Russell hitting ball harder this season

CINCINNATI -- Addison Russell says he isn't obsessed with statistics. But he was OK with this one.
According to Statcast™, Russell was leading all Major League players with 26 batted balls with an exit velocity of 95 mph or more through Wednesday and was leading the Cubs with an average exit velocity of 92 mph per batted ball.
"I feel pretty good about that number," Russell said Friday prior to his team's game against Cincinnati at Great American Ball Park. "That kind of exit velocity shows you're doing your job -- hitting the ball."
The 23-year-old came into the weekend series hitting .254/.290/.475 with five doubles, a triple, and two home runs. His 12 RBIs were leading the club. Russell's three-run walk-off home run Wednesday lifted Chicago to a 7-4 victory over Milwaukee.

According to Statcast™, Russell is hitting the ball significantly harder this season than during his first two years in the big leagues. In 2015-16, his exit velocity was 87.4 mph, ranking him No. 12 among the 15 Cubs players with at least 150 batted balls in that span. His home run total, however, jumped from 13 in 2015 to 21 last year and his slugging percentage rose from .389 to .417.
"I feel like, my whole career, I've made pretty decent barrel contact with the ball," Russell said. "I can make adjustments in my mechanics if I need to [generate power]. I know what I'm doing when I'm up there at the plate."
Noteworthy
• The Cubs are expected to activate infielder Tommy La Stella from the bereavement list Saturday and option him to Triple-A Iowa. Doing so would allow Chicago to retain its current eight-man bullpen.
"We've been playing nothing but close games so it's probably the best way to go right now," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.
• Kyle Schwarber, who grew up in nearby Middletown, Ohio, said he obtained nine tickets for friends and family members for Friday's game. "I have a big family," Schwarber said. "They understand it would be hard to get 50."
• Chicago kicked off a nine-game, 10-day road trip Friday after being at home April 10-20, including ceremonies to present players and front-office personnel with their World Series rings.
"The homestand was wonderful, but it was chock full of emotional events," Maddon said. "It's not a bad thing to get away right now and get into a routine."