Chicago Cubs: Joe Maddon needs his magic to end struggles
After their loss on Wednesday to the San Diego Padres, the Chicago Cubs find themselves at 25-27. Manager Joe Maddon, whose every move seemed to work last season, needs to wave his magic wand again to turn things around.
About a week ago, the Chicago Cubs ended their nine-game homestand. They went 7-2 and finally found themselves where most expected them to be — in first place. Things were great again in the world.
Now, fast-forward to today and the Cubs own a six-game losing streak. They are now 25-27 and in third place. They welcome the hated St. Louis Cardinals in a mess.
Manager Joe Maddon came to Chicago to make the moves necessary to win. Practically every move he made last season worked out that way. Even when he made questionable moves, they ended up working out in the end on their way to breaking their title-less streak.
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Now, the Cubs need Maddon’s magic more than ever. They are on a bad slide right now, and Maddon needs to end it. After their latest loss, reporters asked him about lineup changes.
"I have no idea what that would be. We’ve tried everything possible. Guys have been rested. We’ve given guys days off. These are our players. I have all the faith in the world… We came off a 7-2 homestand. Everybody loved us a couple days ago. Now all of a sudden, we’ve had a tough time scoring runs on the road. We just got to do better. That’s all this comes down to."
You can see the players try too hard. Last year everything fell into place. Except for that period a few weeks before the All-Star break, the Cubs cruised through the regular season. Things are different this season. They are now the hunted instead of the hunters.
At this point, Maddon’s moves haven’t panned out. Of course, it’s too early to panic. However, Maddon needs to do something or say something to prevent this slide from getting out of hand. He does say this team is too talented for this to continue. Maddon just needs to keep the even-keel personality of his.
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At this point, though, this may be Maddon’s time to truly shine as manager of the Chicago Cubs.