For the first time since 2020, the Chicago Cubs had popped the champagne. They made their way to October on Wednesday night itself with an 8-4 win over Pittsburgh. And this is the party that fans have been waiting for so long. And Craig Counsell was elated, saying, “It’s a grind of a season. You celebrate the first goal you accomplished.”

But now they’re back in the real world, having merely landed in the following series. The moment the celebration of advancing to the playoffs was about to begin, all sound was suddenly muted. Out of nowhere, the Cubs have fallen to the Cincinnati Reds in a pair of games. So now the tone has changed, and it serves as a reminder that reaching October isn’t going to solve their problems.

Plus, what doesn’t help is Craig Counsell’s comments after their recent 6-3 loss in Cincinnati. The message was blunt for sure, but maybe too blunt for a team that’s been waiting for this moment for a very long time.

Instead of brushing the skid aside and saying that things will look perfect, the manager put the focus on the poor gameplay. “I don’t think we swung the bats great the last two nights, and I don’t think we’ve pitched great the last two nights,” Counsell mentioned, laying the blame on his players. And this didn’t sit well with the city. This late in the season, the fans don’t want finger-pointing—they want accountability.

Sure, they have their postseason secured, but the Reds reminded them that things won’t come easy. Cincinnati moved past Chicago with a 6-3 lead by home runs from Spencer Steer, TJ Friedl, and Tyler Stephenson. Michael Busch gave the Cubs the lead in the third with his 30th homer of the year. It was a 432-foot blast, but the Reds answered pretty quickly and didn’t look back.

Resse McGuire’s RBI double in the seventh pulled Chicago Cubs within one, only for Friedl and Stephenson to deliver the blows late. Zack Littell turned in five steady innings for Cincinnati, and Emilio Pagan managed his 29th save with a nice, clean ninth. Drew Pomeranz was tagged with the loss after surrendering Steer’s go-ahead homer. The Reds are now on a four-game winning streak! One more game is coming up, and Counsell’s comments are not inspiring confidence for the fans. Not to mention, there are so many variables that still need answers.

Fans lash out at the Cubs skipper over looming issues

A user said, “Who cares what Counsell says? Whatever success the Cubs have had this year has been in spite of Counsell.” It is harsh, but it does capture the mood around Wrigley after the post-game comments. And here is a fun wrinkle—back when Craig Counsell was at Notre Dame, his college coach, Pat Murphy, was asked if he ever saw Counsell as a future MLB manager. The answer he gave was a simple—NO! Murphy thought Counsell would be in finance, not the dugout. Well, fans might think Murphy had a premonition.

“Good thing you don’t care about results, though, right, clown?” said a user. And this jab hits harder now with the latest Kyle Tucker drama. The Cubs’ star right fielder is now dealing with a nagging calf injury and is headed to Tampa for some specialist treatment, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The stakes couldn’t be higher. If Tucker plays, Chicago gains one of the league’s top bats. If he doesn’t, then they lose a star just as October begins. And above that, Tucker’s free agent future is looming above them, and that’s probably half a billion dollars!

A fan user jabbed, “Don’t say ‘don’t think,’ just say.” This simply questions Counsell’s choices. And the next big question for him is Shota Imanaga. The lefty has given up 10 homers in his last five outings. And while solid otherwise, the magic has faded. Early on, the Cubs were 33-12 in his starts, but since August 1, they are just 3-6. So should Counsell not rethink Imanaga’s role? Hence, it’s understandable why fans are mad. Plus, all this comes at the foot of when insiders think that the Cubs are capable winning the World Series.

Highlighting an issue, one user said, “My fellow Cubs fans, if you can afford playoff tickets, it might be one and done. IF the bats and the pitching didn’t come around.” Sure, the bats have gone quiet at times, but honestly, the bigger issue may indeed be the pitching. It was something even Floyd talked about recently. You also can’t ignore the issue with Matthew Boyd. From 2020 to 2024, his season high for innings pitched was just 78⅔ ⅔ due to injuries. This year he is already at 174⅓, and the wear is showing. His ERA, which was 4.74 in the second half, has gone up to 6.49 over the past month. So should Counsell roll the dice. He is lined up to start against the Mets. If October needs a fourth starter, maybe a week’s rest can help.

Despite securing a postseason berth, the Cubs face an uphill battle. They are seven games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central with seven games remaining. While holding the tiebreaker against Milwaukee, the most likely scenario is a Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field. Michael Busch emphasized the focus remains on the present, saying, “Not really anticipating it [yet]… We’ve still got seven games left to play—some pretty big ones for us.”

The Cubs’ next and final game against the Reds could set the tone for their October campaign. For fans, the excitement of making the playoffs now comes with a sobering reminder: the real work has just begun.