Jack Suwinski has a habit of hitting home runs in bunches, and the Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder credits his success to a simplified swing philosophy: Less is more.

“When I’m feeling good and able to see the ball and be quiet in the box and do what I’m trying to do,” Suwinski said on the AT&T SportsNet postgame show Tuesday night, “I think I’m able to do less and execute a little bit better.”

Suwinski smacked a pair of solo shots in an 11-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs for his fourth multi-homer game of the season. All four were on the road: He homered twice April 18 at Colorado, May 26 at Seattle and May 29 at San Francisco.

There was something special about doing it at Wrigley Field, given that Suwinski is a Chicago native and William H. Taft High School graduate. He drove Jameson Taillon’s 1-1 fastball 418 feet to center in the first inning for a 1-0 lead, then crushed a first-pitch curveball 425 feet and over the scoreboard in right field to tie it at 3-3 in the sixth.

A pair of hometown blasts tonight for Jack Suwinski. pic.twitter.com/VVdVhCScqo

— MLB (@MLB) June 14, 2023

“He likes hitting in this ballpark, evidently,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said of Suwinski, who also drew two walks. “Really good swings. The first-inning homer got us on the board. His second at-bat was a really good at-bat with the walk. His third at-bat, he got a breaking ball and hit it hard. Really good at-bats by Jack.”

Suwinski has homered four times in the past four games to lead the Pirates with 15 homers — four shy of his rookie total — and is second on the team with 35 RBIs in 56 games. He ranks fifth in the National League with a .557 slugging percentage and eighth in MLB with a .924 OPS, thanks to a a .367 on-base percentage.

“I don’t personally try to keep up with numbers just because it can be a slippery slope,” Suwinski said. “I just try to focus on what I can control and do the best I can, really.”

Where Suwinski’s 31.4% strikeout rate remains a concern, he has made dramatic improvement in drawing walks at a 15.2% rate. That ranks in baseball’s 94th percentile, per Statcast, and seventh in the NL.

Suwinski credited his two homers as much to his preparation as shortening his swing, saying he is learning more about himself while working on his plate approach with the hitting coaches and Pirates mental performance coordinator Andy Bass.

“The guys have been helping me with the approach and mindset, and I’ve really been getting after it so I’m just locking that in,” Suwinski said. “I’d say just staying pretty consistent with the routine, with the approach and with the mental preparation. That’s as big part of it, as well, as much as the physical. I want to be ready mentally because that’s a big part of the battle.”

Although Suwinski’s splits decidedly favor his hitting against right-handed pitchers — against whom he has slashed .271/.392/.659 with all 15 homers and 31 of his 35 RBIs — Shelton has shown faith in Suwinski by playing him more frequently against lefties.

“He is growing into the role,” Shelton said. “He’s learning and continues to get better.”

Suwinski has room for improvement against left-handers, as evidenced by his .200/.288/.267 slash line this season. After he homered twice against the Giants in a 14-4 loss on May 29, Suwinski faced three lefties in going 1 for 4 with three strikeouts the following day. With the Cubs starting Drew Smyly on Wednesday, Suwinski faces another challenge.

“Playing more, you definitely gain more confidence through more reps,” Suwinski said. “Just being out there and facing more guys, I’m getting that under my belt, and that makes me feel better.”

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