The Chicago Cubs are on the verge of complete collapse. This, of course, could mean the end of David Ross's tenure as Chicago manager, though the front office may not feel the same way just yet.
Ross has made a series of brutal bullpen decisions the last week or so -- the latest involving Mark Leiter Jr. -- which suggest a fresh mindset may be needed for this clubhouse. Chicago has invested in its baseball team. Heck, they refused to sell Cody Bellinger and Marcus Stroman at the trade deadline despite the assets they could have acquired in return. Now, both players may leave in free agency without a Cubs postseason appearance.
Someone has to be the scapegoat, no? Evidently, Dansby Swanson is willing to take some blame, which at the very least is a nice start.
"Just playing bad. Which I own. Just haven't performed in moments recently. Sucks. It's definitely something I'm frickin working on. Its just not happening," Swanson said.
Dansby is mired in a pretty brutal slump, as he is 3 for his last 21 (.143).
Cubs: Why is Dansby Swanson taking blame, but not David Ross?
Ross certainly deserves a substantial amount of blame, and while he can back up the majority of his decisions with analytics, he ought to know something isn't working. In the past few weeks, all Ross has done is add to the drama in Chicago, even making some odd comments about the Pittsburgh Pirates. Safe to say the Buccos did not take kindly to them.
"That's not a good team that just took two out of three from us -- or not our caliber team, I believe," Ross said in the aftermath of a series defeat.
While Ross texted Derek Shelton to make up, it goes to show that this Cubs maanger prefers to point the finger, rather than take on the blame himself.
'The Sheriff' is a clubhouse leader. In just his first season with the Cubs, he has taken over as the voice of the locker room. Ross, on the other hand, has some work to do in that department.
