When Brewers lefty Brent Suter toes the rubber against the Cubs later today, he’ll face a starting lineup without Kyle Schwarber – Schwarber still has some issues to work out against southpaws (though he is walking nearly 18% of the time against them this season), and the Cubs will always look to optimize match-ups and give rest, where possible.
Not a bad bat to have available off the bench, though, eh?
Indeed, for the year, Schwarber is hitting a brilliant .286/.398/.629 (177 wRC+) with seven home runs (T-9th most in baseball), the latest of which gave the Cubs the only run they would need to beat the Brewers at Wrigley Field on Thursday night:
Been sluggin’ all my life. pic.twitter.com/CONyseRLgr
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 27, 2018
According to Statcast, that ball left the bat at 109 MPH and traveled 397 feet to right. As you can see with your eyes, that ball also got out in a hurry, which is thanks, in part, to just a 19-degree launch angle. And if you hear Schwarber explain it, that’s all part of the plan: “I stopped trying to lift as much and be more direct to the ball, and find the barrel more often,” said Schwarber, via the Chicago Tribune. “If it’s inside, outside — it’s all trying to be more direct to the ball. I think that was a positive side there.”