The Chicago Cubs’ late-season cushion has all but disappeared, and the biggest reason is sitting in the bullpen.
With less than a month left in the regular season, the Cubs have slipped into the second slot in the Wild Card race, and Tuesday’s 9-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers was another ugly example of how shaky the relief corps has become. Daniel Palencia, Ryan Zeferjahn, Caleb Thielbar and Tyler Ferguson all gave up runs in the defeat.
Palencia was the first domino to fall. Back from the injured list during the Cubs’ last road trip and expected to help steady the bullpen, he was charged with the loss after entering in the sixth inning with Matthew Boyd and inheriting runners at second and third with one out. Chicago was protecting a 3-1 lead, but Palencia let Brice Turang score from third on a balk, then watched the Brewers tie the game when Andrew Vaughn ripped a double that glanced off Seiya Suzuki’s glove down the right-field line.
The inning was messy from the start. Milwaukee’s first two baserunners reached on infield hits, and while the Suzuki miscue was the glaring miss, Palencia still couldn’t finish off Christian Yelich on an 0-2 pitch. Yelich made him pay with a go-ahead two-run homer to close out a four-run sixth for Milwaukee.
Palencia has looked rough since returning from a two-month absence, though there is still a path back for him if he finds his rhythm again. Zeferjahn, on the other hand, has been a much bigger problem since arriving at the deadline.
Chicago briefly trimmed the gap with a run in the bottom of the sixth, but Zeferjahn came in and surrendered two more runs, with the second charged after he was removed. Thielbar then allowed the inherited runner to score.
The numbers around Zeferjahn have been brutal. In 10 innings with the Cubs since the trade deadline, he has given up eight earned runs on nine hits, including two home runs.
As a group, the bullpen has been trending the wrong way for a while. Since Aug. 11, Cubs relievers rank 22nd in MLB with a 4.81 ERA, and they’ve already blown five saves over that span, tied with two other teams for the most in baseball.
It’s starting to feel a lot like 2023, when a bullpen that had been dependable for months suddenly ran out of gas and cracked in September. The difference now is that Chicago doesn’t have many clean answers.
Palencia has to be good. Zeferjahn has to be good.
Jacob Webb has to be good. If that doesn’t happen soon, the stretch run could get very messy for the Cubs.
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