On Tuesday night, the Chicago Cubs took a lead into the ninth inning, only to have reliever Hector Neris blow his save attempt and the game by giving up four runs. He was called on again Wednesday night with two runs to spare. Another home run cut the lead in half, but Neris was able to hang on, and the Cubs won the game.
This is how it is with Neris and the rest of the Cubs bullpen. They may execute and get out of innings; they may not. We never really know what’s going to happen until it happens. What we do know is that it will be stress-inducing and never easy.
“Heart Attack” Hector Neris came to the Cubs via free agency this past offseason. After starting his career in Philadelphia for the Phillies as a closer/setup man, Neris spent the last two seasons in Houston with the Astros. In those two seasons, he was only called on and saved five games for the Astros. He spent the bulk of his time in the middle-late innings.
The Cubs are asking Neris to be closer right now. He’s often been successful, executing 10 of 13 attempts. But the work he has to put into each save attempt is inefficient and excruciatingly painful to watch.
Hector Neris Struggles To Give The Cubs A Clean Outing
Our friends at Bleacher Nation did the math, confirming that in 27 appearances for the Cubs, Hector Neris has only been able to complete a clean inning just five times. For those wondering, that is just 18.5% of his outings. That means that when Neris takes the mound, there’s more than an 80% chance we will have to take Pat Hughes’ advice and fasten those seat belts.
The way Neris pitches, combined with the inconsistency and untimeliness of the rest of the bullpen, makes it clear that the Cubs do not have a closer they can trust on the roster. Adbert Alzolay is hurt but hindered rather than helped the cause when he was healthy. Yency Almonte was coming on as of late, but he’s on the shelf, too. Nobody else in the bullpen resembles a closer by any means.
Even through the stress and inconsistency, Neris is viewed as a leader in the clubhouse. According to Nico Hoerner, he calls the player meetings and speaks to the team. When he speaks to the media, you can tell all he wants to do is win, too.
With Neris, it feels like the Cubs are trying to fit a square peg into a circular hole to make him the closer. During his time in Houston, he was most comfortable in the 6th-8th innings in a holding spot rather than closing out the game. The Cubs would be doing themselves and Neris a favor by putting him in more of those situations, but they now have no choice.
If the Cubs are going for it in 2024, they’ll need a closer from the trade market. On Wednesday, the Cubs signed Jorge Lopez to a minor-league deal. He may not be the answer, either. But it’s a change. Expect more to come.
