The Chicago Cubs fell eight games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central with Monday's 4-3 loss. Matthew Boyd held Milwaukee in check with one run through seven innings, but the Cubs brought him back out for the eighth — and the wheels came off.
Boyd gave up a leadoff walk and a double before Chicago brought in Ryan Zeferjahn. He promptly gave up an RBI single, another walk, and was yanked after recording a strikeout against his third batter faced. Jacob Webb recorded the inning's final two outs, but not before coughing up a walk and a sac fly. As Chicago's pitching staff went through not-uncommon turbulence, the fanbase directed its ire at manager Craig Counsell.
Cubs fans are left wondering if Craig Counsell is built for October
It's not exactly uncommon for Craig Counsell to come under fire, but the intensity of scorn certainly ramps up whenever Chicago fumbles a game against Milwaukee. The Cubs paid Counsell what was, at the time, a record contract to leave the Brewers for their division rivals. Since then, his former bench coach Pat Murphy has played him like a fiddle on several occasions.
It's hard to really blame the managers in baseball, a sport where roster construction and individual performances matter more than any sort of schematic wizardry. That said, it's incumbent upon the manager to, well, manage his pitching staff. To know when to pull the plug on his starter and which relievers to call upon in a given situation.
Boyd, to his credit, pitched seven brilliant innings on Monday. But in a tight game against your foremost rival, and with postseason positioning on the line, the Cubs ought to have known when to quit while ahead. Or more specifically, when to yank Boyd before the inevitable blow-up.
Yes, Matthew Boyd was an All-Star last season, and yes, there's a good chance he's a premium starter for the Cubs in October. That is more a factor of the hand Counsell was dealt, however, than anything to do with Boyd. His ERA improved to 4.03 on the season Monday afternoon, with a 1.22 WHIP and 86 strikeouts in 109.1 innings. The metrics under the hood aren't much better; Boyd is really a frontline starter by reputation only, if that reputation survived last year's postseason meltdown against (*checks notes*) Milwaukee.
This is not all on Craig Counsell, of course
While it's all fun and games blaming the manager — and Counsell is not undeserving, clearly — it's hard not to direct the majority of the blame for Chicago's shortcomings at the front office. Jed Hoyer made some real moves last winter, paying up for Alex Bregman chief among them. But not every move has panned out.
For example, he made a bold trade for Edward Cabrera. What felt like a smart investment at the time has soured, at least for this season. Cabrera has spent copious time on the IL and struggled mightily when available. The Cubs' rotation, in general, was left threadbare and unconvincing. Running it back with Boyd and Shōta Imanaga as your top dogs was never going to work.
Even Chicago's deadline maneuvers feel slightly underwhelming in hindsight. Clay Holmes has shoved, but is he really a front-line starter in the playoffs? Kevin Gausman, a more experienced top-of-rotation arm, simply is no longer in his prime. It's still hard to trust this Cubs staff, while better arms (Tarik Skubal, José Soriano, etc.) were readily available to the highest bidder.
Plus, Chicago's bullpen is a disaster waiting to happen. With Daniel Palencia regressing, the Cubs don't really have a dependable closer. Ryan Zeferjahn was a smart long-term swing at the deadline, but he's far too inconsistent with his command to hold up in high-leverage spots consistently. The Cubs can match hit for hit with any team, but their pitching staff pales in comparison to other World Series hopefuls.
That clearly proved true on Monday, and it's something Chicago will need to overcome in October. Staring down the barrel of a Wild Card matchup with the Philadelphia Phillies (who took a half-game lead in the race for home-field advantage on Monday), the Cubs are probably looking at the gauntlet of Jesús Luzardo, Cristopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler with some apprehension.
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