When manager Craig Counsell stepped into the Cubs’ offices Monday, he found himself wishing the walk across the street in front of Wrigley Field had lasted longer.
‘‘Because that’s the cool part, and that’s the part you want to soak in,’’ he said before the Cubs beat the Rockies 5-0 in their home opener. ‘‘It’s going to be a lot of fun walking in here every day, for sure.’’
Counsell, of course, was plenty familiar with the visitors’ side of the ballpark. But the longtime Brewers manager wore Cubbie blue in front of a partially frozen crowd of about 40,000 for the first time Monday.
‘‘Probably more nervous that I get lost around here than once the game starts,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘Just finding your way around and everything. ... Can’t wait for the game to start.’’
He jogged out of the dugout in pinstripes during pregame festivities, pyrotechnics shooting up beside the blue carpet that led onto the field.
‘‘I cut the corner too sharp, I guess, and felt a little eyebrow singe,’’ Counsell said with a laugh. ‘‘That scared me a little. I didn’t know that they were popping fireworks out of there, honestly.’’
The starting lineup followed him — with uneven output from the sparklers. The lineup also featured two players who were taking part in a game at Wrigley Field for the first time. Left-hander Shota Imanaga pitched in his first MLB game, and rookie Michael Busch started at first base.
Hours before the game, Bush stood in the left-handed batter’s box, miming his swing. He put his new-ballpark routine into practice on his new home field.
Weathering Steele’s injury
It will take a team effort to mitigate the loss of left-hander Justin Steele (strained left hamstring) at least the next month.
‘‘It’s a tough schedule the next few weeks, as well,’’ president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. ‘‘So we have to figure it out. No one’s going to feel sorry for us. You do need depth. We didn’t hope to be tested this early, but we are going to be, and some guys are going to have to step up.’’
The Cubs listed their starter Wednesday, when Steele was scheduled to pitch, as ‘‘TBD.’’ But the pitchers aren’t the only ones who will shoulder extra responsibility.
‘‘From a defensive perspective, for the group, trying to only give the other team 27 outs,’’ left fielder Ian Happ said after the Cubs played a sloppy defensive series against the Rangers. ‘‘Everything adds up. So the more that we can make sure that guys don’t have to throw extra pitches, starters can go longer into games, give us a chance to use the bullpen less, that all adds up over the course of the season.
‘‘So that’s our responsibility, to do what we can to limit that. Play really solid defense, which this group has done for years now, and continue to have that as a strength of ours.’’
