SAN FRANCISCO — Cliff Floyd is a Chicago guy, an experienced broadcaster and an ex-player who lasted 17 years in the majors. It’s noticeable when a credible voice calls out the Cubs on their TV station, which is not known for sharp criticism. Floyd, a Marquee Sports Network studio analyst, tapped into the frustration among Cubs fans after the Ryne Sandberg statue game.
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A crowd of 39,417 jammed into Wrigley Field after the statue unveiling outside the ballpark. ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” captured the moment for a national audience. Cubs alumni gathered to reconnect with the Hall of Famer who’s battling metastatic prostate cancer and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the game that catapulted Sandberg into stardom.
“What’s frustrating is as soon as the team gets down early, a couple runs scored against them, it feels like it’s 10-nothing,” Floyd said on Marquee’s postgame show following Sunday’s 5-2 loss to the New York Mets. “It feels like the fight is gone.
“When you think about the starting pitching, that’s been the All-Star of the first half. They’ve been tremendous, so very frustrating to watch a team on a really special day come out a little flat.”
The Cubs also ran into Luis Severino, who put up 10 strikeouts and no walks across six scoreless innings, continuing a comeback season with the Mets that’s putting him back on an All-Star level. This is a different environment with offenses across Major League Baseball nearing all-time lows. And the Cubs have been in a particularly deep slump that makes everything look worse.
“The one thing that’s consistent in baseball is when you have trouble scoring, that is going to be a common critique,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “We’re not scoring enough runs. Yeah, that’s true.”
As far as a lack of intensity, Counsell said, “I don’t see that at all.” The Cubs have played the most one-run games (32) in the majors this year, which reflects a level of focus and competitive drive. A 37-43 record through 80 games also shows a talent deficit and a lack of execution that can’t be ignored.
“I don’t think we’re scoring enough,” Counsell said. “I don’t think we’re pitching well enough.”
"As soon as the team gets down early … it feels like it's 10-0. It feels like the fight is gone."@CliffFloyd30 on the Cubs' loss tonight against the Mets. pic.twitter.com/LRKMSbAUdB
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) June 24, 2024
If you didn’t stay up late to watch Tuesday’s 5-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants on the West Coast, you’ve probably seen this Cubs game before. Kyle Hendricks emphasized his curveball and handled the Giants for seven innings at Oracle Park, continuing his midseason turnaround and a run of great starting pitching for the Cubs. It didn’t matter that the Giants went with a bullpen game — six relievers combined to limit the Cubs to four singles while registering 11 strikeouts. With the Cubs trailing 2-1 and planning their own bullpen game for Wednesday, reliever Colten Brewer worked the eighth inning and promptly gave up three runs. The game was over in 2 hours and 26 minutes.
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“We’re still not that far out of it,” Hendricks said, “which is how crazy of a year it’s been in the National League, and with the wild card especially. It’s been a tough year. It’s been a grind. Our expectations are to be better, of course. But I’m proud of all the guys, coming in and getting after it, putting in the work. There’s no giving up at all from this group.”
That it’s already this tense and we’re even having this conversation is a bad sign for a multibillion-dollar franchise. The Cubs already did the vibe check at the end of the Joe Maddon era. When the pipeline of young talent slowed down and the budget for baseball operations left little room for maneuvering, Cubs executives Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer focused on soft factors and eventually hired David Ross to replace Maddon after the 2019 season, hoping an edgy former teammate could squeeze more out of the remaining core players from the 2016 World Series.
Intangibles matter, but talent ultimately wins. Counsell’s bullpen decisions wouldn’t be so scrutinized if he had someone like Josh Hader or Devin Williams, the All-Star closers he once managed for the Milwaukee Brewers. The pitching scripts would be easier to follow if the Cubs made more defensive plays, ending innings instead of driving up the starter’s pitch count. The relievers would breathe easier if there was a superstar in the lineup hitting three-run homers. All that goes to roster construction more than clubhouse culture.
Hoyer’s front office has created an effective pitching development program, which includes frontline starters Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga. Two rookies, first baseman Michael Busch and center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, look like they will be everyday players and long-term solutions. Maybe Cody Bellinger or Seiya Suzuki will suddenly get hot and carry the offense. With 82 games remaining and the idea of selling at the trade deadline a nonstarter, the Cubs will keep going.
“There’s no other option,” Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “We’ve got a lot of guys who have been through a lot in their careers. I really do believe that things will start to move in our favor just because I know the heartbeat of this group, and the resiliency of each and every guy in this clubhouse, and the determination and work that guys are putting in.”
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Swanson’s faith and optimism drove him to a national championship at Vanderbilt, a World Series title with the Atlanta Braves and a seven-year, $177 million contract from the Cubs. Homegrown players like Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ are analytical and serious about their craft. Héctor Neris is no longer the go-to closer, but he was targeted as a free agent because of his reputation as a leader.
Counsell’s temperament helped him navigate 16 seasons as a major-league infielder, win two World Series and become the highest-paid manager in the game. He’s not going to dramatically change his demeanor. As a whole, though, it’s just not working right now.
“Look, you lose, you’re frustrated,” Counsell said. “When you leave the park, you turn the page and go on to the next day.”
(Photo of starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks fist-bumping catcher Miguel Amaya after the sixth inning against the Giants: John Hefti / USA Today)