Bregman’s surge still leaves Cubs craving more

Alex Bregman’s nine-game hitting streak has cooled his slump—at least at the plate—but the Cubs still want more power production. In Saturday’s loss, a potential home run was wiped out on review, and his season-long home run numbers remain among the lowest poi

ST. LOUIS — Alex Bregman is getting hits, even if the power still hasn’t caught up.

Saturday night, the Cubs waited through another long look at whether his bat had finally fully turned. Bregman came into the game on a nine-game hitting streak, batting .316 during that stretch (12-for-38). He had also reached base safely in 14 of his last 16 games.

But the home run numbers have been stubbornly small. In Bregman’s last 54 games. he had hit just two home runs. and the club noted those two came in the same way—matching the two he hit against the Nationals on March 29. With two days left in May, he had fewer home runs than at any other point in his career.

By the end of May, the home run totals through past seasons looked like this:

2017: 6
2018: 5
2019: 17
2020: 6
2021: 6
2022: 6
2023: 7
2024: 7
2025: 11

And for 2026, through May 29, Bregman had 4 home runs.

In the game itself, there was a brief moment that felt like it might break the spell. Bregman narrowly missed a home run leading off the second inning Saturday. with a high fly that hugged the left-field foul line before disappearing into the seats. The umpires initially ruled it foul, but Bregman circled the bases anyway. After a review, the original call stood and the blast remained a foul.

He followed with a flare single to right, extending his hitting streak to 10 games.

Even with the streak, the Cubs have been watching the middle of the order for more punch. Manager Craig Counsell moved Bregman into the cleanup spot last Sunday. Yet in six games in the 4-slot. Bregman has not driven in a run and has produced just six RBI this month. Overall, he has 17 RBI, ranking eighth on the Cubs. His four home runs are tied for seventh with Michael Conforto. who has only 76 at-bats. and with Nico Hoerner. who is not typically a home-run hitter.

The lack of production has played out alongside Seiya Suzuki’s slump in May. Suzuki has two home runs 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.

Kyle Tucker, the bat the Cubs replaced with Bregman when Tucker signed as a free agent with the Dodgers, is dealing with his own early season drag. Tucker came into the game Saturday without a home run in his last 20 games and has just four this season. He ranks ninth on the Dodgers in home runs.

Happ, there and everywhere

The Cubs weren’t shut down across the board. Left fielder Ian Happ, who grew up in nearby Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, ended a prolonged slump by delivering power at home with two home runs and seven RBI in his last two games.

Happ’s .306 average in PNC Park is his highest in any opposition ballpark where he has had at least 75 at-bats. He added another home run in Friday’s 6-5 loss—a three-run shot—and also hit a double.

After a stretch that included 16 strikeouts in 30 at-bats, Happ is seven for his last 12 with three home runs and 10 RBI. His three-run home run was his second of the season, the first coming on March 28.

This month, that three-run shot was part of a larger issue for the Cubs’ overall power output. Suzuki hit one on May 4, and Conforto hit one on May 17—leaving Happ’s homer as one of the few meaningful extra-base hits.

The Cubs are 8-2 in games in which they hit a three-run home run.

Walkmen

When the Cubs weren’t driving the ball, they were at least working counts. In Friday’s 6-5 loss, they drew only one walk, after drawing 13 total walks in the previous two games.

The last 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. For the season, the Cubs lead the majors with 262 walks and have a major league-leading walk rate of 11.5%.

For all the encouraging signs in Bregman’s streak, the Cubs’ bigger question remains the same: can they get the extra-base production they’re expecting from a middle-of-the-order bat—consistently enough to change the outcome of games?

Alex Bregman Chicago Cubs Craig Counsell Seiya Suzuki Ian Happ Kyle Tucker MLB home runs Cubs walk rate