Bullpen a surprise?

by Lows05 on May 20, 2011 7:08 AM CDT

I've noticed on more than one occasion this year a lot of you felt the Cubs strength this season, in terms of pitching, was going to be their starting rotation and not their bullpen. I really felt going into the season our bullpen was our strength. With guys like Marmol, Marshall, and getting Wood back I really felt the bullpen was solidified.

A friend of mine, who happens to be a Sox fan, and I were talking before the season started about the outlook of our respective teams. I told him I thought the Cubs had a really good chance this year to surprise some people because of their bullpen. I also made the point that the Sox were going to lose a great 7th or 8th inning guy in Thornton by using him as the closer. We all know how the Sox have struggled. Some of you will say, "The Sox' offense has sucked" or, "Their rotation has been inconsistent". I won't disagree with you there, but a strong bullpen does more than keep leads. Being able to hold leads and win close games will actually allow for winning streaks and build confidence within your pitching staff from top to bottom. It also takes a huge load off your offense.

With injuries to the Cubs rotation and guys like Dempster and Zambrano sucking eggs it's been difficult for the Cubs to get on any type of winning streak. But IF...IF, we get a healthy Wells back soon, and IF those two pitch like they're capable, this team can go on a pretty good run. I guess I was just wondering why their wasn't a lot of confidence in the bullpen?

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

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Um, I think there was a lot of confidence in the pen going into the season.

Marmol-Marshall-Wood was supposed to be formidable.

Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

by elgato on May 20, 2011 9:02 AM CDT reply actions

Indeed.

Shark has been a pleasant surprise. He was the main one I was worried about.

Fasten those seat belts...

by katie casey on May 20, 2011 9:33 AM CDT up reply actions

I thought so too...but

others must feel otherwise.

“Before the season started, starting pitching was supposed to be a strength of the Cubs; instead, the starters have been pretty bad and it’s been the bullpen that’s been surprisingly good.”

From Al’s recap of last night’s game. I was just wondering why it’s so surprising they’re doing good. Did people think we were going to rely of Grabow to be anything more than a lefty specialist? Shark was a big question mark and he’s been great, but outside of him, what I’ve seen has been pretty much on par with that I thought I’d see.

by Lows05 on May 20, 2011 10:01 AM CDT up reply actions

I think that was probably a throwaway comment by Al...

simply talking about Samardzija’s surprising success. I think most people (including Al) expected the late-innings relievers to be very strong. The middle/long relief guys (Grabow, Samardzija, Mateo, etc) were the concern. All but Samardzija have still been bad, but Samardzija has been a surprise.

(I apologize if I’ve put words in your mouth, Al).

by SouthernCub on May 20, 2011 11:30 AM CDT up reply actions

you could be correct about Al's comment,

but I’ve seen it posted in comments before, I guess maybe I will have to go back and read through conversations. I just got the feeling there wasn’t a lot of faith in the bullpen. I thought our staff from top to bottom at the beginning was very good. Injuries and bad performances by veterans in the starting rotation have really cost this team. The decision to keep running Russell out there for an auto-loss really made things much worse. That situation really took it’s toll on the bullpen leaving our top rotation guys with a lot of pressure to go deep into games. Either way, Shark has exceeded expectations, Mateo looked good until he imploded awhile back (I can’t remember the game but he almost got out of the inning and then gave up like 3 or 4 runs…pretty brutal). Since that performance he’s been very bad. Grabow is strictly lefty-only….and using him otherwise is asinine. Either way, I’m hoping the division is bad enough to where the Cubs still have a shot. There’s still a lot of time left.

by Lows05 on May 20, 2011 11:54 AM CDT up reply actions

lots of things have cost this team...

injuries to Wells and Cashner, bad performances by Dempster and Zambrano, and the complete lack of production from Ramirez and (until recently) Pena.

But I think you’ll find that most people felt Marmol/Wood/Marshall would be great. The lack of faith was entirely in the rest of the bullpen. Early on, Mateo was surprisingly effective. Samardzija has been very solid. Grabow hasn’t been, and the rest of the guys haven’t been.

by SouthernCub on May 20, 2011 12:28 PM CDT up reply actions

Apart from the "hole he dug himself into" last year (see below)...

I can’t see why Grabow is always tagged as being such a liability this year. Being in the UK, I very rarely see an entire game, and follow the Cubs mainly through Gameday and the post-game numbers, but Grabow looks to me like he’s doing fine. He’s been shelled twice – neither of them in high-leverage situations (coming in 7-1 behind in the 8th and giving up 4 runs in an inning to the Astros; coming in 8-1 ahead in Denver and giving up 2 runs in 0.2 innings before being baled out by Kerry Wood with two men on) – but apart from that he’s allowed 3 runs (2 earned) in 14 innings and only allowed 1 inherited runner (out of 5) to score. That doesn’t seem too shabby to me.

by Limey Cub Fan Jay on May 23, 2011 7:26 AM CDT up reply actions

Ya...

but beyond those three, there was concern. Certainly it wasn’t on the level of last year, but I don’t think there was a ton of confidence in Mateo, Russell, Samardzjia, Grabow, etc.

by dmlichte on May 20, 2011 12:19 PM CDT up reply actions

During ST and early in the season I thought Mateo was going to be a pleasant surprise, but he’s just not very good right now. Grabow has a hell of a hole to dig himself out of after last year…Russell is effective against lefties out of the bullpen, as a starter he is and was absolute trash.

by Lows05 on May 20, 2011 12:34 PM CDT up reply actions

more often than not heading into the season i hear how our bullpen WAS the strength of the team

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by Cubbie-Tim on May 21, 2011 3:27 PM CDT up reply actions

The best part is that the electric arms that belong to

Carpenter, Dolis, and Cabrera, our three best relief prospects, aren’t even up yet.

The bullpen is deep and it’s young…it’s why I had and have very few worries about them being overworked in April.

by SenorGato on May 20, 2011 4:02 PM CDT reply actions

THis is exactly why the Cubs aren't damaged goods in 2011, even with their record..

They’ve had total weirdness with their starting rotation – and there’s no reason to think that they can’t settle into 2-3 consistently good starters once Wells gets healthy. The next most important thing is 8th and 9th inning guys. Their offense is built around guys hitting for power that haven’t yet – perhaps weather related or perhaps not – but the top 3 starters combined with solid 7th-9th inning relief guys can get a lot of mediocre offenses into the playoffs.

At $300 million, I don't want Albert Pujols anywhere near the Cubs.

by DisCUBbobulated on May 20, 2011 4:27 PM CDT reply actions

+1

This team is entirely capable of more than they’ve shown, and there’s plenty of positives still to be had in 2011. The point about the starting rotation is a major one, as no one’s really rounded into form yet.

by SenorGato on May 20, 2011 4:48 PM CDT up reply actions

appreciate the optimismn, but it is unwarranted IMO

this team is just not that good.

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on May 21, 2011 10:09 AM CDT up reply actions

They aren't good...

but they aren’t terrible. There’s more than just the black or white options…otherwise there would be no complaints this year about starting a kid when 6 starters went down over guys Ramon Ortiz and Thomas Diamond. This team is entirely capable of not embarrassing themselves, but it doesn’t seem to have clicked yet.

by SenorGato on May 21, 2011 1:04 PM CDT up reply actions

It seems as if non-biased sources

are more hopeful about the Cubs than a lot of Cubs fans are.

by Not Bruce Froemming on May 22, 2011 12:59 AM CDT up reply actions

Most publications said .500 and middle of the division.

I’d say most of the negative people here are expecting somewhere around that.

John Grabow: $4.8 million in 2011.

by rlpete on May 22, 2011 9:53 AM CDT up reply actions

negative people?

realistic more like it

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on May 22, 2011 11:15 AM CDT up reply actions

My perception is that the negative crowd thinks worse than that...

That might be because I consider myself an optimist about this season and I feel this is a .500 club if things go a little better as time passes.

by SenorGato on May 22, 2011 12:51 PM CDT up reply actions

the downside of finishing .500 this season

is that too many of the key players are in decline. This is a team heading in the wrong direction. Hopefully whoever the GM is next season can do something constructive with the contract space the team should have.

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on May 23, 2011 7:33 AM CDT up reply actions

Actually...

we’re getting younger.

by SenorGato on May 24, 2011 10:40 AM CDT up reply actions

actually

most key players are in the twilight of their careers

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on May 25, 2011 7:59 AM CDT up reply actions

Speaking as a pessimist about this team...

I don’t think we’re too far apart on total wins. I’d say mid seventies.

by Kansas25 on May 23, 2011 3:58 PM CDT up reply actions

As one of the negative/pessimist crowd

I thought .500 prior to the season but I will admit I’m beginning to wonder if another 90 loss season isn’t possible.

John Grabow: $4.8 million in 2011.

by rlpete on May 23, 2011 10:29 PM CDT up reply actions

this team is not good enough to win, that is my point

time to begin work on building a real contending team

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on May 22, 2011 9:47 AM CDT up reply actions