Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell stands in the dugout before a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
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The Cubs were never a factor in the NL Central race after going 10-18 in May.
Milwaukee clinched its third division title in four years on Wednesday when the Cubs lost to Oakland. Now officially eliminated from the division race, former Brewers manager Craig Counsell was blunt when assessing the state of his new team.
“We’ve got to get better, man,” Counsell said before Thursday’s 7-6 victory over Washington. “The team we’re chasing is 10 games ahead of us; is 10 games better. We’ve got to get better.
“We should try to be building 90-win teams here. That’s playoff standard, that’s what you’ve got to get to to be safely in the playoffs, right?”
Not always. Arizona grabbed the final wild card and went to the World Series in 2023 with an 84-78 record, one game better than the Cubs.
Another way to look at it is six fewer blown saves and six more clutch hits would have won the division for the Cubs. So close, yet so far.
“I think the message sent really is look, there’s a big gap,” Counsell said. “They’re ahead of us by a lot. That’s a talented team, on and off the field. But there’s a big gap. We’ve got room to make up, there’s no question about it.
“Frankly, that makes it daunting. They’ve been good. They’ve created a gap the last two years in the division. We’ve got room to go, man. We’ve got work to do for sure.”
Chicago Cubs’ Dansby Swanson scores on a single from Cody Bellinger during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
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Counsell said he congratulated Brewers manager Pat Murphy, his former top assistant. The fact that Counsell”s old team won the division likely made little difference in Counsell’s mood.
What’s disappointing about this season from the Cubs’ perspective is they made few changes during the off-season besides hiring Counsell, and the moves they did make (Shota Imanaga, Michael Busch) worked out extremely well. Yet they’re going to finish with a similar record as last year.
Ultimately, the bullpen was the biggest downfall in both seasons. The Cubs have 25 blown saves, which is tied for sixth worst in MLB.
Many of the problems were out of Counsell’s control. Closer Adbert Alzolay got off to a terrible start, went on the injured list and never came back. Yency Almonte made his last appearance on May 7.
The Cubs announced reliever Julian Merryweather, one of the bullpen bright spots in 2023, will have surgery on his right knee Friday, ending his season. He appeared in just 15 games, compared to 69 last year. Those three injuries had the Cubs backed up to Plan D in the bullpen by early May.
“That happened. I think you have to have those plans in place,” Counsell said. “The leverage pieces get taken away quickly, that’s harder to address, there’s no question about it. It’s also a lesson in the importance of having solutions and plans to make sure you do your best to cover for it or keep the situation as usable and successful as possible.”
Of course, the Brewers had many of the same issues. Their best starting pitcher, Brandon Woodruff, missed the entire season. Closer Devin Williams made his season debut on July 28. Christian Yelich has been out since July 23 with a back injury.
Cubs hitters are slightly behind the Brewers in home runs and OPS. The Cubs have had better starting pitching, but Milwaukee’s biggest advantage is the bullpen. The Brew Crew ranks second with a 3.17 bullpen ERA, trailing only Cleveland.
The Brewers are fifth in MLB in batting average with runners in scoring position (.269); the Cubs are 21st (.247). The Brewers are 27-24 in 1-run games, while the Cubs are 21-28.
Seiya Suzuki hit a 2-run homer in the third inning against the Nationals. The Cubs took the lead with 2 runs in the seventh on an RBI single by Cody Bellinger, followed by a run-scoring ground out from Isaac Paredes.
Ian Happ and Dansby Swanson had 3 hits each, and Bellinger 3 RBI. Washington’s Darren Baker, son of former Cubs manager Dusty Baker, went 3-for-4 with a double in his Wrigley Field debut.