13 Relievers, Zero Healthy Starters: How the Cubs Are Winning and Leaving MLB Speechless

Alright, Seattle, listen up! While we're out here grinding, getting our hearts ripped out just yesterday with our Mariners dropping a 5-6 nail-biter to Cleveland, you gotta look around the league and see some truly wild stuff happening. Forget what you thought you knew about pitching. The Chicago Cubs just finished a road trip using THIRTEEN different relievers across seven games in six days. THIRTEEN, people! And somehow, despite that insane carousel, they swept four games from the Mets and took two of three from the Brewers, including a 4-3, 10-inning thriller on Sunday. What in the world is happening out there?

The Bullpen Bandits of Chicago

Cubs manager Craig Counsell is running a masterclass in making lemonade out of lemons. He straight up said, "The guys are having fun right now and we're playing good baseball." Fun? Playing good baseball with basically no starting pitching? The dude's got an entire starting rotation on the injured list, with 12 pitchers total sidelined. He admitted, "We don't have that big of a stockpile. I don't think anybody does. So we're going to have to get through it. We'll keep looking for guys that can do the job." And find them he has! Bryse Wilson came in as a "bulk reliever" after Ryan Rolison only went two innings, and Wilson delivered 4 1/3 scoreless frames. Then, the 13th reliever, Jordan Wicks, came in clutch, getting Gary Sanchez to hit into a game-ending double-play with the bases loaded. These guys are overcoming rainouts and injuries, and just finding a way to get it done. It's a grit-and-grind mentality that's hard not to respe

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ct, even if it feels a little too close to the edge.

Padres' Pitching Puzzle: Stuck in Short Starts

Meanwhile, over in San Diego, they're battling a whole different kind of pitching problem. Short starts are basically the theme of their entire season, with 24 of their wins coming after the starter worked five or fewer innings. That's a massive load to dump on your bullpen! Padres manager Craig Stammen is clearly frustrated, saying, "It definitely puts our bullpen in a tough spot because we can't use them in the correct lengths. They have to be able to get us at least five (innings) or we've got to figure out a different way to do it." They're coming off a 4-2 loss to the Dodgers, getting outscored 19-5 in the last two games of that series. Imagine giving up 19 runs in two games! Yikes. Next up, the Padres host the Cubs, and San Diego might roll out Griffin Canning (1-5, 7.38 ERA). Canning got shelled in his last outing, allowing four hits and four runs while recording only two outs in the second inning of a game they somehow still won 7-6 in 10 innings against Atlanta. If Canning can't turn it around, his spot in the rotation is on the line, especially with Jhony Brito and German Marquez nearing the end of rehab assignments. The Cubs are sending Shota Imanaga (5-6, 4.40 ERA) to the mound, and he's been lights out against the Padres in three previous outings, going 1-0 with a tiny 1.40 ERA. For the Padres, this series is all about finding some length, some consistency, and some answers on the mound. For the Cubs, it's just another chance to prove that you don't need a traditional rotation to rack up wins. What a wild ride this season is turning out to be for everyone!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.