When the Cubs got on a roll back in June and through the middle of August, the bullpen stepped up and carried the pitching staff that was starting to show some cracks. Unfortunately, after seemingly getting overworked plus a few injuries later, the bullpen situation is in dire straights and things are only getting worse for the Cubs.
It took a few months longer than what they would have liked, but the offseason additions finally looked to be paying off, as David Ross had a solid quartet of relievers to rely on in high-leverage situations. Michael Fulmer, Julian Merryweather, Mark Leiter Jr., and Adbert Alzolay all contributed to a good bullpen during the summer, but now the team is down to only being able to count one one of those pitchers.
It was somewhat telling that Leiter wasn’t saved for a late-inning appearance Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates and instead was brought in during the sixth inning, when the Cubs were still trailing 8-6. The right-hander has been incredible against left-handed batters for most of the season, using his filthy splitter to great results. Well, that splitter just has not been effective for a few weeks and Leiter’s numbers have reflected as much.
Going back to Aug. 21, Leiter has allowed eight runs in 10 innings of work. That includes the three earned runs Wednesday night, including a back-backing, two-out, two-run homer from Connor Joe.
And it’s not as simple as Leiter giving up runs and that’s bad, it’s the fact that on Wednesday none of the 13 pitches he threw were splitters, which again is supposed to be his best pitch. That’s definitely not great to see.
Leiter was almost automatic through July, but as he’s reached and passed a career high in appearances and innings pitched in the majors, he’s regressed and has lost feel on his best weapon.
As for Fulmer, he was out for a couple weeks in late August into September and after coming back from the injured list he only made one appearance before going back on the IL with the same forearm strain. Speaking of forearm sprains, Alzolay is also sidelined with one and it doesn’t seem like he’ll be coming back this season.
Here’s what Bruce Levine posted on Thursday about the injured Cubs closer.
Cubs closer Adbert Alzolay still a ways away, throwing long toss today. No signs he will be ready before the season ends right now.
At this point it’s safe to assume that we won’t be seeing Fulmer or Alzolay return, at least in the regular season, and Leiter isn’t showing signs of coming back to form.
So, who is Ross going to lean on now? Well, Merryweather obviously had a few rough outings to begin the season and had another blip in the summer, but for the most part he’s been steady throughout the year. Since July 22, Merryweather has made 22 appearances and in 25.1 innings he’s posted a 1.42 ERA with 35 strikeouts.
Another pitcher who might see more high-leverage situations is veteran Brad Boxberger. The righty missed four months with a forearm strain, but since his return during the Cubs’ last road trip, he’s tossed 4.1 scoreless innings.
We’ll also see how the Cubs use Marcus Stroman, who has made a few relief outings since his return from the injured list. He pitched on back-to-back days against the Arizona Diamondbacks last weekend, including a save situation in extra innings.
I’m still hoping rookie lefty Luke Little will earn the trust of Ross because his nasty stuff definitely plays in close games when you want to limit contact and get strikeouts. So far in five appearances, Little has six strikeouts to two walks in 3.1 innings. During his time in the minor leagues this season, Little struck out 105 batters in 63.2 innings.
