The Chicago Cubs are having a rough stretch out of the bullpen, and help won't be coming any time soon with Phil Maton set to undergo knee surgery. The surgery will likely rule him out for the remainder of the season, dealing yet another blow to the Cubs' bullpen. Maton didn't perform at his best this season, posting a 6.18 ERA through 31 games over the course of the season.
He first struggled with his knee injury in April, landing on the injured list with right knee tendinitis for just over two weeks. Maton went back to the injured list in late June, spending the minimum 15 days on the injured list, but went back on the IL nine days later before eventually transferring to the 60-day IL in August. While Maton hasn't been at the top of his game this season, the Cubs' bullpen needs all the help it can get—especially in high-leverage situations.
Jacob Webb, who has the most saves on the team, has allowed a homer in each of his last three save opportunities, all three of which either tied the game of served as a walk-off. Ryan Zeferjahn came over to Chicago from the Los Angeles Angels at the deadline, but has allowed 10 runs over 13 innings, and last season's save leader Daniel Palencia has a 4.70 ERA and a negative bWAR through 26 appearances. The Cubs aren't in immediate danger of slipping out of a postseason spot, though they haven't looked good against postseason teams as of late.
They currently hold a 2.5 game lead over the San Diego Padres, who sit in the third Wild Card spot, and are only 0.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies, who lead the Wild Card charge. That being said, They have lost each of their last four games, the final three of which came against the Milwaukee Brewers on the road. The Cubs came agonizingly close to winning the first two games, though their bullpen failed to perform at a competitive level.
While Chicago isn't in danger of falling out of the playoff picture, advancing past the Wild Card round with the performances they've turned in over the past couple of weeks will prove difficult.
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