If Z was told during the winter that he was on a short leash, then he could be in trouble. But I don't remember too many people here or elsewhere complaining abou the team he put together during spring training. He may have run out of fairy dust in stocking his bullpen...but hard to predict so many arms falling short. What if he hadn't picked up Lowe?
As for Mac, in my mind he has done absolutely nothing to deserve blame. He's still the best manager since Lou by a country mile.
The quick answer is the players have to play better. Maybe they're just not capable--which you could lay at Jack's feet in terms of the young hitters. But again, no one seemed outraged when we made our first round picks.
It's just baffling. Seems like the talent level would be producing better. But to blame the manager for that, in this case, seems like a simplistic conclusion.