Maddon was just as bad as Ross at times with constructing a lineup I thought. After we lost Dexter Fowler we tried some really strange options at leadoff it felt like and like Ross Maddon never really put consistent lineups out there either. You look at some of the best teams in baseball and they usually play their best guys on a regular basis regardless who is on the mound. Guys settle into a role knowing they are going to bat in a certain spot or a certain part of the lineup consistently and not get benched or moved up or down the order based on what arm the opposing pitcher throws with.
This is where computer analytics complicate things because if a guy gets benched every time there is a lefty on the mound because the computer says it's a bad matchup how is that player ever going to improve hitting lefties when they rarely face them.
For some reason I'm not shocked with the slump this team is in right now because we've seen it more than once already. I get that Ross says he's managing like they are in a playoff push but when the offense is in a funk why not give PCA and Canario some chances and see if a hungry rookie can spark some offense. A rookie getting his 1st career MLB hit could be one of those moments that lifts the clubhouse spirits a bit as some guys seem to be pressing a bit right now. Cubs have kind of been playing with house money this year as no one expected them to be in the playoff hunt so shaking things up a bit to finish out the year isn't going to hurt anything when the status quo isn't working either.
