Ian

Happ

Happ took Brandon Pfaadt deep for a three-run shot to give the Cubs a 3-0 lead and ultimately a win. It’s the 23rd homer of the season for Happ, and he’s driven in 61 runs. Of those 23 homers, 19 of them have come against right-handed pitching, and one can’t help but wonder how much better his slash would look if he didn’t have to face southpaws.

Happ was one of two Cubs to drive in five runs — joining Pedro Ramírez — in a 19-2 shellacking of the Mariners. He hit one of two grand salamis — the other also by Ramírez — on the day, with his coming in the third inning off Bryce Miller. Happ has now plated 57 runners, and he’s up to 22 homers. Those numbers aren’t without their charm, but that .218 average leaves a lot to be desired.

Happ’s homer was a two-run shot in the sixth, one of 18 hits Chicago recorded in Kansas City. He’s also gone deep in back-to-back games. Happ now has 20 homers for the fourth consecutive season, and he has a real shot at a career high. He’s maxed out at 25 in both 2021 and 2024.

Happ’s home run was his 17th of the year. He hit a three-run home run off Chad Patrick in the top of the sixth inning. Happ was moved down to seventh in the order with a left-handed starter pitching for the Brewers, but was able to come through with a big hit against a right-handed reliever. He’s hitting .227 with an .800 OPS and 41 RBI.

That’s still better than being on the bench, as he was against a lefty on Wednesday. He’d previously hit sixth twice against lefties, but this is the lowest in the order he’s been this year. The switch-hitting Happ is batting just .172/.234/.345 against southpaws this season. He’s at .250/.377/.505 against right-handers.

The Cubs were down 6-1 when Happ homered in the seventh, and his double came in the middle of the game-winning four-run rally in the ninth. Happ has four homers, five doubles and 13 RBI in his last eight games.

Happ has seven hits, three homers and 10 RBI in his last three games, so it seems safe to declare his slump over. Given that Happ has 13 homers through 54 games this year, it seems like a good bet that he’ll eclipse his career high of 25. He had that many in both 2021 and ’24. He also hit 24 in 115 games as a rookie in 2017 and 23 last year.

Happ transformed a 3-2 lead into a 5-2 advantage as he ambushed a first-pitch fastball from Brandon Bidois for a 403-foot (103.7 mph EV) two-run shot in the eighth inning. Happ also singled twice in the ballgame. With his three-hit effort, he’s now hitting .225/.351/.455 to go along with 12 homers, 28 RBI and a pair of stolen bases on the year.

Happ got the Cubs going in this one with a two-run single in the first inning that instantly put Pirates’ starter Bubba Chandler on the ropes. Then, his three-run homer in the seventh gave them a lead and set up what turned into a six-run inning. This was the most RBI that Happ has had in a single game since July 4th, 2024 and brought his season total from 21 to 26 in one fell swoop. That’s the kind of heroics the Cubs needed to finally break their 10-game losing streak.

Happ was given a mental break in being held out Saturday and Sunday. Besides the walk, his three at-bats today produced an infield pop, a weak grounder and a strikeout, dropping his average to .211. Of course, he’s far from the only Cub floundering during the team’s current nine-game skid.