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The Cubs did not have a team meeting in San Diego to do the same things as they did in June 2017.
But that did not stop the organization's leaders from sending their message to the players before the final season of the 2019 season – and the Cubs' last attempt to return to an enviable spot in the October race.
The Cubs narrowly escaped San Diego with a broken series this week and returned home to Wrigley Field with the impression that they had left the trip from 3 to 5 to escape. Road problems are not new to this year's team, but with the coming season, the last thing the Cubs wanted to do was give life to the Milwaukee Brewers or drop two consecutive matches in a Padres club under reconstruction.
Before Friday's competition against the Pirates, manager Joe Maddon said that he did not like the energy of his team during the last game in San Diego and that he felt his guys were putting too much pressure on themselves.
They responded by posting their best offensive performance since April 30, 2008, scoring at least 5 points in three separate innings, en route to a 17-8 win.
Today, it is the first time that the #Cubs has had three innings of more than 5 points in the same game since April 30, 2008 in a 19-5 win over the Brewers at Wrigley Field. They had 6 in the 1st, 5th in the 4th and 6th in the 8th.
– Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) September 13, 2019
"Everyone is playing a little too loud and that's the only thing I'm trying to just make those guys understand," Maddon said. "When you play tight, it's very difficult, play with your hair on fire, play the game, do not worry about all this information, our guys care so much … I want us to relax and that we play baseball think that if we are able to do it over the next two weeks, we will get the result we are looking for. "
Maddon and the Cubs did not get the expected result in the first leg on Friday, while two consecutive errors by Willson Contreras and Albert Almora Jr. led to four points for the Pirates. The attack, however, resumed with an impressive display of power down the run, scoring 5 points on the dingers of Nicholas Castellanos, Contreras and Nico Hoerner (playing his first career game at Wrigley).
The formation did not stop there, scoring 5 more points in the third inning and then sending 12 batters in a fifth run of 7 points by Kris Bryant.
Maddon said that he had "infiltrated the group" in his own way while he was trying to bring the Cubs back to play freely and freely.
Jon Lester – who played around the poor defense of his teammates to win his 13th win of the season Friday – recognizes that this team has put too much pressure on itself this season.
"I think we all try too hard sometimes," said Lester. "I'm guilty of this, I think everyone in this club is guilty, you want to win the match before the game is played, that's part of the chore of playing 162 games. I think a game like today can help guys relax a bit, I think every time you fight, whether it's throwing, defensive or offensive, you're always trying to catch you in this case.
"For us, it's not – I'm going to do that perfect step, I'm going to get it out and it's going to be over and move on to another guy." Well, sometimes that's puts you 1-0 instead of being 0-1 with a quality field.Even to hit – "Oh, I'll try to start a 4-point homeroom here."
"You're going into those funks where you almost have to play yourself – fortunately, today is a day when we can all move on – it was a great team win for us all. time … Let's hope we can just continue and use that momentum today. "
Theo Epstein took advantage of the radio waves to convey his message to the many Cub fans, but he also talked to the players behind the scenes and tried to help his team get on track with just two weeks and more in the season.
"The guys were really frustrated because I think they looked at the other names and how they feel about themselves -" We have so much talent, why do not we win? Why do not we give? "Epstein said before Friday's game." It's just frustrating because they care. So I think it's coming.
"We have not been hot for about four months, we are simply frustrated that we can not seem to be going to certain places – on the road in particular – but I have not seen any players stop alone. do not see guys who think we can not do it.I see a team that can certainly play very well and change the script and that is what we intend to do. "
Epstein refers to the Cubs' 54-53 record since May 14, a four-month period that tied them with the Brewers for last place in the playoffs at the NL with only 16 games to come.
Many things can happen in 16 games – the Brewers have accumulated 5 games in the Cubs standings in the space of a week.
With seven games to go against the Cardinals at the top of the division and a deficit of 4 games in the division, there remains a scenario in which the Cubs can avoid facing Max Scherzer and the powerful nationals of the National.
But to do this, they have to find what has eluded them all season: a consistent brand of winning baseball.
"I think we all think it's a team that should be winning," Epstein said. "The players are not happy with the way we play Joe, the coaches, the managers, the wickets – we all have a different way of expressing it, but I do not think it's necessary to hide the balloon and say that everything is fine when all is well "t.
"I still believe in this group, I always think we have a chance to write our own story here, sometimes it's better late than never, you'd like to have a season where things really go in your own way and you can separate one This has not been our way this year. [We’ll have] a lot of time after we finish playing – hopefully in November – to explain why.
"I'm the first one responsible for it.I head baseball operations here, so if I'm mad at anything, I'm mad at myself, but it's not there. The story is that we are tied for the playoffs We still have seven games against the team we are pursuing in the division and we have a really talented group of guys who have not yet prepared everything. we can do it and we intend to do it. "
Friday was a good start if the Cubs had to change the script and rewrite the story of their season.
Now the key will be postponing to Saturday.
And then Sunday.
And then Monday.
Then…
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