Overhauled Cubs bullpen finds its stride with stellar stretch -- including an MLB-best ERA

CHICAGO — As the Chicago Cubs continue trying to get back to .500, their bullpen’s evolution over the last 4 1/2 months represents one of their biggest organizational successes this year.

The group’s performance has helped fuel some hope, perhaps distant based on their playoff odds, that if the Cubs somehow go on a magical run during the final weeks of the season it could be largely attributed to their relievers’ stellar stretch.

Since June 27, the Cubs’ bullpen owns an MLB-best 1.86 ERA, during which the next-lowest bullpen ERA is the Angels’ 2.70 mark. In that span, Cubs relievers are second in the majors in WHIP (1.07) and fourth in hits allowed (121).

Only two relievers remain from the Cubs’ opening day bullpen — left-hander Drew Smyly and right-hander Julian Merryweather — an indication of the churn, both injury- and performance-related, during the year.

“Our bullpen early in the season was a struggle in high leverage, the way we pitched at the end of games was problematic, and the way our bullpen was holding leads was problematic,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “And so it’s something that we talked about a lot internally, like, we need to, through the course of the year, through waiver claims, small trades, the farm system, we need to continue to cycle through guys, and we’ve been successful with that.

“There’s no finish line with that, you can’t ever stop doing that.”

But the Cubs’ bullpen can only do so much. Right-hander Jameson Taillon allowed four runs on six hits, including two home runs, in five innings during the Cubs’ 8-2 loss Wednesday to the Detroit Tigers. Christian Bethancourt’s two-run home run in the fifth provided the only runs for the Cubs (62-65).

Manager Craig Counsell has found a mix of relievers he can trust in varying leverage spots, whether it’s been more veteran pitchers like Smyly, Merryweather and Jorge López or the acquisition of Tyson Miller and promotion of Porter Hodge.

Smyly has posted a 1.85 ERA in his last 26 games for the eighth-lowest ERA in the National League in that stretch (minimum 25 games) while López owns a 0.83 ERA, marking the third-lowest ERA in the NL among relievers (min. 15 games) since making his Cubs debut June 28. His 16-inning scoreless streak from July 11 to Aug. 16 was the longest active scoreless streak in the big leagues at the time and the longest by a Cubs reliever since Andrew Chafin’s 24 1/3 innings from May 8 to July 21, 2021.

Miller, back with the organization that drafted him in the fourth round in 2016, is third among NL relievers (min. 30 games) with a 0.77 WHIP and 1.29 ERA following his trade to the Cubs on May 14.

“There’s been a lot of guys that weren’t with us early in the year or in different roles early in the year that have performed really well so I’m proud of that,” Hoyer said. “I’m proud of the coaching staff for the job they’ve done with that, and the front office for keep trying to just uncover arms that project well and keep doing that over and over. We’ve had some success with that and we’ll try to keep doing that.”

The pitching staff should also get a boost before the season ends with the return of left-hander Jordan Wicks.

Wicks (oblique) threw 53 pitches in four innings Tuesday during a rehab outing with Triple-A Iowa. He came out of it feeling great and is expected to make at least one more start. Counsell said Wicks still has a ways to go if he gets stretched out to starter length, but “we’ll see where we’re at with this group, then go from there.”

Counsell didn’t rule out the Cubs sprinkling in a sixth starter at times.