CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs had the chance to right the ship against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and manager David Ross let his frustration show after his team let that opportunity slip through its collective fingers.
David Ross lets frustration show after Chicago Cubs drop series to Pittsburgh Pirates
After the Cubs (thanks to a tiebreaker with the Miami Marlins) fell out of the National League postseason bracket with an 8-6 loss to the Pirates on Wednesday night, Ross didn't hold back on his team dropping a pivotal series inside the Friendly Confines.
"That's not a good team that just took two out of three from us," Ross told reporters after the game. "Or not our caliber of team I believe. We have to turn it around. It's on me. It's on the guys in the room."
Ross certainly isn't wrong. He and his team have to figure out how to snap out of a slump that has seen them drop four consecutive series and fall to 8-12 in the month of September. There are players who haven't performed well lately, including starting pitcher Justin Steele, who was in the Cy Young Award discussion before back-to-back duds not only submarined his chances at winning the award, but also lowered Chicago's chances of getting into the postseason.
And while Pittsburgh may not be a "good team," it's also a team that is now just seven games behind the Cubs in the standings with the series win. That's despite Chicago going 10-3 against the Pirates this season.
The Cubs have another chance to turn the season around starting on Friday when a weekend series against the Colorado Rockies (a team with the worst record in the NL) pay a visit to Wrigley Field. Howver, Colorado took two of three games from the Cubs last week at Coors Field, part of Chicago's demise in the standings.
If Ross can't find the right buttons to push with his team against the Rockies, a regular season-ending trip to Atlanta and Milwaukee could absolutely spell doom for Chicago's postseason hopes.
