Craig Counsell's Milwaukee return spoiled by more Cubs' offensive struggles

MILWAUKEE — There’s no doubt Milwaukee Brewers fans are still hurt by the move Craig Counsell made last November.

He didn’t just leave after spending the last nine seasons, save for the first few weeks of 2015, as their manager (part of 18 years he was with the organization in some capacity, including six as a player). They probably still wouldn’t be happy, but perhaps they could deal with it better.

Instead, he left to take the job with their division rivals, the Chicago Cubs. That seemed to be a deep betrayal, and during Monday’s series opener between the two teams, Counsell’s first time back at American Family Field since switching sides, his old fans let their feelings be known.

A few minutes before first pitch, a short highlight-reel from his time with the Brewers — which he later joked he didn’t see much of because “it wasn’t on very long” — that ended with a “THANK YOU #30” message played on the video board. Boos rained down from the stands throughout the tribute.

When he was announced as the Cubs’ manager a few moments later, the booing recommenced. And when he came out of the dugout to make a pitching change in the eighth inning, Brewers fans let him have it for a third time.

Counsell could be seen laughing off the boos. Leading up to his return, he never seemed overly concerned with how Milwaukee would greet him.

“Cheer, boo — whatever, man,” Counsell said before the game. “Just have a good time at the game. That’s what fans get to do. Just have a good time. It’s Memorial Day, you don’t go to work today. Let’s all have a good time.”

He understands his old fan base hasn’t forgiven him for taking the Cubs’ managerial job. Though he holds no hard feelings, he won’t hold it against Brewers fans for feeling differently.

“It’s not my job to tell people how to feel about something,” Counsell said. “Let people feel how they want to feel. I’m good with that, and I think it doesn’t have to be all positive. We’re in a public job, and we’re in a job with fans and fans are allowed to feel however they want to feel.

“It bothers you initially, of course. Some things that happen bother you, for sure. But as it goes on, some of it is you’re a fan, and you get to feel how you want to feel. You’re entitled to that as a fan. So, I’m good with that. I think that’s part of it, and that’s part of what makes sports fun.”

Counsell said he started thinking about what’s next over the last couple of years. He’d been in Milwaukee for a long time, and when a different opportunity presented itself, he decided to take on a new challenge.

Obviously, managing against his former team for the first time is unfamiliar for him. Along with a longer walk to the visitors’ clubhouse, the most unfamiliar sight for Counsell might’ve been sitting in the visiting dugout along the third-base line. “It’s a different view from the dugout, and that’s what sticks out to me,” he said.

But on the field, the Cubs provided a sight people have grown a lot more familiar with seeing recently.

It’s been a month-long struggle for the offense after a strong start to the season. From Opening Day through April 26, the Cubs scored the fifth-most runs in the majors (140) and had the ninth-highest batting average (.250), the fifth-highest OPS (.741) and sixth-highest wRC+ (112). But from April 27 through Sunday, they scored the fewest runs (87), had the worst average (.205) and OPS (.617) and the fourth-lowest wRC+ (80).

They followed that up with another lackluster performance during Monday’s 5-1 loss. In total, they managed just the lone run on five hits and one walk. Against Milwaukee’s Robert Gasser, who was making only his fourth major league start, they went scoreless over six innings and struck out seven times (he had only six punchouts in his first three starts combined).

That wasted a stellar performance from Justin Steele, who shut the Brewers out for seven innings and struck out eight while giving up just three hits and a single walk.

“We talked about margin for error, and certainly, when you’re in this low-run-scoring environment that it’s kind of felt like it’s been for us on the offensive side for a couple weeks now, that’s how it works,” Counsell said. “Your mistakes are going to hurt you bad. It’s easy to point to the eighth inning, but we had zero runs to the eighth inning, too. So, I think we all bear responsibility for that.”

What the Cubs’ skipper is referring to is what happened in the bottom of the eighth, when things went sideways for the visitors. Mark Leiter Jr., who’s been the Cubs’ most reliable reliever all season save for a four-run outing Saturday in St. Louis, gave up a single and a walk to the Nos. 8 and 9 hitters to begin the frame.

That brought up Milwaukee’s William Contreras, who shot a 104.9 mph grounder — a potential inning-changing double play — to Nick Madrigal at third base. Madrigal said he thought the ball would take a higher hop than it did. It ultimately hit off his leg and rolled into left field, and the Brewers took a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

“I know it’s hit well, just definitely frustrating in that moment,” Madrigal said. “A play I have to make. This one’s on me today, for sure, and just gotta keep working and come back tomorrow and be ready to go.”

As Counsell alluded to, mistakes are magnified when the offense is struggling. A single error can decide a game when the lineup can’t string together runs or put together rallies.

So, another poor offensive performance was a contributing factor in spoiling Counsell’s return to Milwaukee. Not that he was out to make this some sort of “revenge game.” He understood the meaning behind his first time managing against his former squad, but at the end of the day, it’s another baseball game in a long, 162-game season of them.

If winning this game would’ve meant more to him than winning any of the 108 remaining, he didn’t show it.

Of course, winning ballgames in general would mean a lot to him and this club right now. On April 26, the Cubs were a season-high eight games above .500 (17-9). After the loss — their fifth in a row and 10th in their last 13 games — they’ve fallen to 27-27, their first time being .500 or below since the season was only four games old.

While Cubs fans have gotten angrier as the losses have piled up, that’s not how Counsell operates. He’s not throwing stuff around his office to blow off steam and let out his frustrations. Instead, he’s taken to things like watching “Saturday Night Live” to put himself in a better mood.

But if the team can get back on track and start picking up more wins, rest assured Counsell, the Cubs and their fans will all find themselves in better moods.

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