Here is what the media is reporting on the Cubs today:
1. The Cubs finished a WINLESS road trip with 2-0 loss to the Padres.
2. The Cubs have now lost 8 straight games.
3. The Cubs are 0-for-August.
4. The Cubs were shut out for the second time in the Padre series.
5. ESPNChicago notes:
"Something about the non-waiver trade deadline has seemed to take the wind ouf of the Cubs sails."
"Sveum has said the passing fo the (trade) deadline has not affected morale, but the Cubs seemed to have much more focus before July 31 and barely any since."
"Castro was hitless in his first 21 at-bats on the road trip."
"Samardzija pulled off his best Carlos Zambrano impersonation in the seventh inning (by breaking bat over knee)."
6. The Cubs offense is being compared to laggards from the early 1980s, including the 1981 club that finished in 8th place.
7. The Cubs have played 15 rookies so far this season.
8. Soriano is the last player on the roster from a Cub playoff team.
Bad teams have bad losing streaks. This year's Cub squad has pulled over a couple of nasty losing cascades. But the current malaise has gotten beat writers and observers to comment that the team looks like a dead mule off to the side of canyon trail.
Baseball players are professionals. Their job is to try to win every game. Their job is to perform to the best of their abilities, day in and day out. Cub fans overlooked the lack of talent if the players hustled and tried hard to win. But the reports this week indicate a change that may be hard for fans to accept: lackluster losing.
The observation that the Cubs have lost morale may be a serious leadership problem. Kerry Wood, Dempster, Johnson, Soto and Baker are all gone. Whether any were vocal leaders or not, a veteran void has been created in an attempt to turn over the roster and get younger players on the field. It is said that Anthony Rizzo has leadership qualities, but rarely do rookies take command of a clubhouse.
It is really the job of the manager to keep the team focused on playing every day. If Sveum can't keep his team together, then is he the man to be trusted with the development of all the new prospects? Team chemistry is over-rated. There have been World Series champion teams where players hated each other, but they worked hard and won on the field. Impeding doom is not the same thing; a team that expects to lose will find a way to lose. It is vicious cycle now: one week it is the lack of pitching, the next it is lack of offense. A team just going through the motions is not a fun team to watch.
A really bad season can have a carry-over effect to the next. Young players may get into bad habits. Starlin Castro has lost the one thing that came natural to him: contact on the baseball. Can the coaches get him back to his normal self? Adjustments seem to come agonizingly slow for this club. This is not just growing pains but real painful to see the glimmer of any substantial change in the way the Cubs have been run for the past few seasons.
