Cubs hope two days off can help outfielder Ian Happ reset after slow start

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After two days off to clear his head amid an early-season slump, Cubs outfielder Ian Happ homered on the second pitch he saw Thursday, a four-seam fastball.

It’s been a difficult season for Happ. The Cubs outfielder is slashing .220/.331/.320 entering Friday’s game against the Pirates. Injuries to hitters and a sluggish offense have only magnified Happ’s struggles.

“You use it essentially to give the player a break from having to perform,” manager Craig Counsell said. “You come to the park, and you’re struggling. There’s, ‘I’ve got to go and do it again for the guys.’ And just to give a break from that, I think is helpful. Watching a couple of games, it happens fast, but you do get a little perspective from it.”

Happ’s strikeout rate has jumped tremendously this season. He’s still performing well against fastballs (he has a .347 batting average against that pitch), but he’s struggled against off-speed pitches (.114) and breaking balls (.093). The Cubs are ninth in runs scored but need Happ's bat to heat up.

Morel’s plate improvements

Third baseman Christopher Morel has always flashed major-league power. He leads the Cubs in homers, but Morel has improved as an overall hitter. He’s more patient at the plate, knowing that while he can change a game with one swing, he’s being more selective in his at-bats.

“There's a lot of evidence that when you lower your strikeout rate and increase your walk rate that good things are happening,” Counsell said. “I think Christopher's having good at-bats. When you see the foul balls and that they go straight back and it’s a just-miss, I think those turn into good things."

Morel has cut his strikeout rate from 31.0% last season to 21.4% this season.

Injury updates

The Cubs continue to be bitten by the injury bug. On Friday, the club placed reliever Colten Brewer on the 15-day injured list with lower back tightness, the 16th player to land on the IL for the Cubs this season. Counsell said Brewer has been dealing with the injury since Wednesday vs. the Braves.

In a corresponding move, the club called up right-hander Porter Hodge from Triple-A Iowa.

“Porter is a young pitcher with a very good arm,” Counsell said. “It's a little fast for Porter, frankly, but it's a good arm and this is going to be a good experience.”

In 11 innings at Triple A, Porter has a 6.55 ERA, 18 strikeouts and 11 walks. He’s allowed eight runs in 10 appearances. He has good velocity on his fastball and a slider that can generate some swing-and-miss.

• Second baseman Nico Hoerner missed his fourth consecutive game on Friday with a left hamstring issue. As Hoerner went through his warmup exercise, Counsell said he still felt an issue with the hamstring. The club would like to avoid an IL stint, but with each missed day the possibility increases.

• Reliever Julian Merryweather continues to recover from his rib stress fracture after being placed on the IL on April 7. Counsell said Merryweather is “turning the corner a little bit and doing well,” but the club is hopeful the reliever plays catch on Monday and begins a throwing program soon after