advertisement

Ostrowski: What are Maddon's bullpen options?

Getting outscored 20-3 by Milwaukee this past weekend felt like a lot more than losing 3 games off an NL Central lead.

Pessimists are saying the Cubs lead is down to only 2 games and 12 of their final 20 contests are against the teams on their tail, the Brewers and Cardinals.

Optimists expected a Sunday Cubs victory that would push Milwaukee 4 games back with 19 left. They aren't distressed over the Jake Arrieta, Willson Contreras and Addison Russell injuries. Fearful of Milwaukee and St. Louis? Please.

Mike Montgomery's lousy performance Saturday, along with off-days the next two Mondays gives Joe Maddon the perfect excuse to send him back to the bullpen. The reality being, this isn't much of a debate as long as Arrieta is healthy.

Jon Lester, Arrieta, Jose Quintana and Kyle Hendricks is expected to be the Cubs' playoff rotation in some order. As long as they get there.

Yup, this team is forcing us to still have to say that as we approach mid-September.

During last year's World Series run, Montgomery was one of two relief pitchers that Maddon truly trusted. In their 17 playoff games, Aroldis Chapman threw 15⅔ innings in 13 appearances and Montgomery tossed 14⅓ innings in 11 games. Both had more than double the workload of any other reliever.

Chapman and Montgomery arrived within a week of each other in separate July trades last season. Everyone knew that Chapman was brought in to shut games down and win a championship. It was different for Montgomery.

Montgomery was on the mound for the last out of the World Series. Even though that wasn't the plan, he earned that spot. In the last month of the season, Montgomery appeared in seven games, starting two. He had a sparkling 1.10 ERA and .164 batting average against during that stretch.

So who has earned Maddon's trust this year?

Wade Davis and Montgomery is a solid righty-lefty starting point. Davis is 29-for-29 in save opportunities. They may not all be pretty, but he has a low 2.23 ERA. As a reliever, Montgomery has a 2.57 ERA.

There isn't a Chapman this year, and starters aren't going as deep in games, so Maddon will need to trust more than two guys out of the pen.

There are two more candidates, another right-hander and left-hander. Carl Edwards Jr. has a 2.25 ERA in his last 13 appearances, but his 15.4-percent walk rate is a concern. Going all the way back to June 22, Brian Duensing has a sensational 1.52 ERA.

Four solid options isn't bad, but it isn't great. Bullpens are becoming more vital with every passing postseason.

Keep a close eye on Justin Wilson, Pedro Strop and Hector Rondon over the next three weeks, if the Cubs can get to October.

• Joe Ostrowski is a co-host of the "Hit & Run" baseball show from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on WSCR 670-AM The Score with Barry Rozner. Follow him on Twitter@JoeO670.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.