Cubs' offense is rolling but one key bat losing power may eventually be a glaring red flag

The Chicago Cubs' offense has found its first wind. The lineup has powered the team to a six-game win streak, finally providing some timely hitting with runners on base. Within that, they had a stretch of three games with at least 10 runs scored and have averaged 7.5 per game during this streak.

Perhaps not so coincidentally, the start of this offensive onslaught aligns perfectly with the return of Seiya Suzuki from the injured list. Since making his season debut on April 10, the Cubs are 7-3.

Here's the thing, though: Suzuki himself hasn't been a catalyst in the middle of the lineup. He's doing fine, providing the team with a 94 wRC+ and a .372 on-base percentage. But his slugging numbers are way down (.257 SLG, .029 ISO), and he's mustered just one extra-base hit (a double) in 43 plate appearances since returning.

Thanks to the rest of the team's regulars slugging their way to victory, this hasn't been a huge issue to this point. However, if the Cubs are going to live up to expectations in 2026, they'll need their 32-homer man from a year ago to rediscover his power stroke.

Cubs need a return to form from Seiya Suzuki

There are a few reasons behind Suzuki's power outage, but the most obvious is also the most important: he's not pulling the ball in the air. He's done so just once through his first nine games of the campaign, as both his opposite-field contact and groundball rates have spiked since last season.

Suzuki missed about a month of action after suffering a knee injury in the World Baseball Classic, so it's not terribly surprising to see that he's still getting his timing back on track. When he starts getting out in front again, the extra-base hits should come in spades.

Getting him to round into form is especially salient right now, seeing as the team's other 30-homer sluggers from a year ago -- Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong -- look like shells of their former selves. Busch (.195 slugging percentage) has been one of the worst qualified hitters in the sport this year, while PCA (.083 ISO) has only managed to hit one home run through April 20.

The Cubs are deep, and the fact that they've been winning without heavy-hitting contributions from their usual stars is a promising sign for their postseason aspirations. But until and unless Suzuki, Busch, and Crow-Armstrong get back to their usual ways of fence clearing, slumps like the one the lineup suffered earlier this year will be par for the course.

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