Craig Counsell lays the cards on the table in comments after yet another Cubs loss

As one of the worst prolonged stretches in recent Chicago Cubs history continues, manager Craig Counsell, frankly, is running out of levers to pull and changes to make.

I get that fans want to see Dansby Swanson benched and have constant frustration with Counsell's lineup construction. But the simple truth is that if this team has any chance of getting this train back on the tracks, it's this group that has to start producing. Pedro Ramírez and Kevin Alcántara aren't going to save this season.

After the latest gut-punch of a loss, Counsell said what we all know: this has not been good baseball - period.

“We’re not winning a lot of baseball games right now,” Counsell said. “And we’re not playing well enough to win a lot of baseball games. You have to earn it, and we’re not earning it. It’s not some string of massive bad luck. We’re not earning wins. Flat out.”

The message coming out of the clubhouse remains the same:

'This group understands adversity'.

'There's a lot of talent in this room'.

'Hopefully, we look back and this is just a blip on the radar'.

Cubs have dug themselves a hole - and only they can dig their way out

Well, right now, it's a 6 1/2 game hole in the division and, if the postseason started today, the Cubs would be watching from home with the rest of us. It's an unacceptable position for a team that came into the year with such high expectations and one that actually has people speculating whether Chicago could end up as sellers ahead of the trade deadline.

I headed into the week dreading the trio of Jameson Taillon, Colin Rea and Shota Imanaga taking the ball at Wrigley with temperatures in the 80s - good hitting conditions. But I've been proven wrong, with Taillon and Rea both turning in strong starts, only to see them wasted by the team's continued offensive struggles.

There are no simple fixes. There's no switch to flip that will suddenly change the perception of this team. The only thing that can do that - and Counsell is well aware of this as a former player himself - is for the Cubs to start winning. And, well, they haven't been doing much of that, having not won a series in a month.

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