Astros 3, Cubs 0: Criticizes Craig Counsell’s batting selection

So let me be clear. After Friday’s loss to the Astros, Cubs manager Craig Counsell said:

So what can we get as “something different”?

Pete Crowe-Armstrong led the way, Nico Horner batted clean and Ian Happ was given the day off. that’s it.

In my opinion, it’s not a “look” difference.

The Cubs have added two top prospects to their 26-man roster in the past two days, Pedro Ramirez and Kevin Alcantara. Let’s get started, Craig. In other words, how bad was that More than the pathetic three-hit offense the Cubs threw down the field in Saturday’s miserable 3-0 loss to the Astros?

Both players came up to bat as pinch hitters and both were out, with Alcantara playing several innings in left field. A big fuss.

I mean, it was stupid (and the Rays lost the game 8-1), but my point is, anything to get them to have a little fun on the field. It certainly looks like you don’t have anything.

Oh, and the Cubs solved their RISP problem by not having a single at-bat with a runner in scoring position in this game. The only time a Cubs runner got past first base was when Dansby Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong singled with two outs in the third inning. Alex Bregman was at bat when PCA tried to steal a base to end the inning and was out. [VIDEO].

The Cubs’ only hit was a two-out single by Bregman in the ninth inning.

I’ve said many times that there’s too much lineup building, and I stand by that, but in this situation, Counsel literally said he wanted to try “something different.” Let’s try something different! This wasn’t “different.” This was the proverbial “Titanic deckchair” move.

Colin Ray deserved more recognition. He made two mistakes, both of which were put in the bleachers by Christian Walker, who hit a two-run homer in the first and a solo shot in the fourth. Ray pitched seven innings and had four strikeouts. He threw 98 pitches (56 strikes) [VIDEO].

The four K’s of Rea are: [VIDEO].

Here are some notes from BCB’s JohnW53 about Rhea’s outing:

This season, before Collin Ray, Shota Imanaga was the only Cubs pitcher to pitch at least seven innings and give up three earned runs or less, and he has done so three times, pitching 7.0 innings each. They conceded 1 goal and 2 goals.

Trent Thornton and Ryan Rolison both pitched scoreless innings as relievers. That’s fine.

The other thing I can show you here is a good PCA defense. This is his third great sliding grab. [VIDEO].

Here he jumped into the vine for the sixth time and grabbed it. [VIDEO].

PCA seems to have the only cub-related mission in the series that generates any kind of aggression. In two games against the Astros, he went 2-for-6 with one home run, two walks, and some great defense.

Speaking of great defense, there’s Hoerner’s amazing behind-the-back flip. [VIDEO].

In other words, the Cubs still played solid defense and pitched well in this game. The aggression just completely disappeared.

Further notes from John regarding this loss:

The Cubs have scored seven points in their last five games.

He scored 5 goals in 5 games from May 9th to 14th. This is the only period in which he has scored fewer than seven points in five games since April 28, 2022 to May 3, 2022, when he scored six points. Since then, they have played 677 games.
……
The Cubs have scored four runs in the past 40 innings and seven runs in the past 45 innings.

Therefore, Craig Counsell says: When you talk about doing “something different,” make sure you actually do it. Personally, I would like to see both Ramirez and Alcantara in the starting lineup on Sunday. Also: How bad could it get?

At least it was fast. At two hours and 18 minutes, it was the fastest game at Wrigley Field this year. The previous fastest time was 2 hours and 30 minutes against the Angels on March 30th. Four other away games were faster than 2 hours 18 minutes, but the fastest was 2 hours 10 minutes against the Rays on April 6 at Tropicana Field. Curiosity: The Cubs’ fastest five games this year are all losses.

The Cubs will try to make up for one game of this six-game homestand on Sunday. Shota Imanaga will start for the Cubs, and Peter Lambert will start for the Astros. Game time is once again at 1:20 PM CT, with television coverage via Marquee Sports Network.