Kyle Tucker’s failed at-bats will haunt Cubs fans after NLDS heartbreak

Kyle Tucker had a solo home run in the Chicago Cubs' Game 4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday, and it was a reminder that if Tucker got hot, returning to the level of production he had during the opening months of the regular season, the Cubs' offense would be in a good spot. Unfortunately, Tucker's slump defined the Cubs' struggles as a whole during the final two months of the season, and that will be the lasting image after the Cubs' loss to the Brewers in Game 5 on Saturday night.

The defining moment of the game was the sixth inning when the Cubs had their best scoring opportunity of the game, runners on first and second with no outs. At the time, the Cubs were trailing the Brewers 2-1, and it was quite literally the moment that had been the reason the Cubs made the trade for Tucker last offseason. Tucker was no stranger to the playoffs during his time with the Astros, and his bat could prove to be a difference. Instead, as was the case too many times during the final months of the regular season, Tucker struck out in an at-bat where he never seemed comfortable.

Kyle Tucker had a shot to save the Cubs and struck out in the NLDS

Baseball is often the game of second chances, and in the eighth inning of the game, Tucker stepped to the plate as the tying run. Busch was on first base, and it was a chance for Tucker to play hero. Instead, true to his second-half form, he grounded out to the right side of the infield.

If there was any doubt before the game, there isn't anymore. The Cubs lost the Tucker trade. Playoff games are not won in April and May; they are one in October. When the Cubs needed Tucker the most, he completely disappeared, and that has mostly been the case since July 1.

The Cubs now begin an offseason where it seems clear that Tucker will be playing elsewhere, and Jed Hoyer will once again be faced with the question of how the North Siders can take back the National League Central. As long as Hoyer is one trying to answer that question, it may be a moot point.