Cubs Manager Has Very Simple Explanation For How Team Can Fix Recent Issues

The Chicago Cubs have not played well since locking up their playoff spot, and things need to change quickly.

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The good news for the Chicago Cubs is that they have already locked up their spot in the postseason prior to this now final week of the regular season. The bad news unfortunately is that they all of the sudden are playing some ugly baseball at the worst possible time.

Right after clinching their spot in the Wild Card round during their series early last week against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the rest of their road trip was a disaster as they suffered a four-game sweep at the hands of the surging Cincinnati Reds.

Now returning back to Wrigley Field and looking to lock up home field advantage with six more games against the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals, the goal to fix things is also larger than just that. The Cubs need to figure out what the problem is before the lights are a heck of a lot brighter and the margin of error is next to none just a week from today.

Chicago's manager Craig Counsell made it pretty clear exactly what his team needs to do, and on the surface, it sounds pretty manageable and simplified.

Craig Counsell Says Cubs Need to Play Better

Aug 4, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell (11) makes a pitching change during the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field. | David Banks-Imagn Images

"We got to do things better," Counsell said Sunday via Patrick Mooney of The Athletic (subscription required). "It’s funny how – I always think when you say the ‘energy’ word, you never say: What about pitching? What’s the energy about pitching? We got to pitch better...It’s as simple as that. We haven’t played well enough. Energy, I don’t know. We haven’t played well enough to win a game."

Sometimes, playing better can be easier said than done, but if Chicago can't find a way to do it, they could be staring down an early exit in the playoffs. Even though Counsell talked specifically about pitching, after being shut out twice in Cincinnati, perhaps the bats are a great place to start with the goal of getting better.

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Cubs Have Not Had Same Offense Over Second Half

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After what was a historic first half of the season in a lot of ways for this lineup, they have lost their magic down the stretch. Since the All-Star break, their 238 runs in 60 games rank an unsightly 27th in Major League Baseball.

OPS isn't much better at just .704 which also ranks outside the top-20, while batting average and total hits sit right around the same. If Chicago cannot wake their snoozing bats up this week, it's going to be a tough load for the pitching to carry through anyone they face in the playoffs.

Things are about to get very real, and the Cubs need something to change. Part of it is simply the law of averages, coming back down to earth after such an insane first few months of the season. But Chicago has proven if they can have even just an above average offense, they can win a lot of games.

To make a run in this deep National League, they are going to have to do a little better than that. Time will tell if they can fix it, but one way or another it won't be long before fans find out.

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