13 Relievers Got It Done, But One Padres Starter Might Be Done for Good

Alright, you guys gotta hear about what’s going down in the NL. The Chicago Cubs just wrapped up a wild road trip where they practically ran a bullpen marathon, using 13 different relievers across seven games. Yeah, you read that right, *thirteen*. They swept the Mets and took two of three from Milwaukee, including a nail-biting 4-3, 10-inning win on Sunday. Now they're kicking off a series against the San Diego Padres, and let me tell you, it's a stark contrast of pitching philosophies.

Cubs' Reliever Roulette Is Actually Working

This Cubs team is really leaning into that "whatever it takes" vibe. Their manager, Craig Counsell, put it best: "The guys are having fun right now and we're playing good baseball." He gave major props to the pitching, saying "Today was the day the pitching carried the load." They’ve got 12 pitchers on the injured list, including their entire starting rotation, so they're literally just throwing bodies out there. Bryse Wilson was a clutch hero, logging 4 1/3 scoreless innings as a bulk guy after Ryan Rolison opened for two. Then Jordan Wicks, the 13th reliever, sealed the Sunday win with a game-ending double-play ball. Counsell admitted they don't have a "big of a stockpile," but they're finding guys who can do the job. Shota Imanaga is set to start for them next, and he's been lights out against the Padres historically, going 1-0 with a 1.40 ERA in three prior outings. He's coming off a 10-5 win against the Mets where he went 5 1/3 innings, giving up four hits and four runs. It's an insane

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way to piece together wins, but it's totally working.

Padres' Pitching Is a Total Mess

On the flip side, the Padres are in a full-blown pitching crisis, and it's not looking good. They just dropped a 4-2 game to the Dodgers and got outscored 19-5 in the last two games of that series. Their starting pitching has been a huge headache all season, with 24 of their wins coming after the starter worked five or fewer innings. That's just wild, right? Padres manager Craig Stammen is understandably frustrated, saying "It definitely puts our bullpen in a tough spot because we can't use them in the correct lengths." He made it clear that starters need to give them "at least five (innings) or we've got to figure out a different way to do it." It might be a right-hander Griffin Canning (1-5, 7.38 ERA) starting for them, and honestly, he desperately needs a good outing. Last Tuesday, he couldn't even get out of the second inning against Atlanta, giving up four hits and four runs while recording only two outs. Yikes. If he can't turn it around, he could be out of the rotation, especially with Jhony Brito and German Marquez close to finishing rehab assignments. So, here we are, watching two teams with completely different approaches to pitching. The Cubs are piecing it together with sheer volume and finding a way to win, while the Padres are floundering because their starters just can't go deep. It's gonna be interesting to see if the Cubs' bullpen-heavy strategy continues to pay off against a struggling Padres rotation. This series could really show us which approach is more sustainable as the season rolls on.

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