Wild Stat Shows Cubs Bullpen is Much Better Than People Think

The Chicago Cubs are headed into the stretch of the season appearing to have what it takes to make a deep playoff run for the first time in a long time.

As the trade deadline approaches, the Cubs have been the subject of numerous rumors and Jed Hoyer has practically said exactly what he's going to be pursuing.

It's no secret that pitching is a bigger need than hitting this July, and Hoyer has told the media he needs to use the deadline as a way to get more outs and improve the pitching depth.

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In the early portion of the season, that seemed to mean bullpen more so than anything since Chicago struggled to close games out once again. But now, as injuries have arrived and things have played out, it actually might be the starting rotation which is in need of more help.

In fact, the bullpen over the last several weeks has shockingly been borderline elite.

In a statistic revealed by MLB Network, Chicago's bullpen has not been the liability many think it to be over the last several weeks.

Quite the contrary, in fact.

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Since May 14, they entered their final game of the series against the Philadelphia Phillies with a Major League best 0.82 ERA (eight earned runs in 87.2 innings), a figure which is the best in the MLB during that period.

Perhaps even more impressive is the fact the Cubs are far from healthy in their relief staff, missing arguably their best reliever with Porter Hodge being on the injured list since May 18.

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With Hodge gearing up for a return and new faces emerging from the Chicago bullpen, it's not out of the realm of possibility to think Chicago has turned their group of relievers from a weakness into a strength.

If they can keep getting better while also getting healthy, this has the makings of a bullpen in the Windy City that could carry the team very deep into the postseason.

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