Soriano showed some power on Friday, ending his 1-24 skid with a home run and a double. It was his first extra base hit since July 8 and first home run since June 19.
Soriano told reports that his struggles have been wearing on him mentally. “I hope it (won’t) continue that way, because sometimes it’s very hard, the way we play, to keep your mind strong,” Soriano said. “Because that’s a difficult part of this game, mental.”
Quade told reporters that Soriano needs to go to the plate with a clear mind, “There’s a fine line between your thought process as a hitter and being up (at the plate) thinking,” “That’s the incredible thing about this game, when you struggle — and (Soriano) hadn’t had a very good month — sometimes your mind gets involved. And it needs to, to a certain extent, but if it gets in there too far, then that’s not good.
However, Soriano’s struggles have been going on for over a month. After an impressive April, in which Soriano hit 10 home runs, Soriano’s production has dropped. Since May 1, Soriano has just five home runs and a .385 slugging percentage(85 games). And to add to his power struggles, Soriano base stealing ability has fallen off the map. Soriano has just one stolen base this year while batting just .250.
The speed decline shows that the lower body injuries that Soriano has suffered here in Chicago are starting to take a toll on him. Quade said that giving Soriano a day off every now and then to keep him fresh.
Soriano still has three years left on his 8 year 136 million dollar contract. With the trade dealine approaching, rumors say that the Cubs are willing to eat much of Soriano’s contract. But unless he has one of his power surges this week, Soriano does not have much value across the league.
Cubs, Dempster take on Brewers tonight
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