Chicago Cubs: Addison Russell coming alive in month of June

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Apr 15, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell hits an RBI triple during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports /

Home hitting hard to come by

You’re supposed to play well in your home ballpark.

It’s an unwritten law of baseball – really, sports in general. Unfortunately for Russell, the 2017 season has been anything but kind to Addison Russell on the North Side of Chicago. And not just in a single month, either.

He’s been downright awful at Wrigley Field.

Comparing his home-road splits, Russell’s OBP has a nearly-110 point split this year. At Wrigley, his .174/.244/.349 slash-line pales in comparison to his above-average .283/.352/.460 line away from Chicago. For those of you doing the math at home, that comes out to a 220-point difference in OPS.

Last year, it was just the opposite. Russell played his best ball at home, driving in 51 of his 95 runs at Wrigley. He opened the home slate with a clutch eighth-inning home run that still lives in the memories of Cubs’ fans.

He’s had his clutch moments this year, too. But it’s clear he’s not playing at a high level at Wrigley Field. One can only hope he turns it on like he did in the second-half last year, when he drove in 45 runs over a two-month stretch.

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