The Chicago Cubs bullpen received more bad news on Saturday, as Brandon Morrow has been shut down again.
After a slow start to the season, the Chicago Cubs are starting to find their way once again. They have won seven of their last ten games, with the offense starting to click once again, and the rotation looking better. Yet, for all of the improvements the Cubs have seen over the past ten games, the bullpen is still a sore spot.
The hope was that Brandon Morrow would be able to return relatively soon, and help stabilize a unit that has struggled mightily in 2019. Instead, he has suffered a setback in his recovery from elbow surgery, leaving Chicago to have to shut him down once again.
As it stands, the Cubs bullpen has not exactly been effective in the early going. Through their first 60.1 innings, Chicago relievers have allowed 60 hits and 40 walks, while striking out 67 batters. Eight of those hits have been home runs, as the Cubs bullpen has not exactly provided relief.
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When healthy, Morrow has been a solid major league arm. He performed well in his first full season as a closer last year, posting a 1.47 ERA and a 1.076 WHiP as he notched 22 saves. Morrow struck out 31 batters with just nine walks in his 30.2 innings of work.
The problem is that Morrow is not exactly the healthiest of pitchers. He has had at least seven trips to the Injured List over his career, and has only had one season where he has been completely healthy. Given that history of health issues, the Cubs have not put a timetable on when Morrow will begin his rehab once again.
In the interim, the Cubs bullpen continues to be in a state of flux. Carl Edwards Jr., who has been such an important piece of the relief corps, was banished to the minors after a disastrous start to the year. Pedro Strop has performed reasonably well as the Cubs closer in the interim, but does not exactly inspire confidence in that role. Steve Cishek, Brandon Kintzler, and Brad Brach also have experience closing games, but have not been dominant either this year.
This setback puts a spotlight on the Cubs quiet offseason. Brach was really the only major addition to the bullpen, which certainly could have used an infusion of talent. Although the Cubs are against their budget, that desire to win now, coupled with Morrow’s timeline being pushed back, could lead to the bullpen being revisted. Perhaps, now that he lowered his asking price, Craig Kimbrel could be an option should the Cubs determine that a chance at the postseason outweighs their budgetary concerns.
The Chicago Cubs bullpen received more bad news with the announcement that Brandon Morrow suffered a setback. For a unit that is already struggling, that was not what the Cubs wanted to hear.