Regression of Talented Relief Pitcher Has Desperately Hurt Cubs Bullpen This Season

It has been a fantastic start to the season for the Chicago Cubs, but the team isn't perfect despite having one of the best records in baseball.

Coming into the year, expectations were much higher than they have been in recent years for the Cubs. This was a team that had been solid the last couple of campaigns but was lacking some star power.

They addressed that issue this winter with the acquisition of Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros. The talented slugger is one of the best outfielders in the game, and he has been a National League MVP candidate so far.

Furthermore, the emergence of Pete Crow-Armstrong this season has helped give Chicago another star to complement Tucker.

The talented duo in the lineup has created one of the best offenses in baseball, and that unit has been able to cover up some notable flaws.

One of the issues for the Cubs has been in their bullpen. Unfortunately, some pitchers who figured to be key members of the unit have struggled.

Has Regression of Young Right-Hander Hurt Chicago?

Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the regression of relief pitcher Porter Hodge as an area of concern for the Cubs.

“Porter Hodge looked like the future anchor of Craig Counsell's bullpen a year ago when he posted a 1.88 ERA in his first 39 MLB games. However, he's regressed this year, as evidenced by the 5.12 ERA he has to this point.”

Coming into the year, Hodge figured to be a significant piece of the bullpen after a strong 2024 campaign. Last season, he totaled a 1.88 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, nine saves, and nine holds in 37 games pitched.

Even though the unit for the team was poor for the most part last year, Hodge was a bright spot toward the end of the campaign.

With expectations and his role being important heading into this season, the right-hander has disappointed. So far, he has totaled a 5.12 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, with two saves and six holds in 21 games.

The right-hander is on the injured list now with a hip injury, and hopefully, this could be an opportunity to reset for the young pitcher.

As shown last year, there is certainly some talent there for Hodge. However, it has been a bad start to this campaign, and with the team needing to improve the bullpen, better performances by Hodge would go a long way toward helping that.

Hopefully, when the right-hander returns from the IL, he will be able to pitch like he did in 2024.