Baseball is back! Sadly, the Chicago Cubs still have the same bull pen issues they’ve had for three to four seasons.
Going into the bottom of the eighth of yesterday’s game the Cubs were up 6-2 and it appeared the Cubs had this one in the bag. Five innings of scoreless work from their new lefty Matthew Boyd, a couple of big swings from Dansby Swanson, Seiya Suzuki, and Kyle Tucker, and a comfortable lead heading into the late innings. And then the bullpen did what the Cubs bullpen has become known for—they absolutely imploded.
If this all sounds familiar, that’s because it is. It’s like a broken record at this point. A Cubs starter does his job, the offense gives some cushion, and then the relievers set fire to everything in sight. Sunday’s game against the Diamondbacks was just the latest example of why this bullpen is a disaster waiting to happen. And yet, somehow, the front office thought this was good enough? Craig Counsell thought this was good enough? Tom Ricketts thought this was good enough?
There’s plenty of blame to go around here, but let’s start with the immediate problem—the guys coming out of the bullpen. This group couldn’t hold a four-run lead in the late innings. That’s just unacceptable. It started with some shaky control, the usual walk here, a bloop single there, and suddenly, you could feel the collapse coming before it even happened. The moment the Diamondbacks put runners on base, it was as if the entire stadium knew what was coming. A complete disaster.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. launches a two-run homer. Boom. The lead is cut in half. But that wasn’t even the backbreaker. The worst part was how it all just snowballed. Walk, single, double, another run. Josh Naylor comes through with a game-changing hit. Suddenly, the Cubs aren’t just blowing the lead—they’re giving up an eight-run inning. Eight runs! That’s the kind of stuff that makes fans start questioning life choices.
Now, let’s talk about Craig Counsell, who was hired to be the manager that would finally clean up this kind of mess. It was well-documented that Counsell got a record-setting contract to bring his magic from Milwaukee to Chicago. And yet, here he is, managing this bullpen like he’s got a group of shutdown arms. What was he thinking leaving guys in too long? Why wasn’t there a quicker hook? At some point, you have to recognize that certain relievers just don’t have it, and you make a move. Instead, he stuck with a plan that clearly wasn’t working, and by the time he realized it, the game was already slipping away.
But if you really want to point fingers, you have to look at the top. Tom Ricketts. The Cubs owner who has no problem charging sky-high ticket prices, jacking up the cost of a beer, and making sure Wrigleyville is one of the most expensive experiences in baseball. And yet, when it comes time to invest in the bullpen? Suddenly, the pockets aren’t so deep.
Jed Hoyer did what he could with the resources he was given. But that’s the problem—he wasn’t given enough. Everyone knew this bullpen was suspect. Everyone knew that another high-leverage arm was necessary. And yet, the front office was left trying to patch holes with cheap options and hoping for the best. Well, the best just got you an eight-run meltdown in the eighth inning on national television. Hope isn’t a strategy, and the Cubs are proving that the hard way.
Ricketts has to be held accountable for this “broken record” problem of the bullpen blowing games. You can’t be one of the biggest markets in baseball and act like you’re on a budget. Look at the teams that consistently contend. They don’t just hope their bullpen is good enough—they make sure of it. The Cubs? They’re hoping. And hope just got them embarrassed.
So where does this leave the Cubs moving forward? Well, if they don’t get serious about fixing the bullpen, it’s going to be a long season of watching the same thing happen over and over again. Starters will do their job, the offense will give them a lead, and then the relievers will hand it right back. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Right now, the Cubs are playing insane baseball.
Here’s the thing folks: Craig Counsell needs to be better. He needs to manage the bullpen like he actually understands what’s happening in front of him. Jed Hoyer needs to be given more resources to go out and get legitimate help. And Tom Ricketts? He needs to stop acting like he’s running a small-market team when he’s sitting on a franchise worth billions.
With that… Sunday’s loss wasn’t just a bad game. It was a warning sign. If the Cubs don’t take it seriously, there are going to be a lot more nights just like this one. And at some point, the fans aren’t going to keep making excuses for a front office that refuses to do what needs to be done.
If you cannot play with them, then root for them!