Slumping Cub Jason Heyward Maintains His Confidence

By Chris Emma--

CHICAGO (CBS) -- With the crack of the bat, a frozen liner came in toward Jason Heyward and a pivotal moment in the eighth inning unfolded. The Padres had the bases loaded with two outs, and Heyward needed to rob Derek Norris. He got a quick first step and dove in with his glove outstretched.

Heyward came through with that kind of outstanding play he makes so routine, playing that silky smooth right field. After saving multiple runs, he came up in the bottom of that eighth inning with two runners on and nobody out, with the Cubs trailing 7-4. He worked a 2-2 count before chasing a fastball high for strike three.

Boo birds were heard in Wrigley as Heyward stomped back to the dugout during that lost juncture of the Cubs' 7-4 loss to the Padres in the afternoon opener of Wednesday's doubleheader. One fan behind the Cubs dugout wished him back to St. Louis. Heyward had a chance to finally break through with the bat and came up empty once again.

"He will," Cubs manager Maddon said of Heyward. "I have no doubt that he will. It's just a matter of time. He's gone through this before. His work is impeccable, he's really good. It'll catch up."

So continued the rough start at the plate for Heyward this season, but the silver lining is that this is nothing new. Heyward enters Wednesday's nightcap hitting .212 with a .572 OPS on the season. In his career, Heyward's hitting .225 before May 1, and he's followed with a .241 career average in May.

The 26-year-old Heyward has a career average of .281 in June, .279 in July and .301 in August.

"It happens," Heyward said of his slump. "I've been a slow starter. I've done that before, then bounced back, you look back and nobody's thinking about April or May."

The Cubs are well aware of Heyward's history with slow starts. They've handled it just fine, going 25-7 through 32 games. For Heyward, the slump comes with the peace of mind that his team is playing terrific baseball without his bat.

Inside that Cubs clubhouse, there's a confidence that Heyward's bat will come around.

"He's handled it before," Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks said. "He know where he's at, he knows what he's got to work on, what's feeling right, what's feeling wrong. It's just a matter of time until he gets back into it."

Added Maddon: "I feel really good about him. I think he's going to turn around very soon."

Heyward made no excuses for his struggles at the plate, saying his wrist that was hurting last week felt fine and that there's no pressing that would come with signing a $184-million deal last December with the Cubs. Count this as just another slow start for Heyward.

Of course, Heyward's game entails much more than just the bat. He's a five-tool player who boasts speed, an arm and a Gold Glove, in addition to his ability to hit for average and power. Despite his struggles at the dish, Heyward is still a 0.3 WAR worth 4.0 defensive win shares. His speed, athleticism and natural fielding abilities never slump.

Heyward has done his part defensively to help the Cubs to this historic start. He's confident that bat will soon follow.

"Once I get my timing back, it's going to be great," he said. "Everything's going to be good."

Chris Emma covers the Chicago sports scene and more for CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 and like his Facebook page.