Levine: Bullpen A Hot Topic For Cubs Management
By Bruce Levine--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The new Wrigley Field bleachers have opened for the first time in 2015, but that's certainly not the top subject that the Cubs front office and manager Joe Maddon talked about in their meeting Monday.
The workload and general all-around health of their pitching staff was subject Nos. 1, 2 and 3. The Cubs have three pitchers who are on pace to pitch in more than half of the team's games.
Pedro Strop is on pace for 92 appearances. Both Phil Coke and Jason Motte have an 81-game pace so far. Zach Rosscup and Hector Rondon are on 70-appearance course.
A good deal of this problem is created by a starting rotation that Maddon hasn't gotten enough out of. Most of that's certainly not Maddon's fault. Some decisions, of course, the manager has to "wear" as well. On Friday and Sunday, Maddon could have extended his starter further. Maddon had good reasons not to extend his starters, but at this juncture, with the overworked bullpen, his reasons might not be good enough.
On Friday, Maddon pulled Jason Hammel after 91 pitches and seven innings of work. The bullpen's top guys, Strop and Rondon, were knocked around, and a four-run lead evaporated. The Cubs squeaked by with a nerve-racking one-run victory.
On Sunday, Kyle Hendricks had a shutout through 5 1/3 innings and was pulled at 85 pitches. When questioned about yanking Hendricks, a feisty Maddon lashed out at the idea he had pulled his starter too soon.
"If anyone was paying attention, you would have noticed that five of the last six balls were hit hard," Maddon said.
Maddon was brought into Chicago to win. This point can't be debated. The player development aspect is right in Maddon's wheelhouse as well. A 60-year-old baseball lifer, Maddon knows how to develop minds and bodies on and off the field.
The question: Should the Cubs back off or step on the gas pedal when it comes to winning now?
It may be too early for this group to go all the way in 2015. Is protecting the valuable young bullpen arms more important than win-now mode?
"It is a big challenge," general manager Jed Hoyer said. "We did it last year pretty well. But last year, we did it in a situation where we were out of contention. It was a little easier to protect those guys. It is harder when you are in a win-now mode. When you're in the race, it is harder to do that."
Last season, the front office protected the bullpen pitchers by adding an eighth relief pitcher and telling then-manager Rick Renteria to back off usage in a rebuilding year. Telling Maddon to back off is a whole different proposition.
The ultimate positive thinker, Maddon believes that he can protect arms and win games at the same time. After all, Maddon had done it successfully in Tampa Bay for nine seasons.
"We have to find a way to do it," Hoyer said. "The fact is, putting those guys in when their stuff is somewhat down and somewhat tired, they probably won't be as effective. It's about balancing effectiveness and doing the right thing to maximize your chance of winning that night. It was hard for Rickey last year, and it's a challenge for Joe as well."
The Cubs' situation is hardly unique.
"We have trained these young starters to go six innings," a top NL scout said. "Now, early in the season, they get to 100 pitches in five innings and they have to come out. The bullpens can't absorb four innings a night. Those arms will not hold up and neither will the leads they inherit. This is an industry-wide issue."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
