Cubs Have Turned Biggest Weakness Into Strength Entering June

The Chicago Cubs are coming off a weekend series win over the Cincinnati Reds. Not only was it a divisional series win, but it keeps them four games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central.

At 37-22, the Cubs are tied for the second-best record in the entire MLB, trailing only the Detroit Tigers.

It is very easy to give all the credit to the offense when it comes to why Chicago has been so good this season. The Cubs have one of the best lineups in baseball and they do deserve to be recognized.

With Kyle Tucker, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Nico Hoerner, Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ and the emergence of Matt Shaw, Chicago has a lot to be excited about at the plate. The team is going to continue to hit, which means they will keep scoring runs and taking pressure off the pitching staff.

However, the pitchers on the team have been very good, especially the bullpen.

Cubs' bullpen to begin the season

The one weakness the Cubs had when the year began was their bullpen. They were blowing games and making it very hard to win games consistently.

In fact, Chicago had a bullpen ERA of 4.76 ERA through the end of April, which includes their two games in Tokyo against the Los Angeles Dodgers. That ERA was the fifth-highest in the MLB. In that same span, the Cubs walked the fifth-most batters in baseball (59) and blew the second-most saves (7).

Because of their struggles in relief, the Cubs had an 18-13 record after April 30th. That was a very disappointing record considering how good their offense was to begin the year.

Cubs' bullpen in May

May was a completely different story for the relievers in Chicago.

Last month, Chicago had the lowest bullpen ERA in the MLB. Their 2.37 ERA is even more impressive because of the fact they threw the seventh-most innings in relief in May. Additionally, the Cubs went 8-for-9 in save opportunities.

On the backs of their relievers, the Cubs had an 18-9 record in May. They have been able to take a commanding lead in the NL Central division and they now find themselves fighting for the top seed in the playoffs as the summer approaches.

Who has been performing for the Cubs in relief?

Chicago has been able to pitch well in relief with the most unlikely pitchers.

Daniel Palencia has been lights out for the Cubs. He has made 19 appearances, thrown 20.2 innings, allowed opponents to hit just .127 off him and he has a 1.74 ERA. Along with that, the right-hander allowed runs in just one of his 12 outings in May.

Palencia has solidified himself as the new closer at Wrigley Field. He is up to five saves on the year after pitching a scoreless ninth against the Reds on Saturday. With that save, the 25-year-old has recorded a save in each of his last five appearances.

Brad Keller is another pitcher that has been very good. He has made 26 appearances for the Northsiders, thrown 28.1 innings and he owns a 2.22 ERA. With that, the righty has struck out 28 batters, walked eight and opponents are batting just .204 off him.

The most impressive part about Keller is he did not allow a run in 15.2 innings pitched in May. He has been the set-up man for Palencia and has quietly become one of the better relievers in the MLB.

Finally, Ryan Pressly has been good for the Cubs, despite losing his closer role earlier this year.

Since the start of April, the 36-year-old has allowed earned runs in just one of his 20 outings. That one outing was historically bad for the right-hander, but he has been able to bounce back well. The one bad outing has inflated his numbers a little bit, but Pressly has been one of the better relievers on the team.

There are plenty of more great arms in the bullpen on the north side of Chicago. With their relievers pitching as well as they are, and the offense being as dangerous as it is, the Cubs are true World Series contenders in the National League.