Craig Counsell's bullpen decisions have hardly been the issue in latest Cubs losses

After Kyle Hendricks did everything in his power to keep his team in the game, the Chicago Cubs bullpen faltered Tuesday night, allowing three late runs en route to a 5-0 loss to the Pirates, dropping them 4 1/2 games out of the final wild-card spot in the National League.

That loss, coming on the heels of Monday's wasted seven shutout innings from Jameson Taillon and the uncertainty surrounding Justin Steele's injury, felt particularly heavy - especially after it took a multi-week heater to get back into the conversation to close out August.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell drew plenty of fire online Monday night, with many questioning the decision to pull Taillon after just 87 pitches. Never mind the fact the right-hander was already pushed back a day or that it's early September. Forget Lopez's 0.76 ERA as a Cub heading into action Monday. It was a very logical, thought-out move and, frankly, in a 162-game season, there are going to be those games that don't go your way. Monday was certainly one of them.

The anger toward Counsell was quieter on Wednesday, due largely in part to the fact it was easy to point the finger at the offense, which loaded the bases against Paul Skenes in both the first and second, and left two on in the third, but failing to score each time. Hendricks outperformed expectations in his spot start and Tyson Miller simply failed to keep it close in the later innings, allowing a three-run shot to Jared Trilio to put the game out of reach.

Similar to Lopez, Miller has been a godsend for a Cubs pitching staff ravaged by injuries, especially when it comes to young arms that were supposed to play key roles for the team in 2024. Hayden Wenseski, Ben Brown and Cade Horton remain sidelined. Joining them on the IL are Colten Brewer, Julian Merryweather, Adbert Alzolay, Luke Little and Yency Almonte.

Miller, acquired from Seattle in mid-May, has been a staple for Counsell basically since he came to Chicago. The right-hander owns a 2.48 ERA and a sub-1.000 WHIP in 39 appearances. Frankly, it's hard to think where this team would be without the contributions of these guys.

Most of the criticism of Counsell is rooted in the fact that Cubs fans saw him as a miracle worker after his time in Milwaukee. He always seemed to get more out of his team than expected and the Brewers have been a thorn in Chicago's side for years. Maybe that magic will appear in the season's final weeks - but so far, it hasn't - and that's frustrated more than a few in the fanbase.