To begin 2024, the Chicago Cubs seemed to win games despite their bullpen. Through the first couple of weeks of the season, reliever Julian Merriweather appeared to be the only one who could be counted on to get efficient outs. Then, he got hurt and was out for a long while, and it showed.
The bad bullpen teamed up with an offensive inability to hit to give the Cubs excruciatingly painful results as the calendar flipped to summertime. The losses piled up, and the Cubs found themselves deep in a hole, and many questioned whether they could crawl out of it. However, as time passes, the bullpen begins to find its form.
The Cubs’ starting rotation has been one of the best in baseball in 2024. Despite injuries to Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, and youngsters Jordan Wicks and Ben Brown, the efforts from the supporting cast have been nothing short of fantastic. Shota Imanaga has been everything the Cubs signed up for and more. Javier Assad continues to be one of the best-kept secrets in baseball.
We’ve been waiting for the bullpen to catch up with the starting rotation so that the Cubs can have a winning pitching staff from start to finish. As we have been asking for it, the bullpen has been delivering. Quietly, bullpen coach Darren Holmes has his staff looking like one of the best in baseball recently.
The Cubs have not been able to continuously build the necessary momentum to win baseball games. But don’t blame the bullpen. As Michael Cerami points out above via Twitter, the relief staff on the North Side of Chicago is one of the best in baseball since June 1st. They are forcing weak contact and not letting runs score.
The bullpen lost Mark Leiter Jr. in a trade-deadline transaction that sent him to the New York Yankees at the deadline. However, Leiter’s departure brought young right-hander Jack Neely to Chicago in return. Currently pitching for a star-studded AAA roster in Iowa, Neely is someone the Cubs anticipate to have as part of their bullpen as soon as this season. Additionally, the Cubs acquired Nate Pearson from the Toronto Blue Jays, who we have already seen appear.
In the last 30 days, Jorge López and Drew Smyly have combined for 21.2 innings out of the bullpen without allowing a run. Hector Neris has a 1.93 earned run average and is a perfect 4-4 in save opportunities in that span (though he is on the hook for two losses). Combine that with an offense starting to score runs, and the Cubs are figuring out how to execute as one.
There is a long way to go for the Cubs to crawl out of the hole they’ve dug themselves into. However, there is a glimmer of hope. The starters are going deeper into games. The offense is threatening more. The bullpen is stopping opponents from scoring. If the Cubs can translate these traits into winning games, don’t slam the door shut on a miracle on the North Side.
