USA TODAY International Edition
Blame Maddon for this Cubs’ defeat
Bullpen missteps put Brewers on top
CHICAGO – For weeks, the Cubs had the National League Central all wrapped up. A month without a day off, injuries to key players, an MLB investigation of Addison Russell — none of it mattered as the Cubs rolled on. Even the prospect of a winner-take-all game against the suddenly loathsome Brewers was only a minor irritation, given it was at Wrigley Field and the Cubs had Jose Quintana on the mound. Now the Cubs are fighting for their postseason lives, forced into a wild-card game after a 3-1 loss to Milwaukee on Monday afternoon. While there are plenty of folks who came up short — MVP candidate Javy Baez, I’m looking at you — this one falls squarely on manager Joe Maddon and his bullpen management. As will what would go down as one of the biggest collapses in Cubs history should Chicago come up short Tuesday. Maddon blew through six relievers against the Brewers. While Justin Wilson, Steve Cishek and Randy Rosario each threw 15 pitches or fewer, Jesse Chavez worked two innings and Brandon Kintzler and Jaime Garcia both threw 20-plus pitches. He yanked Wilson after he gave up back-to-back hits at the start of the eighth inning, only to see Cishek give up the go-ahead run on a single to Lorenzo Cain. He brought in Rosario, who retired Christian Yelich on a strikeout — the first Cubs pitcher to make the likely MVP look human Monday — then promptly replaced him with Kintzler. That resulted in Ryan Braun’s insurance run, a single to center. For those keeping score, that was four Cubs pitchers to get three outs while giving up two runs. Maddon managed his pitching staff as if there was no (game) tomorrow. And now there is. While the Cubs will get time off should they beat the winner of the Rockies-Dodgers game, how much will Maddon’s taxed bullpen be a factor? This is a team not far removed from a 30-day stretch without a day off, remember. Now at least a few players will start the playoffs weary. But anyone who’s watched the Cubs the last few seasons won’t be overly surprised by this. If there’s a knock on Maddon, it’s his use of his bullpen. Remember Game 7 of the 2016 World Series? Monday’s game was no different. Quintana was 6-2 lifetime against the Brewers, including a 4-1 record this season. While Milwaukee had more success against him Monday than they had previously, pulling him with two outs in the sixth seemed like too quick of a hook. The move paid off initially, as Chavez struck out Braun and got out of the inning with a double play. He set Milwaukee down 1-2-3 in the seventh, too. Then came the eighth. Now the Cubs, the team that was on cruise control for the last three months, no longer controls anything in the postseason.