Players appreciate manager Craig Counsell’s ability to remain even-keeled. He has a big-picture approach that is needed throughout a 162-game season. He’s not a sentimental manager, but he’s learned his style and makes it work for him.
The Cubs (28-30), in particular, need that mindset amid a skid. The team has lost five straight series and are two games below .500.
After scoring the sixth-most runs in the majors last season, the offense has taken a huge step back. According to that offensive wins above replacement (7.5), outfielder Mike Tauchman has been the Cubs’ best hitter this season. In close losses to the Brewers on Thursday and the Reds on Friday, the offense showed signs of life in later innings.
“It’s obviously a great trait, just a team that never quits no matter what the situation is,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said. It’s just one of those things we’re trying to figure out how to bottle that up for the first part of the games.”
But the bedrock of the team was supposed to be pitching and defense, and both were subpar. Entering Saturday’s game, the Cubs are 26th in defensive runs saved and outs above average. Last season, the club finished ninth and eighth in those categories, respectively. Lapses in the field have happened more frequently. Only six teams have committed more errors than the Cubs to this point.
With a team built around groundball pitchers, the defensive slippage is concerning. But despite the turbulence, Counsell and his team remain upbeat about this group’s ability to turn it around.
“This game has so many results, and the results continue to come at you,” Counsell said. “It just requires you to know, and we have so many decisions to make, so it requires you to kind of put yourself in the most objective space you can put yourself in. That’s just what’s worked for me.”
What’s troubled this team more than anything is the fact their best players are struggling. The Cubs have three players above zero in defensive wins above replacement still on the roster (center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, Swanson and catcher Miguel Amaya).
Until recently, left fielder Ian Happ was on a cold stretch, third baseman Christopher Morel hasn’t had the breakout season many anticipated despite promising underlying numbers and right fielder Seiya Suzuki has yet to show that he can replicate his torrid stretch to end last season.
The team found ways to scrounge wins earlier in the season despite not playing their best baseball. But now, the bad habits have seemingly caught up to them. After a disappointing 10-18 May record, the Cubs hope June can bring about change.
“There’s months in seasons where this happens,” Swanson of the team’s slump. “At the end of the day, all you can do is respond to it. We have a great opportunity Saturday, going into a new month to be able to do that.”
Swanson said the team has had conversations with each other about how to stop the skid. The team seems unified in this group having the ability to dig themselves out of the minor hole they’ve put themselves into.
“Everyone here is here for a reason,” Swanson said. “Everyone here has a specific trait or traits that will help us win ballgames, and it’s just a matter of each person doing that. We got a lot of belief in one another, top to bottom, whether it’s starters, bullpen, guys that are playing every day.”
But for the team to start stringing together wins, they need to figure out how to put together complete performances.