Craig Counsell talks Cubs pitching plan for Game 5 of the NLDS | Marquee Sports Network

Craig Counsell talks Cubs pitching plan for Game 5 of the NLDS | Marquee Sports Network

I was uh just curious, do you guys have a starting pitcher for tomorrow for game five? No, no, not yet. Craig, uh, when you look at how difficult your schedule’s been for the last week and your guys have played three elimination games in a row, might that be something that just brings these great players and athletes together and brings out the very best in them? Is that something from your experience, is that what you’re you’re looking at right now? Um, look, I think, you know, we we spent some time talking about, you know, how you feel in the game, the third game against San Diego, certainly. Um, we’ve now been through it, you know, two other times. So, this is this is game number four under that scenario. Um, and yeah, so I think we we’re three and0 in that scenario. So, guys have processed it pretty well. I think we’ve got gotten some big performances. Um but I think yeah I mean I think we are great athletes do rise to the occasion um in moments like this and um we’ve we’ve seen a lot of examples of it with this with this team. Craig just on your starting pitching decision is show’s recent struggles factoring in how how much and or do you just look more at the totality of the body of work? I think, you know, this is a game where we have we’re going to have everybody everybody available. U maybe with the exception with the exception of Matt Boyd. Everyone’s going to be available. Um and so, you know, it you’re going to it’s cliche here, but I’m going to tell you, we’ve got, you know, 11 pitchers to figure out how to get 27 outs. Um and that that’s how we’re treating it. Um, we’re certainly going to need, you know, the the the bullpen formula that we’ve used. Um, you know, we’re going to get have to get half the outs from guys not named those, you know, not those not not those five guys, right? Um, and that’s that’s how we’re that’s how we’re looking at it and that’s that’s what we’re going to have to get. Hey, Craig. Uh, just as a guy from the from the Midwest, how how great, how special is an elimination game between the Cubs and the Brewers, Chicago and Milwaukee, and and I know you’re all about your your team, of course, but is it a little funny to be, you know, a funny feeling to be going back there with a potentially to kind of add on to how long it’s been there since they’ve won a series. Yeah, I I’ve been thinking about this. The thing I’m just thinking about how do we advance? I mean, it it’s it’s almost like the opponent is is doesn’t matter right now. You’re just try how do we advance? Um and because the others like who you play and all the stories around that that doesn’t matter. Um how do we advance? Um and so that’s been really my focus. The color of the uniform, it doesn’t matter. Like let’s just figure out how to beat them. um how to figure out, you know, put together a game plan for their personnel um and try to figure out a way to beat them. It’s it’s just it’s survive and advance. That’s it. Doesn’t matter who you’re playing. I realize this is a remote scenario, but is there any way that Kade Horton feels great tomorrow and one of your players is injured and all of a sudden there’s No, that’s not happening. Craig, what do what do you think the Brewers will do? Do you think you’ll see a lot of Misarowski? Um, do you think you’ll see an opener? What What are your thoughts on on their side? I think they’re looking at it the same way we are as they, you know, they’re they’re they may have a couple guys down because they’ve had a couple guys pitch a little more. Um, but um, we’re going to see Ms. You know, we’re going to see Mizowski, you know, we’re going to see. We’re gonna see Kanig, we’re gonna see McIll. So, like that’s, you know, you can kind of plan on seeing those guys. Um those are their those are their top guys. Um and everybody else is available, I’m sure. So, in a scenario like this, um you know, it’s a bunch of that. Um and our job is just to make it hard on those guys and to to affect the plan and to put them in bad situations. Craig, uh, what what has been the, um, impact of Tucker as of late, and how have you seen him slowly become more of the real Kyle Tucker version at bat? Yeah, I mean, look, Kyle is is such a gifted hitter and um you know, with that I think goes incredible expectations. Um and he he he in a way like the way he started off his tenure with the Cubs like probably raised the expectations, right? Um, and since then some things have not gone right, but I think, you know, my thought in this always has been like Kyle is going to impact this thing. He’s he’s just too good of a player, too good of a hitter. Um, he he’s going to impact this thing. Um hopefully it’s happening at the at the best time, right? Um definitely the last two games have been um some of his best bats and and and sometimes you just see it just by the takes. The takes have been just really solid. I thought the the the first inning takes, some of the takes against Ashby, um that gives you a pretty good idea a lot of times how a hitter’s feeling. Just last night, you were able to get the add-on runs that you haven’t been able to get after the first inning in other games this series. Just what did you like or what was the difference in the approach to the plate after the first inning last night that maybe helped and that might might help you moving forward? Yeah, I mean the difference is we I thought I don’t know how many innings we put the leadoff guy on, but it felt like it felt like we had the lead off guy on maybe five of the nine innings. Um, and I just think as soon as you do that, it’s just the pitcher under pressure immediately. Um and so we didn’t cash in every single one, you know, we cashed in on some homers mostly, but um we did we did put them under a lot of pressure and and that pressure I think eventually leads to the runs could lead could lead to the home run when a guy comes out and he’s you know had pressure the last inning. Um so I think I think we did a much better job throughout the 27 outs last night of just applying pressure. Greg, did uh Horton throw his bullpen session today? And if so, how did it go? He did throw his bullpen. Um he he threw a kind of we call it an up down bullpen. So he threw like an inning, sat sat and then went out and threw went and threw another inning. Um everything went really well. Uh it was a really positive day. Um, so obviously how how he feels kind of post and how he feels tomorrow are really important. Um, but the actual throwing session went very well. Greg, you’ve uh you’ve talked about the first inning and so is Murf to the point of it seems like the first inning has taken over for the ninth inning in the these playoff series. Is there is this the first time that that’s felt that way to you during your experience? Is it just more pronounced or are we just just hearing it more? Well, it it’s hard not to it’s hard not to wor be so focused on the first inning with just the way the first four games have gone. Um and really since all of our playoff games have gone, right? Um so, you know, maybe it’s it’s the results. Um I think the first inning is a is a big inning in the game. Uh probably an underestimated how big the inning is. Um, but this series has been, you know, way past that. It’s been, I don’t know, 60% of the runs scored the series have come in one inning and it’s the first inning. So, I don’t know what the number is, but um, and I think so it just makes you focused on it. Absolutely. Yeah. And I told you yesterday, I thought Matt Boyd’s the first inning was absolutely crucial to the game and and he uh you know, especially after the yellowish walk, he he made pitches to kind of lock down that inning and that’s a tremendous confidence builder for sure. All right, we’ll do one more question for Craig. Are you guys packing for LA? Yeah. I mean, we’re the Yeah, we’re going to LA after Milwaukee, so that’s You have to be prepared to do it. Um, that’s the plan. Absolutely. [Music]

Hear from Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell ahead of Game 5 of the best-of-five NL Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, as the Cubs skipper addresses the Cubs’ pitching plan for game 5.

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Craig Counsell talks Cubs pitching plan for Game 5 of the NLDS | Marquee Sports Network