Kyle Tucker battles a brutal slump as the Dodgers chase a 3rd straight title

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kyle Tucker is searching at the plate, looking for anything to escape an offensive slump that has made the four-time All-Star outfielder a liability in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ chase for a third consecutive World Series championship.

He took batting practice on the field Friday, ahead of going 0 for 4 with a walk in a 5-4 win in 10 innings over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Usually, Tucker hits in the indoor cage.

“Just feel a good swing, try and find something that I can repeat with good ball flight, whether it’s hit the other way or pulled,” he said. “Just try to do something like that and carry it over to the game.”

That didn’t happen Friday, but nevertheless fans cheered him as he came to the plate.

“I loved hearing the support. I know he felt it. That’s what fans should do,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s grinding, he cares as much as anyone. He’s got to take these oh-fers home, so it’s good that the fans understand that.”

Tucker’s average dropped to .230, with 11 home runs, 55 RBIs and an OPS of .689. His 92 strikeouts are close to surpassing his career high of 95, set with the Houston Astros in 2022.

“I loved his at-bats tonight and that’s one of the things I’m going to make sure I do is encourage him,” Roberts said. “I thought he really competed, I thought he controlled the strike zone with some aggression and intent. That was really a positive all night long.”

Tucker recently worked his way out of an 0-for-26 skid, going 3 for 9 with a double and an RBI in his last two games at Colorado. But over his previous 10 games, Tucker was batting a measly .108 with four hits, two RBIs and four runs.

Defensively, Tucker got booed at home last weekend after he lost a shallow fly ball in right field, resulting in a two-base error against Milwaukee. At Colorado, he dropped another shallow fly.

It’s all added up to a difficult debut with the Dodgers after he signed a $240 million, four-year deal in January, raising expectations that Tucker would add another big bat to go along with former MVPs Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts.

“Everyone here is super supportive of everything and everyone,” Tucker said before the game. “So, regardless of how I feel or whatever, I’ve got to go out and play and perform.”

The soft-spoken, low-key Tucker paused a beat when considering the mental toll his slump is exacting.

“It’s been a struggle in the sense that I’d like to help our team win and perform better for the guys in the clubhouse and the fans that come to the games,” he said. “In that aspect, I wish I would’ve done better this year.”

Roberts can’t put his finger on specifics, but he feels Tucker has turned a corner.

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“Mentally and emotionally, I think that he’s freed up,” Roberts said before the game. “We’re in a fight and I think that he understands that there’s no other alternative but to keep going forward. I don’t know how to articulate it, but I just feel good about some of the things I’ve seen.”

With 1 1/2 months to go, the Dodgers (78-51) are battling the Brewers (80-49) for the best record in the National League.

“It’s not over yet,” Tucker said. “Just got to keep grinding every single day and just keep moving forward and just try to get better every single day. Just looking forward to finishing out the year strong.”

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