Cubs News
8 hours ago • Andy Martinez
MILWAUKEE — Amidst a difficult stretch, the Cubs have kept their visible frustration in check.
“You’re going to be your best version of you, if you have the freedom to be yourself,” anager Craig Counsell said Saturday morning. “That’s important, I think. And I would stand by that no matter what. If you got a loud player. You gotta let them do that. If you got a quiet player, you gotta let him be that to get his best self out there, for him to have the most confidence out on the field and in the clubhouse.
“I think that’s critically important. And it doesn’t — loud team, quiet team does not dictate team success.”
That changed Saturday afternoon at American Family Fields.
After surrendering the lead via a pair of runs in the 3rd inning, Cubs starter Justin Steele trotted back to the Cubs dugout and yelled in frustration on the second step.
As he walked back down, he let out another scream in frustration before heading down the steps into the Cubs’ clubhouse.
The team caused many self-inflicted wounds that allowed Milwaukee to get back in the game.
Sal Frelick hit a leadoff single that clipped Christopher Morel’s glove and then stole second base. After a soft popout to Steele, Andruw Monasterio hit a comebacker to Steele, who fielded the ball, ran down Frelick at second and tossed it to Nico Hoerner, initiating a rundown. Hoerner chased Frelick and flipped it to Morel at third, but Morel failed to cleanly catch the ball and tag him out, allowing a pair of runners to reach scoring position.
Brice Turang dropped a perfect bunt to the mound and reached base, scoring Frelick and moving the tying run to third. Then, William Contreras hit a blooper that dropped between a sliding Pete Crow-Armstrong, Hoerner and Dansby Swanson to tie the game.
Steele escaped any more damage by striking out Christian Yelich and Willy Adames, but the anger had boiled over, leading to his demonstration.