Willson Contreras calls out Cubs with bold postgame comments

Willson Contreras is fed up as the Chicago Cubs drop another game in what’s becoming a lost season

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras has had enough.

The floundering Cubs, disjointed and distracted, are quickly falling out of the playoff picture in the National League after losing 6-0 to the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday. Starting pitcher Kyle Davies lasted just 4.1 innings; the bullpen gave up three earned runs in a five-run Cardinals outburst in the fifth inning.

It seemed to Contreras, who went 1-4 with three strikeouts from the leadoff spot, that the entire team besides himself and shortstop Javier Baez would’ve rather been anywhere else. “I can’t ask everyone to play like I do, or like Baez and I play,” he said, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.

“There’s a lot of things I’d like to say but I’d rather keep it to myself.”

Cubs have gone from no hits to no hope

What a difference a few short weeks can make. It was just 16 days ago that the Cubs were soaring and full of confidence after holding the Dodgers hitless. Since that combined no-hitter, though, the bottom has fallen out of the club. They’ve lost 13 of their last 15 games since June 24 and are averaging just 3.5 runs per game (27th in the league) and batting .231 as a team (25th).

Following that no-hitter at Dodger Stadium, the Cubs were nine games above .500 and tied for the NL Central lead. Now they are two games below .500 and 8.5 behind the Milwaukee Brewers. They followed that performance by losing their next 11 games, the club’s worst losing streak since 2012.

The bullpen continues to be a sore point. Saturday was the sixth time in their last 15 games the Cubs starter failed to last past the fifth inning, putting an additional strain on an already-depleted bullpen. Closer Craig Kimbrel has pitched just twice since the no-hitter and doesn’t have a save since June 20. Ryan Tepera only returned from the IL on Friday. The rest of the bullpen has a 7.51 ERA since the no-hitter, the worst in the league. Relievers Adam Morgan and Dan Winkler allowed four runs to score on Saturday after Davies was removed with one out in the fifth.

The Cubs are now in a position they never expected to be with the trading deadline approaching: sellers. Kris Bryant is on the market. So is Kimbrel. The pressure of knowing they could soon be leaving the North Side is weighing on the Cubs and is serving as a distraction at the worst possible time.

Contreras gave voice to the frustrations permeating throughout the Cubs clubhouse right now. It’s not a good time to be a Chicago Cub. Several of them might not be around much longer.