David Ross Draws Criticism from Fans After Miami Marlins Sweep Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs were swept Sunday at loanDepot Park by the Miami Marlins. Unhappy fans took to Twitter to criticize manager David Ross, after he chose not to start a red-hot Nelson Velazquez, putting Edwin Rios in the team's starting lineup instead.

The first month of the Chicago Cubs' 2023 season played out like a Hollywood script. A ragtag team of castoffs opened the season an impressive 13-9, capped off by newly signed center fielder Cody Bellinger appearing to return to All-Star form.

The Cubs are starting to hit their first patch of adversity, as will happen for any team in 162-game season. The Miami Marlins swept the Cubs at loanDepot Park in Miami, Sunday, handing the North Siders their sixth loss over their last eight games.

Fans took to social media Sunday afternoon to air their frustrations, with manager David Ross receiving the brunt of the criticism.

Through the season's first month, fans have been critical of Ross' bullpen management. In 12 appearances in 2023, most coming in the ninth inning, Michael Fulmer is 0-2 with a 7.15 ERA. Two weeks ago, Ross told the media that Fulmer was supposed to pitch around Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder David Peralta in the club's loss. Instead, Fulmer went after Peralta, allowing the game's winning hit.

Recently, however, Cubs fans have been unhappy with Ross' decision to keep to keep a scorching hot Nelson Velazquez out of his lineup on a daily basis. Through seven games, the 24-year-old is slashing .389/.476/1.476 with three home runs and six RBI. Velazquez opened the season in Triple-A Iowa, but was called-up a few weeks ago. In his first game of the season, Velazquez went 3-for-4 with a walk and a double, while crushing a grand slam in what may have been the biggest moment in the Cubs' season thus far. The club came back down 7-0 to defeat the Seattle Mariners at Wrigley Field, capped off by Velazquez's blast. Velazquez did not play in the Cubs next two games, and was sent back down to Triple-A just days later.

Since returning a week ago, Velazquez has continued to impress, but Sunday, he was once again left out of the team's lineup. The Cubs would go on to lose 4-3. As one might imagine, fans expressed their confusion with Ross' decision on Twitter, as Ross trended on the platform Sunday afternoon.

One Twitter user with the handle @bluewavebrian tweeted, "David Ross needs to go. NOW. This team is too talented to be wasted on a (expletive) experiment that never should have happened in the first place. What a joke."

I don't agree with Brian's take here. First, It's way too early to be calling on the firing of a manager, when the club has actually exceeded expectations. Coming into the season, many experts had the club finishing somewhere between 75 and 80 wins. Just days ago, the club had a 13-9 record. The Cubs have been competitive in most of the games they have played this season. Nor do I believe that this Cubs team is 'too talented' in any capacity. Many of the team's players have outperformed their projected output through the first month of the season. The Cubs added a number of veterans on short-term contracts over the winter. While the club appears to be significantly stronger than it was a year ago, this is one of the least talented Cubs' teams of the past decade. Perhaps the strong start to the season raised expectations and hopes of Cubs fans on social media. It's a long season and there will be ups and downs for each and every team. The Cubs are now hitting their first snag of adversity. The team's strong start has to indicate that the manager is doing at least something right. Perhaps the weekend's series should force Cubs fans to curb their enthusiasm. This is still a team coming off a 74-win season with a lot of new parts.

However, Ross' decision to put Velazquez back on the pine is difficult to defend. Over the past week, he's been the team's best hitter. It makes little sense to not ride with the hot hand. Velazquez is on a tear right now, and starting Edwin Rios (batting .111) over him is somewhat baffling. 

Nevertheless, it's too early for fans to be calling for the firing of their manager, when their manager has their team outperforming expectations. And it's April. There's a lot of season to be played.

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