It doesn’t get much uglier than last night, does it? You know if the Cubs had a competent bullpen, they’d be 4-0 on this road trip and they might have won the series finale against the Padres last Sunday at Wrigley Field, too.
As it is, the Cubs are now 8-5 since the All-Star break, which isn’t bad per se, but those losses have exposed all of the team’s weaknesses: poor relief pitching and bullpen management, lack of depth, and inability to get key hits. There are a few that are less obvious, but I see no reason to pummel a lifeless entity any further.