WASHINGTON — For the first time this season, Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker was out of the lineup Tuesday night.
Heading into a three-game series against the Nationals, he had started all 59 games, serving as the designated hitter in five of them — his only partial breaks.
The jammed finger on his right hand — the result of an awkward slide Sunday against the Reds in which he got his hand stuck in the damp dirt and twisted it as he got caught stealing — ended his streak.
“It was pretty sore [on the day off Monday],” manager Craig Counsell said before the Cubs’ 8-3 victory at Nationals Park. “So that was our indication that [Tuesday] was not going to be likely. So we’re trying to give it as much time [as we can] without banging on it right now.”
As of Counsell’s comments, Tucker had not tried swinging, instead opting to rest to address the swelling in his hand. Counsell said that had improved compared to the day before, but he estimated Tucker still would need “another day or two” before returning.
Counsell said he was confident a stint on the injured list wouldn’t be necessary.
Entering Tuesday, Tucker ranked seventh among qualified National League hitters in OPS (.918) and fifth in on-base percentage (.394). In his absence, Seiya Suzuki started in right field and batted second in the order. Justin Turner took Suzuki’s regular spot as the DH.
Secrets of Suzuki’s success
It’s no accident that Suzuki entered Tuesday leading the NL with 52 RBI — a number that climbed by one when he scored Matt Shaw on a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning.
“He’s off to a great start,” Counsell said. “This definitely is the best start he’s had in his career. [He’s] benefitting from a lineup around him and players around him who are playing really well, which means he’s hitting runners on base a lot. Every hitter wants at-bats with runners on base.”
Suzuki often bats third in the order behind Tucker and Ian Happ (.343), both of whom get on base at a high clip. With Michael Busch or Pete Crow-Armstrong typically batting behind him, Suzuki usually is sandwiched between left-handed batters.
“That’s led to some good matchups, too,” Counsell said. “He’s done a great job against left-handed pitching. So it’s all connected, and that’s where the guys around you can make those subtle differences.”
Suzuki entered Tuesday with a 1.192 OPS against left-handed pitchers, good for the sixth-best mark in the majors among players with at least 30 plate appearances.
Tucker’s injury will temporarily disrupt the top-of-the-order flow, but with Crow-Armstrong moving up to the No. 3 spot Tuesday, Suzuki still hit between two lefties. Crow-Armstrong, who went 1-for-3 against the Nationals, barely trails Suzuki in RBI with 51.
More hot stuff
Busch tripled, singled, walked and homered in his first four plate appearances. Dating back to a pinch-hit at-bat Friday, he reached base in nine consecutive plate appearances, a streak that ended with a fly out in the ninth inning against the Nats.
“It’s always good swing decisions — you’re always going to get that from him,” Counsell said. “And that’s why it seems quiet sometimes, his production. But you see the last two days, and it’s right in the middle of everything.”
