How the once-maligned Cubs bullpen is getting it done with a motley crew of relievers

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After weathering some early, high-profile bullpen issues, the Chicago Cubs have put together one of the best bullpens in baseball, finding quality arms in a variety of different, unexpected ways. 

But, yeah, it started out pretty terribly. 

The Cubs started 0-2 in the Japan Series and then split their first two games in Arizona once the full MLB schedule got going. They were on the cusp of taking three of four from the Diamondbacks before a major bullpen meltdown allowed eight runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on March 30. 

The Cubs won five straight games after that and haven’t lost first place since. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean the bullpen meltdowns were over.

That five-game winning streak ended when the Cubs couldn’t hold a 7-3 lead on April 6. On April 14, they had a 3-1 lead in the middle of the sixth inning, only to lose 10-4. And, of course, in one of the greatest bullpen explosions we’ve ever seen, the Giants scored nine runs in the top of the 11th inning on May 6, ruining Ryan Pressly’s ERA for the entire season in one fell swoop. 

That latter game was an outlier, though. Circle back to that April 14 loss to the Padres where three different relievers were touched up. Things settled down pretty well after that for manager Craig Counsell and his bullpen. 

Through that April 14 game, the Cubs’ bullpen ranked 26th in the majors with a 5.23 ERA. They had already taken four losses and blown five saves, even though the Cubs were 11-8 overall. It was bad enough that one couldn’t help but wonder if all of these losses would cost them down the road. After all, it’s possible — and remains possible — that the NL Central could be decided by only a few games. 

Counsell, though, was long known in Milwaukee for his ability to find a great bullpen mix and get the most out of the arms in his relief corps. That skill has transferred over to Wrigley.

Since that April 14 catastrophe, the Cubs’ bullpen has a 2.70 ERA, which is the best in baseball in that time — it’s actually not even close, as the Rangers are second at 3.10. They have only four blown saves in that period.

Part of it is some of the pitchers are throwing better, but another part is some changes in bullpen personnel and how the holdover relievers are being used by Counsell. 

“The Island of Misfit Toys” was a description for Billy Beane’s Moneyball-era Oakland Athletics and the Cubs’ bullpen seems to come from a similar blueprint, even if that wasn’t the original intent of Jed Hoyer’s front office — though, really, given how volatile relief pitchers are, it isn’t a bad idea. 

Pressly was the high-profile guy heading into the season. The two-time All-Star got the final out of the 2022 World Series and came over in a trade in late January, after the Cubs lost out to the Dodgers on free-agent relievers Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates. Pressly dodged a lot of bullets early: through seven outings, he had a 3.86 ERA, but had given up 11 hits and six walks in seven innings (2.43 WHIP) while only having struck out two. Everything fell apart with the nine-run outing — he didn’t even record a single out — on May 6. He’s only given up a run in one outing since, sporting a 0.92 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 19 ⅔ innings. 

In the process, though, Pressly lost the closer role and Daniel Palencia has stepped in. Porter Hodge was in the late-inning mix down the stretch last season and was expected to be the primary setup man for Pressly. He’s also had his ERA ruined by a meltdown (six runs in two-thirds of an inning on April 18) and only recently returned from injury. His upside is high and the best bet is his numbers by the end of the year look good.

Other than Pressly and Hodge, some of the setup men deployed by Counsell include Brad Keller, Caleb Thielbar and Drew Pomeranz. Yeah, that’s a lot of so-called setup men, but that’s how many Counsell uses. He just mixes and matches based on whatever factors he sees fit. Ryan Brasier and Chris Flexen round out the current bullpen. 

Misfit toys? You betcha. 

Keller, who spent his early career starting for the Royals, had a 5.44 ERA in relief last season for both Sox teams. In 37 appearances for the Cubs this year? A 1.82 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 37 strikeouts. He routinely hits triple digits with his fastball now. 

Thielbar, a lefty, pitched for the Twins from 2013-15, but then didn’t return to the majors until 2020. He was worth -0.6 WAR with a 5.32 ERA last season at age 37. And yet, he’s rocking a 1.97 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 32 innings this year. 

Pomeranz was an All-Star starting pitcher in 2016, but he hadn’t pitched in the majors since 2021. He was released and re-signed by the Mariners in March, only for the Cubs to pick him up in a minor trade on April 21. He hasn’t given up a run in 22 ⅔ innings with a 0.84 WHIP. He’s stranded 10 of his 12 inherited runners, too. 

Brasier, like Thielbar, is in his age-37 season (Pomeranz is “only” 36). He’s only worked 13 ⅔ innings but has a 1.32 ERA.  

The 31-year-old Flexen was mostly a starter before the Cubs acquired him. He was 3-15 for the White Sox last season. In his 15 relief appearances for the North Siders this year, he has a 0.64 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in 28 innings. He’s proven to be such a useful length guy that he’s even managed to rack up four wins already.

Palencia is the one to watch, though. He’s always had an electric arm, it’s just been tough for him to harness it. He had a 5.02 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in 37 outings in 2023-24. He struck guys out, but walked far too many and would get hit hard on occasion. He didn’t even make the Cubs out of spring training, starting the season with five outings for Triple-A Iowa. He blew his first save chance as closer — though his defense didn’t do right by him that game — but has a 1.17 ERA and 0.98 WHIP with 19 strikeouts against three unintentional walks in 15 ⅓ innings since. His 99.4 mph fastball ranks fourth in baseball behind Jhoan Duran, Mason Miller and Seth Halvorsen. Most of all, though, Palencia is starting to really look the part of an elite, intimidating closer.

The Cubs enter play on Thursday with a three-game lead in the NL Central over the Brewers while the Cardinals are five back and the Reds sit 6 ½ out. The Cubs remain the favorites to take the division, too (-220, per Caesars). If they finish the job, it’ll be in no small part due to the way this bullpen has been scraped together by Hoyer, how it’s been used by Counsell and how this motley crew has performed on the mound as a dominant force since the middle of April. 

This news was originally published on this post .

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