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After the Chicago Cubs' loss to the San Diego Padres in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series, Manager Craig Counsell was confronted on his decision not to intentionally walk Manny Machado in the fifth inning.
Machado's at-bat ended up being the big blow of the game for the Cubs, as he immediately sent a two-run homer over 400 feet to the left field bleachers. Counsell defended the decision by saying he had confidence in his starting pitcher, Shota Imanaga, in the spot.
"The result suggested we should have done something different. Really just (had) confidence in Shota."
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) October 1, 2025
Craig Counsell on the decision to have Shota Imanaga face Manny Machado. pic.twitter.com/6aSmSzjNS2
With a base open and lefty Jackson Merrill representing a much more favorable matchup waiting in the on-deck circle, an intentional walk would have been a wise move in that spot and possibly could have kept the game within one run for Chicago. It's not as if Imanaga had been pitching horrendously before Machado's at-bat, but he certainly wasn't dealing.
He had already allowed two walks, two hits, and had left a ball over the heart of the plate in Machado's previous plate appearance that luckily did not result in a homer. Overall, this was definitely a poor decision that doesn't make Counsell look the brightest.
How much does this blunder matter?
However easy it is to bash managers after a loss like this, I can't help but also feel like this game was not entirely his fault. Sure, the Machado mistake put the Cubs deeper in the hole, but the real culprit here is Chicago's offense.
The Cubs managed just four hits and one walk against Dylan Cease, who had a 5.58 road ERA this season. Not to mention the fact that the Cubs tagged him for seven hits when the Padres visited Wrigley in April. Cease certainly brought his best stuff, as he induced five strikeouts and 14 whiffs, but it leaves a sour taste when your team gets shut out at home in any scenario, let alone the playoffs.
And getting to Cease was probably the Cubs' only way of winning this game with San Diego's elite bullpen. Look no further than Mason Miller's eight strikeouts over the last two days, including a 104.5 mph delivery.