Cubs manager Craig Counsell was not pleased with ESPN reporter Jesse Rogers’ description of Christopher Morrell’s at-bat on Sunday.
The third baseman struck out in the seventh inning with the tying runner in scoring position and the Cubs down by one, but the Cubs went on to beat the Diamondbacks 2-1 in the 10th inning.
“Early in the game, a couple of at-bats … top of the seventh, Morrell hit a tying run to second base. It looked like he was swinging for the lake,” Rogers told Counsell. “What do you think about those at-bats?”
“Oh man, Jesse… come on,” Counsell said, rolling his eyes at the reporter. “Is that your comment? I think that’s a bad take. I think that’s a bad take. He’s swinging into the lake? That’s a bad take.”
Rogers asked Counsell why it was a bad take.
“He was trying to hit the ball hard and had a good at-bat,” Counsell responded. “It didn’t work out. The pitcher made a good throw. He got the out.”
Morrell, 25, has struggled this season with the disappointing Cubs (48-53) and could be on the market for sale at the trade deadline.
Chicago’s disappointing offense was counting on Morrell, who hit the most home runs on the team last season, to step up.
Instead, Morrell saw his OPS, slugging percentage and hard hit percentage drop considerably in 2024.
However, his strikeout rate did drop slightly from 2023 to 2024, which was still among the worst among last year’s starting pitchers.
Morel is not alone.
The Cubs finished the season with an 83-79 record and were expected to be contenders.
They surprisingly cut David Ross in the offseason and hired a respected counsel from the rival Brewers, who the Mets were also pursuing.
Instead, Milwaukee is once again atop the National League Central division, with Chicago sitting in fourth place, 10 games behind.
The Cubs’ trade deadline strategy will be worth watching, along with their division rival Reds.
Cincinnati sits last in the National League Central, just a half-game behind the Cubs, and has reportedly told teams it will sell players with expiring contracts.
