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 the team's series opener against 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.”

Tucker was batting .232 going into Friday, with 11 home runs, 55 RBI and an OPS of .694. His 92 strikeouts are close to surpassing his career-high of 95, set with the Houston Astros in 2022.

He 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 last 10 games, Tucker is batting a measly .108 with four hits, two RBIs and four runs scored.

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. “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.”

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

“Mentally and emotionally, I think that he’s freed up,” Roberts said. “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 (77-51) are battling the Brewers (80-49) for the best record in the National League.

“It's not over yet,” Tucker said. "Just gotta 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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