\u201cHe\u2019s going to still have right-handed at-bats, that\u2019s for sure, so he\u2019s going to continue to work on it and try to get there with it,\u201d Counsell said Saturday. \u201cBut right now there\u2019s going to be some places where he\u2019s, especially against left-handed starters, that will probably go the other direction in the first part of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Cubs](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-L-CUBS-HAPP_7f358f.jpg\")
Cubs left fielder Ian Happ throws his batting gloves after striking out against White Sox on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, at Wrigley Field. (Eileen T. Meslar\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
Lately, Happ\u2019s only at-bats versus left-handers have come in the middle-to-late innings when a lefty reliever is in the game. He\u2019s hitting just .229 with a .292 on-base percentage, .521 OPS and 34.8% strikeout rate in 132 plate appearances from the right side this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been tough,\u201d Happ told the Tribune on Saturday. \u201cLast year I didn\u2019t get the results, but the expecteds were really, really good, and so that gave me some peace that I was doing the right things. I had some good at-bats early in the year right-handed and then it\u2019s been tough. Whether it\u2019s guys executing their pitches, it\u2019s been a lot more of not doing damage on pitches that I know I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since the Cubs acquired Taylor at the trade deadline and Alc\u00e1ntara was recalled from Triple A, Counsell has been opting for either of those right-handed bats rather than putting Happ in the lineup on days they face a left-handed starter. That obviously limits Happ\u2019s opportunities to get right in-game versus lefties.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m still working on stuff, but when you get the limited at-bats and when you do get the opportunity and it doesn\u2019t work out, you might have to wait,\u201d Happ said. \u201cI haven\u2019t had a right-handed at-bat for a week and you do it again and if that doesn\u2019t work then try something else. It\u2019s a challenge of being a switch-hitter. The at-bats aren\u2019t really consistent from the right side, so you\u2019re trying to make tweaks on the fly, but you\u2019re not really getting the reps to understand if it\u2019s working or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Happ, a free agent after the season, has gotten right-handed at-bats this year, opposing left-handers are giving him a heavy dose of offspeed stuff. That largely has been the byproduct of Happ struggling against those pitch types while putting up better slug (.300 wOBA and .368 slugging percentage) when he sees fastballs.<\/p>\n
Coming into Saturday, Happ from the right side owns a .072 wOBA and 54% whiff rate versus changeups, a .239 wOBA and 58.8% whiff rate off curveballs and a .239 wOBA and 36.6% whiff rate against sliders. He knows lefties want to force-feed him offspeed early in the count and potentially try to finish him off with a fastball.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re doing a good job about being disciplined on offspeed early but then you\u2019re down 0-1, 0-2, then it gets really tough,\u201d Happ said. \u201cThat\u2019s the challenging part of just continuing to make adjustments. I hit fastballs really well last year, so of course they\u2019re going to throw me more offspeed pitches and when you don\u2019t capitalize on the fastballs you get in the zone, you feel like you\u2019re playing catch-up.\u201d<\/p>\n
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