Cubs' ability to reset from Tokyo Series falls squarely on Craig Counsell's shoulders

Going winless against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the MLB Tokyo Series isn't the start Craig Counsell and the Chicago Cubs hoped for - but it's where they find themselves heading into the remaining 160 games on the schedule.

Chicago looked wholly outmatched by the Dodgers in the series, and even down Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles still scored 10 runs and came away with the sweep. For a team looking to return to the postseason for the first time in a full season since 2018, that wasn't the start the Cubs were hoping for.

To take an already less-than-ideal situation and make it worse, Chicago's first month is the single toughest month any MLB team will face this year - and includes five more matchups against the Dodgers. The team is hoping to avoid digging themselves an early hole they'll have to climb out of all summer and Counsell knows they'll have to take things one day at a time.

“I think you can look at it and say that [it’s a good test], but it doesn't help us to do that,” Counsell said. “We’ve got to go play the games and we’ve got to live with the results, and there’s going to be a game the next day. No matter who you’re playing or who’s pitching, we’re going to try to win that game.

After falling well short of expectations in his first year as Cubs manager, mirroring the 83-79 record posted under his predecessor David Ross, the pressure is on Counsell to deliver results in 2025. A sluggish start, especially after the front office made its biggest 'win-now' move in years by trading for Kyle Tucker wouldn't be well received, to say the least.

Chicago got off to a hot start last April, going 17-10 - their second-best single-month winning percentage of the season. But they went into a tailspin from there, going 21-34 in May and June before surging late in the summer. Dating back to his time in Milwaukee, a Counsell-managed team hasn't put up a losing record in April since 2016. Keeping that April winning streak intact will be critical this year.

That's not to say a slow start would put Counsell on the hot seat or anything like that. But, until this month, he was the highest-paid manager in MLB history. With that paycheck comes expectations and the expectation moving forward out of last week's disappointing showing in Japan has to be at least treading water over the next five weeks - because failing to do so would put this team in an wildly unenviable position moving deeper into the campaign.