NL DIVISION SERIES: CUBS VS BREWERS

October 6, 2025

Craig Counsell

American Family Field

Chicago Cubs

Postgame 2 Press Conference

Brewers 7, Cubs 3

Q. Craig, how do you digest a game like that?

CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, I mean, look, we made a couple mistakes with multiple runners on base, and after getting off to a great start, those mistakes with two, three-run homers, you're not going to win playoff games giving up two, three-run homers. That was just too much to overcome.

Q. It looked like you tried everything you could to get some run production starting with your lineup tonight. But since all of your runs have been via homer, what do you have to do to stay in this series going forward?

CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, I mean, I think in the first two games we have just not produced enough pressure on them. First two innings we did a nice job and we had two at-bats with runners in scoring position today. That's a pretty good sign that we're not creating enough pressure. We had one hit after the second inning.

That's going to add up to a lot of zeros, and that's what happened the last seven or eight innings.

We've got to find a way to just create more pressure, and that's base runners, hits, walks. We've got to have more pressure and make innings and kind of pitching decisions much tougher on the other side.

Q. Just the variety of arms they have coming out of the bullpen, just how dangerous is that and how tough is that to deal with all the different guys they had coming in after?

CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, look, I think from our perspective, we started the game off in a really good way. We scored a bunch off Ashby, made him work, got him out of there before the second inning was complete.

But we had early opportunities -- maybe Misiorowski before he settled in. We needed to get him before he settled in, and he made some pitches to strike out Happ. If Ian gets on there, then there's some pressure on him immediately.

But ultimately we didn't create pressure on any of their guys, so then they got some confidence and obviously they had a lead and the lead -- pitching with that lead helps as well.

Just couldn't get anything going.

Q. They hit you back so fast in the first. I don't know how much you believe in momentum as a thing, as a factor, but was that just such a swing that it was hard to overcome and it's going to be hard to overcome?

CRAIG COUNSELL: Well, I mean, look, we got two outs there. Yeah, you get an out there and there's no question it's a different game. That's what the three-run homers do. It changes games dramatically.

We got one first. To put up a zero in that inning, it's a completely different game, obviously. But credit to Vaughn; he got a pitch and had a good at-bat and fouled off a couple pitches and hit one. At that point, you're back to even, back to square one, you know, in a ballgame, completely in a ballgame, completely in the ballgame even after Contreras' homer.

Daniel just 0-2 unfortunately, just left too much at the plate on an 0-2 pitch.

Two three-run homers, that's playoff game, any game, tough to overcome two three-run homers.

Q. Miz and Chourio were a couple guys that were starting to get some pretty good hype when you were in the organization. I was curious if you envisioned them as real impact players from what you knew and know of them?

CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, both very talented players, and yeah, I think you expected them to be big leaguers, absolutely.

Q. Going back to Chicago, what's got to be the mindset, the mentality for the team?

CRAIG COUNSELL: It's simple. We've got to just win pitches. We've got to win moments. You've got to stay with your process and your routines. It's simple as that. We've got our work cut out for us, but it's done by winning one pitch at a time and succeeding one pitch at a time.

It's going to be a fun environment and we're looking forward to Wednesday, and our road back to Milwaukee starts on Wednesday afternoon.

Q. I know Shota has talked about just trying to find answers to some of the first-inning struggles and the home runs. Obviously the first two batters was seemingly locked in. What do you make of those continued issues popping up despite him trying to find a way to get rolling in those areas?

CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, there's a tipping point to, I think, giving up home runs, and Shota has succeeded because he's kept runners off base and maybe the solo home run doesn't hurt you as much. Again, I'm going to reiterate; a three-run homer is going to kill you, and you can survive some solo home runs. Home runs with men on base like that, you're going to have a tough time surviving them.

He did get off to a good start. There was some swing and miss the first two innings for sure that was good to see. But the long ball and the rate he's giving it up right now with runners on base, that's going to be hard to overcome.

Q. Craig, just the way guys are going, you look at your pieces right now, do you have enough to work with to do this? Do you see a path with what you've got?

CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, the path starts -- it's a Wednesday game and it's a Jameson Taillon good start that gets us into the game. We've got to get our starters into the game. That has to happen, especially if you're going to try to win three games in four days. We're going to have to get our starters into the game.

J-Mo is tasked with it on Wednesday, and looking forward to handing him the ball.