Cubs Outsider

Hector Neris trying to get a 2-run save is still an absolutely harrowing experience.

I’m a little surprised he was given room beyond the first three batters when two of them reached, but with a little help from a generous strike zone and an anxious batter he gets the job done.

The bullpen in its current state presents a Catch-22: a decision to invest in acquiring a stud for the bullpen may be hard to make while the team is continuing to pile up losses, but the absence of such a player (or players) is probably the biggest reason for that losing pace.

So, Jed Hoyer will show Cubs fans if he believes improving the bullpen is the first domino in a chain of improved outcomes, or if he thinks the failure is genuinely multi-systemic, by what he does or does not do.