Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, broke out of his prolonged slump with two home runs and seven RBI in his last two games in his hometown. His .306 average in PNC Park is his highest in any opposition ballpark where he has had at least 75 at-bats.
Happ had another home run, a three-run shot, and a double in the Cubs’ 6-5 loss Friday night and is seven for his last 12 with three home runs and 10 RBI after enduring a stretch of 16 strikeouts in 30 at-bats. Happ’s three-run home run was his second of the season — the first came on March 28 — and just the third hit this month by the Cubs. Suzuki hit one on May 4 and Conforto on May 17. The Cubs are 8-2 in games in which they hit a three-run home run.
Walkmen
The Cubs drew only one walk in Friday’s 6-5 loss, after drawing a total of 13 in the previous two games. The only other time this month they had fewer than two walks in a game was May 10 against Texas. They’ve had 14 games this month in which they drew five or more walks. They lead the majors with 262 walks, with a major league-leading walk rate of 11.5%.