{"id":679121,"date":"2026-04-19T13:31:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T13:31:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/679121\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T13:31:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T13:31:20","slug":"cubs-fans-biggest-craig-counsell-criticism-holds-less-weight-with-each-passing-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/679121\/","title":{"rendered":"Cubs fans’ biggest Craig Counsell criticism holds less weight with each passing day"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let me start by admitting I have personally criticized Craig Counsell for shielding left-handed hitters from southpaw pitching – most notably in the case of Michael Busch<\/a> who, finally given a chance to be a true everyday player, has started the year in the worst slump of his big-league career.<\/p>\n

But this year, we’ve seen Counsell lean hard on righty-lefty matchups, regularly swapping in guys like Matt Shaw or Carson Kelly in for rookie Moises Ballesteros. While we all eventually want to see Ballesteros face lefties (and I’m confident that will happen this season), the Cubs’ skipper has pulled the right levers far more often than not – and Saturday’s come-from-behind win was the loudest evidence to-date.<\/p>\n

Tied 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth, the Mets went to left-hander Brooks Raley to face Ballesteros. Counsell immediately countered with Kelly, who blasted the first pitch he saw deep into the left-field bleachers for what proved to be a game-winning, three-run homer. <\/p>\n

Craig Counsell haters are absolutely FURIOUS right now. What a decision to pinch-hit Kelly for Mo-Baller https:\/\/t.co\/0E3ZtHMDTr<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jacob Zanolla (@jacobzanolla) April 18, 2026<\/a>Numbers don’t lie – and Craig Counsell is sticking to playing the matchups<\/p>\n

The Kelly homer led to a tenth consecutive Mets loss, giving the Cubs a chance for a series sweep <\/a>on Sunday behind Javier Assad. More notably, it came on the heels of Matt Shaw successfully pinch-hitting for Ballesteros on Friday as Chicago cruised to a 12-4 win over New York.<\/p>\n

It’s not hard to figure out why Counsell keeps making these moves. Ballesteros is batting just a tick under .400 this year against righties (.963 career OPS in 104 career MLB plate appearances), while Shaw has torched left-handers to the tune of an .829 OPS in his career. The numbers are there, so while we all want to see Ballesteros’ elite hit tool deployed on a daily basi<\/a>s, you can’t blame the Cubs’ skipper for playing the matchups as his team continues to shake off a slow start.<\/p>\n

With a southpaw on the mound for the Mets Sunday, it’s a near-guarantee we see Miguel Amaya or Shaw out of the DH spot, and given the recent trends, this is one roster question Counsell won’t have to spend a lot of time on – unlike his pieced-together bullpen situation. <\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow<\/a>