After coasting through the first two and a half months of the season, Kris Bryant has hit a rut.
Despite hitting his first career walk-off home run earlier this week that showed signs of a potential turnaround, the Cubs third baseman has been 0-for-7 since and owns a slash line of .184/.287/.402 in July.
[MORE: Jon Lester hoping front office gives Cubs a boost at trade deadline]
But it's nothing new to Bryant, and he intends to get out of it the same way he always has throughout his baseball career.
"I think it's just believing in yourself," Bryant said on Kap & Haugh on Wednesday. "I've been through struggles like this before, but not on this type of stage. It is a little different, but I like to focus on what I've been doing well and there's plenty of things I've been doing really great out there. Sure, I've been struggling a little bit lately, but I think it's just a combination of things.
"Once one guy on our team starts getting hot, I think hitting is contagious and everything follows after that. Some of that is bad luck mixed in, you can't really change that stuff, you've got to just keep going out there with the same attitude every day and trust in yourself."
[NBC SHOP: Buy a Kris Bryant jersey]
MLB
The major league grind, however, is new to the 23-year-old rookie. With more than two months left in the regular season and the Cubs very much in the thick of things in the NL postseason race, they'll need Bryant to be fresh — physically and mentally — down the stretch.
"My body feels fine, I think it's just more mentally," Bryant said. "Day in and day out, you really gotta stay focused. ... I think that's more of where the grind is at, and we're all getting through it together."
Check out Bryant's full comments on Kap & Haugh in the video above.