The Cubs’ Bullpen is Looking Awfully Good All of a Sudden and Other Bullets

Jul 29, 2016

Today is the second anniversary of The John Baker Game – the famed 16-inning marathon win against the Rockies, in which the final inning was pitched by, and the winning run scored by, former Cubs back-up catcher John Baker. In honor of that legitimately awesome occasion, the guys at Ivy Envy and Danny Rocket put together a John Baker Day event at Nisei Lounge in Wrigleyville, and the man himself will be in attendance. Much less excitingly, I will also be there later this morning.

Well, we got our first glimpse last night of what the back-end of the revamped bullpen can be now, with Pedro Strop pitching the seventh inning of a one-run game, Hector Rondon pitching 2/3 of the 8th inning, and Aroldis Chapman picking up the final four outs. The game situation dictated John Lackey departing after only six innings – his spot came up in the bottom of the sixth with some potential insurance runs available on the bases – as he was at only 84 pitches, throwing the ball well, and probably could have gone deeper. But, it was a reminder that in those starts where one of the Cubs’ arms can’t go any deeper, they’re going to be able to lock down a lot of close wins with this bullpen.

[adinserter block=”1″]

And, hey, that doesn’t even factor in guys like Carl Edwards Jr., Justin Grimm, Joe Nathan, Mike Montgomery, and Travis Wood who can all shave an inning off the front of that, too. (Oh, that’s the entirety of the rest of the bullpen. That’s a good looking bullpen.) In theory, the Cubs will be able to not only maximize results in an individual game, but also keep their starting pitchers nice and fresh down the stretch. So much of this trickles down from the Chapman addition – once again, from a baseball perspective, it makes all the sense in the world, and those arguing the Cubs gave up too much are missing the enormous range of Chapman’s impact.

On the four-out save for Chapman, I was actually surprised to see a stat last night that that was only the sixth time he’s had a four-out save in his career (167 total career saves). Given his physicality, I would have expected more, but then, most of his career has been with the Reds under Dusty Baker’s and Bryan Price’s very “by the book” watch. (To be sure, Chapman’s pitched more than one inning a handful of times in his career, just not necessarily for a save.) Joe Maddon will definitely be making use of Chapman’s ability to go more than one inning, though. I doubt last night will be the same kind of extreme outlier for Chapman as it’s been in the past.

Joe Maddon says he’s working to build a relationship with Chapman because he wants Chapman to trust him (ESPN). And the Cubs, for their part, will be hiring a new translator for Chapman, according to CSN.

Jaime Garcia and his injury history pitching on short rest for the Cardinals … what could go wrong? (Probably nothing.)

If you missed it this morning, the Padres and Marlins are getting together on a big trade.

A Rock Band bundle is a Deal of the Day at Amazon for the musically-inclined gamers among you.

[adinserter block=”2″]

written by

Brett Taylor

Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

more cubs news

Chicago Cubs

Still Thinking About That Incredible Christopher Morel Play

I don't want to overreact to a relatively brief stretch of success, and I certainly don't want to jinx anything. But Christopher Morel has looked pretty darn solid at third base the last couple weeks, hasn't he? Maybe some of...

Brett Taylor

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Enhanced Box Score: Cubs 5, Diamondbacks 3 – April 17, 2024

UNCLENCH. They did it. There was 9th inning drama, because of course there was, but Drew Smyly was able to get the job done, pitching for the third consecutive day. Cubs win the game, Cubs win the series. Cubs win...

Michael Cerami

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Cody Bellinger’s Third Homer of the Year Breaks the Tie in Arizona!

Thank god. I was starting to think Brandon Pfaadt was Cy Young in disguise or something. I can't stand (or understand, for that matter) how this guy carves up the Cubs while getting destroyed by almost everybody else. But at...

Michael Cerami

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Watch Owen Caissie Launch His First Triple-A Home Run (Off a Lefty, Too!)

Owen Caissie is just one of several Cubs top prospects at Triple-A Iowa this season, but after a monster Spring Training performance (following an equally impressive Double-A debut last season), he's got a lot of eyes on him this summer....

Michael Cerami

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Cubs Call Up a Couple of Fresh Arms from Iowa

In discussing the potential for a Cubs move today for a fresh arm, I wondered if they'd go down and grab someone already on the 40-man roster or if they'd shift Julian Merryweather over to the 60-day IL to make...

Michael Cerami

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Pre-Gamin’: Cubs vs Diamondbacks – Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

CUBS LINEUP — How many rubber matches can one team have? After two wild games to start the series, the Cubs are looking to win their second-consecutive series this afternoon in Arizona. Jordan Wicks is on the mound for Chicago....

Michael Cerami

Apr 17, 2024

Gunnar Henderson Adley Rutschman Orioles

Chicago Cubs

MLBits: Orioles Can’t Stop Hitting Home Runs, Learn Jac Caglianone’s Name, More

If you have an MLB.TV subscription: I suggest you try to catch a Baltimore Orioles game soon. The Orioles lineup is chock-full of young talent, and they're absolutely mashing the baseball right now. They're fun to watch if you can...

Patrick K. Flowers

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Cubs Farm Report | April 17, 2024: PCA Goes Yard, Cade Horton Dominates, More

Pete Crow-Armstrong showed some life on Tuesday with a solo home run for the Iowa Cubs, but it was Luis Vázquez who played hero for Iowa in the end. Plus, Cade Horton dominated for the Smokies once again. That and...

Patrick K. Flowers

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Baseball America Has Added Another Chicago Cubs Prospect to Their Top-100 List

If you have been paying attention at all, I think it's going to be very easy for you to fill in these blanks: https://twitter.com/BaseballAmerica/status/1780601113198383137 Yes, that'd be Jefferson Rojas, the still-18-year-old shortstop for the High-A South Bend Cubs, currently hitting...

Brett Taylor

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Cade Horton Dominated Once Again at Double-A, So What’s the Plan There?

As he's done nine times before, Cade Horton dominated in his latest outing for the Tennessee Smokies. It took him just 47 pitches to cruise through 4.0 innings of work and carve up the Rays' Double-A squad. https://twitter.com/MLBPipeline/status/1780387010039210247 Horton has...

Brett Taylor

Apr 17, 2024

Picks

Red Sox vs. Guardians Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, April 18, 2024

Led by Connor Wong (two-game homer streak), the Boston Red Sox (10-9) are favorites versus the Cleveland Guardians (12-6) Thursday at 1:35 PM ET. Oddsmakers have named the Red Sox as -126 favorites for the game, which airs on NESN.Boston's...

Data Skrive

Apr 18, 2024

MLB Prop Bets

Best MLB Prop Bets Today, April 18, 2024

The Cleveland Guardians versus the Boston Red Sox is one of five strong options on today's MLB slate.One of the best ways to wager on baseball is via MLB player prop bets. There are props for each of today's matchups,...

Data Skrive

Apr 18, 2024

Picks

Tigers vs. Rangers Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, April 18, 2024

The Texas Rangers (10-9) serve as underdogs on the moneyline (-109) in Thursday's contest with the Detroit Tigers (10-8). Game time is set for 1:10 PM ET on MLB Network. The Rangers are favored against the spread in this one...

Data Skrive

Apr 18, 2024

Picks

Rays vs. Angels Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, April 18, 2024

The Tampa Bay Rays (10-9) are favorites (-158) on the moneyline when they square off against the Los Angeles Angels (9-9) Thursday at 1:10 PM ET, live on BSSUN.Ryan Pepiot will get the ball for Tampa Bay while Los Angeles...

Data Skrive

Apr 18, 2024

MLB Prop Bets

Red Sox vs. Guardians Probable Starting Pitchers – April 18

The Cleveland Guardians (12-6) play on Thursday in Boston against the Boston Red Sox (10-9). First pitch is at 1:35 PM ET.The probable starters are Brennan Bernardino (0-1) for the Red Sox and Carlos Carrasco (0-1) for the Guardians.Red Sox...

Data Skrive

Apr 18, 2024

MLB Prop Bets

Tigers vs. Rangers Probable Starting Pitchers – April 18

The Detroit Tigers (10-8) and the Texas Rangers (10-9) play on Thursday at 1:10 PM ET. The game will take place at Comerica Park.The Tigers will give the ball to Kenta Maeda (0-1, 6.00 ERA), who is eyeing win No....

Data Skrive

Apr 18, 2024

MLB Prop Bets

Rays vs. Angels Probable Starting Pitchers – April 18

The Tampa Bay Rays (10-9) play at home against the Los Angeles Angels (9-9) on Thursday. The matchup is set to begin at 1:10 PM ET.The Rays will look to Ryan Pepiot (1-2) against the Angels and Griffin Canning (0-2).Rays...

Data Skrive

Apr 18, 2024

NBA Picks

Nuggets vs. Lakers Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets for NBA Playoffs Game 1 – Saturday, April 20, 2024

The Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers square off to start the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The Nuggets are favored by 7 points in the contest, which airs on ABC at 8:30 PM ET. The matchup has...

Data Skrive

Apr 18, 2024

How to Watch

How to Watch Red Sox vs. Guardians: Live Stream or on TV

The Boston Red Sox (10-9), led by Tyler O'Neill, host Josh Naylor and the Cleveland Guardians (12-6) on Thursday at 1:35 PM ET.The article below will provide you with everything you need to know to watch Boston play Cleveland.When is...

Data Skrive

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Bulls

UGH: Alex Caruso’s Availability Already in Doubt for Next Play-In Game

The Chicago Bulls can't seem to swat the injury bug. Despite Andre Drummond and Ayo Dosunmu returning from their multi-game absences on Wednesday, the Bulls have likely lost their defense ace. Alex Caruso suffered a foot injury in the first...

Elias Schuster

Apr 17, 2024

The Cubs’ Bullpen is Looking Awfully Good All of a Sudden and Other Bullets

Read More

more cubs news

Latest News

more cubs news

Most Popular

Most Popular

Latest News

Most Popular

Most Popular