Chicago Cubs: Theo Epstein expresses frustration

Another losing road trip has Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein frustrated over the situation. “Big Boy” time needs to come now.

Had Thursday night’s game been at Wrigley Field, it would be fair to say the Chicago Cubs would hear boo-birds rain down on them. Instead, they got the cheers of Cardinals fans in St. Louis as their team downed the Cubs 8-0.

Despite an excellent team debut for Nicholas Castellanos, the Cubs mustered one just one hit. Despite being only one back of the Cardinals and sporting the fourth-best record in the National League, they are 21-33 on the road. Their .389 win percentage on the road is the worst in the National League. The last time they won a series on the road was May 17-19 in Washington D.C.

Their play at Wrigley is keeping them right in the mix, but that cannot be relied upon, and they HAVE to start winning on the road. When Theo Epstein was interviewed on 670 the Score Friday morning on the Mully & Haugh show before another big series against the Brewers, he said he was “embarrassed” on the team’s performance on the road.

He acknowledges that if it does not improve then say goodbye to World Series aspirations. Epstein is just as baffled about the situation as anyone and has no answer other than it is unacceptable.

"“I believe we’re the most talented team in the division, but if you can’t go on the road and win a series, you’re not going anywhere.” – Cubs president Theo Epstein"

The President’s address

Road woes were not the only thing Epstein addressed Friday (though it was the arguably the biggest). The disgruntled president added the simple fact of how good they may feel about the team is meaningless without results.

The Chicago Cubs can talk about the team on paper all they want, but the record is all that matters. He is done talking about “potential” like he often does. It is also interesting to listen and hear his tone of having both confusion, anger and exhaustion. Not what we often hear.

Fans have waited for the “accountability” and “production over talent” that Epstein has mentioned. He has responded with a few deals at the deadline and the sending down of guys like Addison Russell. In addition to the trades, Epstein talked about Ben Zobrist starting his rehab in South Bend as they hope to work him back. The overall point being the front office has tried to fix things. Now the players have to do their part. Could one argue they did not do enough earlier this season? Sure, but they have done plenty of work in the past several weeks.

At this point, all the talk about the same problems is getting old. We can go on and on about the issues this team has had since day one. Talking has seen no consistency or building of a lead in the division. Epstein knows it, the team knows it, and the fan knows it. The next significant actions that can take place from a front office perspective is the offseason; their goal is to win before that.