Cubs fans blaming Craig Counsell for this early-season issue are missing the point

The Chicago Cubs were busy in the offseason and even went out to grab a new manager.

Their pick to take over for David Ross was none other than Craig Counsell, who had a ton of success with the Milwaukee Brewers.

However, fans are already a little bit frustrated with Counsell after the Cubs blew a late lead against the Arizona Diamondbacks and lost by a final score of 12-11.

While the Cubs managed to squander a great opportunity to pick up ground in the NL Central, not all of the blame should be placed on Counsell's shoulders. Much of the anger of Cubs fans is a bit misplaced.

Cubs pitching problem isn't solely on Craig Counsell

There are obviously other issues plaguing the Cubs.

While Counsell may have made a mistake or two, he doesn't deserve all the blame. A big problem for the Cubs is that they were not as active in the offseason as many thought they would be.

They managed to re-sign Cody Bellinger and sign Shota Imanaga, but the team is dealing with some pitching issues. These are issues that weren't necessarily addressed in the offseason.

Imanaga helps bolster the rotation, but they don't necessarily have an ace to lead the staff, and that's even with Justin Steele healthy. Steele is currently on the injured list thanks to a hamstring issue.

To be fair, the Cubs aren't off to a bad start. Though they sit in third place in the NL Central, they own a record of 10-7 and sit just one game back of the first-place Milwaukee Brewers, the team Counsell departed to join the Cubs.

But with all the issues plaguing the Cubs on the pitching side, it's hard to fully blame Counsell for what took place last night in Arizona. They had an 11-8 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning and were very close to securing a win. The bullpen ultimately gave it up, however.

This is a game that the Cubs should have been able to win, especially given the situation, and Counsell shouldn't be the one held solely responsible for what happened.