Cubs’ greatest postseason threat may already be inside the clubhouse – Da Windy City

The Cubs spent Monday night launching baseballs into every corner of the Wrigley Field bleachers. Roughly 24 hours later, their bullpen turned a three-run lead into another loss. If that sounds familiar, it should. Another Cubs lead disappears Chicago had Milwaukee in a 3-0 hole Tuesday after three doubles in the fourth inning. Matthew Boyd was not dominant, but he kept the Brewers scoreless until the sixth and departed with the Cubs still ahead. Then Daniel Palencia entered. What followed was a balk, an RBI double and a Christian Yelich home run. Palencia faced three batters and retired none of them. A 3-1 game became 5-3 before Counsell could reach for someone else. The Cubs answered with a run, briefly cutting the deficit to one. Their relievers promptly returned it, plus three more. Ryan Zeferjahn, Caleb Thielbar and Tyler Ferguson all allowed Milwaukee to score before the night was over. Final score: Brewers 9, Cubs 4. It was the 26th game Chicago has lost after leading. The bullpen has also blown 23 save opportunities, converting just 56% of its chances. There are statistics that require a calculator and a FanGraphs subscription to explain. This is not one of them. The
Read More