Thanks to relief pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. allowing three earned runs and a blown save against the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, the Chicago Cubs' bullpen has made franchise history.
Justin Steele had just tossed 6.0 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and one walk. Then, the Cubs found themselves in a situation that was all too familiar.
Mark Leiter Jr. came in to relieve Steele, and he immediately allowed a single and a walk. From there, Leiter gave up an RBI single, an RBI groundout and another RBI single, all while only recording two outs. The 33-year-old righty allowed three earned runs in 0.2 innings. It marked the 15th time this season that the Cubs have had a reliever give up three-plus runs in 1.0 inning or less.Leiter was actually one of Chicago's better relievers through the first two months of 2024, not allowing a single earned run through his first 12 outings. He was 1-1 with seven holds and a 0.90 ERA as of May 21, but he owns a 15.63 ERA since.
On the whole, the Cubs' bullpen ranks 25th in the league with a 4.50 ERA and 24th with a 1.36 WHIP this season. The Cubs boast the worst record in the National League since April 27 at 16-27. As a result, they have fallen out of the playoff picture and are stuck three games below .500.Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks.
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