Getty Images
Consistency is the name of the game in pro sports, especially in baseball. If each unit is performing consistently, even if they’re not consistently great, then a coach or manager knows what to expect from it. The Chicago Cubs‘ bullpen this season has not been consistent.
They’ve been very good during stretches and they’ve been fairly unreliable at other times. Chicago could regain some stability starting on Sunday, though, as injured reliever Neil Ramirez returns to the team.
Ramirez went 3-3 with a 1.44 ERA in 50 appearances last season, becoming one of the team’s most reliable relievers. He got into only five games this season before heading to the DL with shoulder soreness. As a result, the Cubs’ bullpen immediately suffered.
Since Ramirez’s injury, the sixth inning has become a big problem for the Cubs as they rank 28th in the league in opponents’ runs per game in that frame. Some of that is attributable to starting pitching, but a lot of it is also attributable to a shaky bullpen, specifically middle relief.
Ramirez may be asked to pitch in that frame often and that could stabilize the team’s performance there. It’s worth noting that the struggles of the Cubs’ middle relievers also have to do with the injury of Justin Grimm, who just recently returned from the DL. Since returning, he has looked better than ever before, going 1-2 with a 1.53 ERA in 22 appearances.
The bullpen as a whole has improved since Grimm’s return and they stand to improve even more as Ramirez returns and rounds into form.
In a league and in a sport that relies so heavily on consistency, the return of Ramirez, a stabilizing force, just might be the thing the Cubs need to spark them on a playoff run in the season’s second half.
