Chicago Cubs News: Seiya Suzuki delivers, In-game managing, and more

Seiya Suzuki returns to Chicago Cubs starting lineup
David Ross' in-game managing decisions come into question again
Chicago Cubs Probable Pitchers vs Toronto Blue Jays
Friday, 6:07 PM CST
Saturday, 2:07 PM CST
Sunday, 12:37 PM CST

Seiya Suzuki returns to Chicago Cubs starting lineup

With a left-hander on the mound for the New York Mets in David Peterson, Seiya Suzuki returned to the Chicago Cubs starting lineup on Wednesday night and found some success.

Suzuki was 3-for-4 on the night with a triple and a home run. For the Cubs, it was a tremendous sign that Suzuki was able to return to the lineup with a favorable matchup against a left-handed starting pitcher and was able to thrive.

How the Cubs handle the playing time for Suzuki will be a balance as there is a need for the right fielder to be an important part of this team in the long-term, but this season, with post-season hopes on the line, the team can not afford to pencil Suzuki in the lineup regularly considering his struggles.

If Suzuki is able to find his swing again, it will be an ideal problem for the Cubs to have in terms of ensuring that both the second-year outfielder from Japan and Mike Tauchman get opportunities to succeed.

David Ross' in-game managing decisions come into question again

For the most part, the 2023 season can be considered a success for manager David Ross. While there may be qualms over his preference to play struggling veterans such as Eric Hosmer and Trey Mancini before the front office released each player, Ross has typically pulled the right levers to get the most out of his players.

Wednesday night, however, may have been a reminder of how Ross struggles with in-game decisions. After Suzuki homered in the ninth inning to bring the deficit to within one run for the Cubs, Jeimer Candelario and Mike Tauchman each were able to get on base successfully. Meaning, down one run, the Cubs were in a favorable spot with runners on first and second base with no outs.

That would be where the decision-making gets murky as Ross opted to have Nick Madrigal bunt and move the runners to second and third with one out. While the bunt was successful, it seemed to be a waste of Madrigal's hit profile. Christopher Morel and Ian proceeded to each strikeout to end the game.

If either Morel or Happ gets a hit in that spot, we are not talking about Madrigal's bunt this morning. That wasn't the case and now last night will serve as an important reminder that Ross will need to hit on his in-game decisions if this Cubs team is going to make the postseason.

Chicago Cubs Probable Pitchers vs Toronto Blue Jays

1. Friday, 6:07 PM CST

Javier Assad will take the mound for the Chicago Cubs against Jose Berrios of the Toronto Blues Jays.

2. Saturday, 2:07 PM CST

Justin Steele will take the mound for the Cubs on Saturday against Chris Bassitt of the Blue Jays.

3. Sunday, 12:37 PM CST

Jameson Taillon will take the mound for the Cubs on Sunday against Hyun Jin Ryu of the Blue Jays.

Chicago Cubs News: Seiya Suzuki delivers, In-game managing, and more