Cubs' bullpen stars in needed win over the Blue Jays

A relief pitcher’s job is not easy, and it can often be thankless on top of that. 

We can be too quick to take it for granted when they do their job well, but when they blow a lead or let a win slip away, that becomes the story of the day.

The Chicago Cubs’ bullpen has done their job really well most of the time this season, and especially over the last couple of months. They have the lowest ERA (1.95) in baseball since June 27, which coincides with roughly the time the team started — albeit slowly — bouncing back. With Saturday’s 3-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, they’re back to two games under .500 and continuing to hold on to a spot in the National League wild card standings that’s within reach of the postseason.

Saturday’s win showcased the value of a strong bullpen, when six relievers had to cover seven innings for the Cubs.

Justin Steele’s day was over after two innings thanks to a pair of rain delays. The first started with one out in the second and lasted 39 minutes, though he came back out and finished the second inning. But when another rain delay was called while the Cubs were up to bat in the bottom of the second, manager Craig Counsell started warming up his bullpen.

Taking Steele out of the game was a precautionary move, Counsell said, both for that day and Steele’s long-term health. But that big-picture decision meant, in the immediacy of Saturday’s game, there would be plenty of subsequent decisions to make to navigate the next seven frames.

Counsell ended up using Nate Pearson, Tyson Miller, Julian Merryweather, Drew Smyly, Porter Hodge and Jorge López, and the group allowed just two runs to protect the lead the Cubs’ offense had thanks to Ian Happ’s lead-off home run in the first inning and a two-RBI triple from Michael Busch in the fifth.

“It’s a tough job, it’s generally a volatile job,” Counsell said. “But I think they depend on each other. I really think that’s an important part of this.”

Counsell has described the bullpen as almost like a team-within-a-team, one that can thrive on each others’ collective effort on a day like Saturday.

“They do have to work together, and they do all have to pitch,” Counsell said. “You need a bunch of guys to be successful at it, and everybody has to carry [their] load, so to speak, because you help make each other successful.”

In some cases, this means relievers picking each other up. For the most part, the guys who came into the game pitched clean innings, but things got a little wobbly in the seventh.

In that inning, Smyly was only able to record one out while giving up a run and leaving with two runners on. With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. due up, Counsell trusted the rookie Hodge to take over in a high-leverage spot. Miguel Amaya and Isaac Paredes teamed up to catch George Springer stealing third for the second out, and then Hodge got Guerrero to fly out to end the inning with the Cubs’ lead still intact.

Counsell said his plan for that inning was to go to Hodge if a dangerous hitter came up to bat, so when Guerrero’s turn was up, he pulled Smyly and handed the ball to Hodge.

Hodge has emerged as a steadying force in a bullpen that does not have many clearly defined roles. Héctor Neris might be the de facto closer. Counsell said he went with López in the ninth because Neris threw 33 pitches on Friday, but Counsell would also be forgiven for being a little leery of going to Neris again after he blew a 5-2 lead the day before. 

But Saturday, with Toronto threatening to undo the Cubs’ three-run lead, Counsell turned to Hodge to get the outs the team needed. Hodge threw 1.2 innings and didn’t allow a run, lowering his season ERA to 2.15.

He was initially called up by the Cubs on May 17 but was sent back to Triple-A Iowa a few weeks later. Hodge has been back in the majors since June 19, and in 26 appearances this season, he has allowed runs in only four of them.

“I just feel like [with] all the good outings I’ve had, it gives me the confidence to just go at hitters,” Hodge said. 

With Neris effectively down, López earned the save to cap off the bullpen’s efforts. He gave up a leadoff homer to Addison Barger before settling in to strike out the next three batters: Springer, Daulton Varsho and Guerrero.

“They did a hell of a job today, and they’ve been on a great run, especially here lately,” Steele said. “Days like today, where the weather is what it is, for them to come in and cover so many innings and do it as well as they did, for me I just tip my cap to them.”

Each win carries extra weight down the stretch as the Cubs hang on to what bit of hope they have left that they might be playing meaningful games next month or even in October. Their playoff chances are still slim; FanGraphs bumped their odds from 3.4 percent to 5.6 percent after Friday’s win. But they sit just four games out of a wild card spot with Saturday’s win, and they won’t play a team with a winning record until the New York Yankees come to Wrigley after Labor Day. 

The time for the Cubs to keep inching forward is now, and thanks to their bullpen, they took another step in the right direction on Saturday. They may not get the credit they are always due and have to unduly wear it when things go wrong, but the group of relievers in Counsell’s bullpen has been one of baseball’s best for most of this season.

“Ever since I’ve been over here, these guys are horses,” Pearson told CHGO. “They all have sick numbers, and they all do their part. 

“When the starter comes out of the game and we’re winning, I think we should win every single game because of the guys we have in the ‘pen. It’s pretty comforting knowing that it’s the fifth or sixth inning and we’re winning, and hand it over to our bullpen, and we’re going to get the job done.”