CHICAGO -- There is no set combination for the Cubs’ bullpen right now. Without closer Daniel Palencia available, manager Craig Counsell is making decisions based on the inning, state of the game, lineup section and availability. There are games when it works, and then there are days like Saturday.
The Cubs’ embattled bullpen surrendered eight runs across the seventh and eighth innings, sending the North Siders to an 8-6 loss to the Blue Jays at Wrigley Field. The late push by Toronto spoiled a strong start from veteran Colin Rea and effectively erased the impact of home runs from Matt Shaw and Pete Crow-Armstrong.
“We just didn’t have a good day in the bullpen,” Counsell said. “Colin pitched great. He definitely put us in position to win. When you have three guys kind of have bad days, we gave up a lot of runs because of it. We just didn’t get it done today.”
Palencia landed on the injured list earlier this week due to a right elbow issue that was diagnosed as a mild flexor strain via a recent MRI exam. It marks the second trip to the IL this season for Chicago’s closer, but he has hardly been alone. A long list of relievers have spent time or are currently on the shelf.
Caleb Thielbar missed time due to a left hamstring injury and Phil Maton was out for a stretch due to a right knee setback. Both veterans have dealt with inconsistency since rejoining the fold. Porter Hodge (right elbow) is out for the year. Hunter Harvey (stress reaction near right triceps/shoulder) is out. Riley Martin (left elbow) is on the IL after an impressive debut earlier this season.
It has been a messy situation that has created opportunities for some unexpected arms to emerge as trusted options. That said, the other side of all the injuries – including rotation setbacks that pulled Ben Brown, Javier Assad and Rea into the starting staff – has been a lot of bending with the goal of avoiding a breaking point.
Things snapped apart on the Cubs on Saturday.
“Every season throws stuff at you,” Counsell said. “And you’ve just got to roll with it and you’ve got to be ready for it and you’ve got to adjust to it. And that will continue to happen. And that’s how it’s going to be.”
After Rea gave the Cubs 5 1/3 scoreless innings, Counsell turned to lefty Ryan Rolison to face lefty-swinging Nathan Lukes with runners on the corners, one out and Chicago holding a 3-0 lead. Rea was only at 78 pitches, but the matchup made sense and the result from Rolison was clutch.
Rolison got Lukes to chop into an inning-ending double play with only one pitch.
“One pitch, two outs, no one scored,” Rea said. “In the moment, it was huge.”
It also set things up for Counsell to use righty Trent Thornton, Thielbar and righty Jacob Webb in the final three frames.
“I mean, that’s how we want tomorrow’s game to go,” Counsell said.
With a 5-0 lead, Thornton took over in the seventh, ran into trouble and yielded a three-run homer to Daulton Varsho. Lefty Caleb Thielbar took over and escaped that frame, but then put the first two runners aboard in the eighth. At that turn, Counsell handed the ball to Webb, who has been solid for most of this campaign.
Webb, however, allowed consecutive RBI singles to Alejandro Kirk and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and then watched Kazuma Okamoto launch a go-ahead, three-run homer into the left-field bleachers to complete Toronto’s comeback. Webb has now allowed seven runs in his last five appearances, following a 15-game run with a 0.51 ERA dating back to May 1.
“I just didn’t … execute today. Period. Plain and simple,” Webb said. “I’m coming in to stop the game right there. It’s not anything other than that. I mean, the last few outings, I’ve just made mistake after mistake, truly. And it’s pretty … frustrating, I’m not going to lie.”
The Cubs’ bullpen has a respectable 3.82 ERA overall this season, but that included a 4.94 ERA in June as issues have mounted. Chicago is counting on the veteran-laden group to pull things together.
“We’re pretty experienced down there,” Rea said. “I don’t think you look at one game and say, ‘Oh, we’ve had some injuries. You wonder how these guys are going to fill those roles.’ It’s just one game. I think moving forward, those guys will be just fine.”