Cubs manager calls out ESPN reporter

The Chicago Cubs were able to win their first game since the All-Star break on Sunday in a 2-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. But despite this, Cubs manager Craig Counsell had to answer one question in particular from ESPN reporter Jesse Rogers that was quite critical, leading to a testy interaction between the two.

Rogers asked Counsell about an at-bat in the seventh inning from Cubs outfielder Christopher Morel with a runner in scoring position, describing the strikeout from Morel by saying that it “looked like he was swinging for the lake”.

“Earlier in the game, some of the at-bats… In the seventh inning with Morel, there is a tying run at second. It looked like he was swinging for the lake there,” said Rogers. “What do you think about some of those at-bats?”

Counsell immediately called out Rogers for the “swinging for the lake” comment, saying it was a “bad take”.

“C’mon Jesse… Come on. That’s your comment? I think that’s a bad take. I think that’s a bad take. He’s swinging for the lake? That’s a bad take.”

Rogers then asked Counsell why it was a “bad take”, which prompted Counsell to reply with the reality of the situation.

“He’s having a good at-bat trying to hit the ball hard,” said Counsell. “It didn’t work. The pitcher made a good pitch. He made an out.”

If you’re Counsell, you kind of have to defend your player in this situation when you get this kind of blunt comment. As far as Rogers referring to Morel’s at-bat as “swinging for the lake”, that can certainly be seen as a bit harsh.

This comment from Rogers could potentially be more of a dig at Morel’s struggles this season. The 25-year-old is hitting for just a .202 batting average, a .304 on-base percentage, and a -0.2 wins-above-replacement (WAR) on the year.

However, these stats are somewhat misleading. While the standard stats certainly tell a negative story about Morel, the advanced stats show that he has actually been quite unlucky this season.

Morel’s expected wOBA (weighted on-base average) is .o50 points lower than his current xwOBA (expected weighted on-base percentage). This essentially means that when it comes to the balls Morel puts in play at the plate this season, Morel is getting unlucky. In fact, he has the third-highest negative differential between his wOBA and xwOBA, which means there is an argument that he has been the third unluckiest hitter in baseball this year.

Regardless, it sure seems like Counsell has his back when it comes to the criticism against him. Which has to be nice to see as a player.

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