Chicago Cubs: Should Maddon not have pulled Rondon?

Chicago Cubs’ Manager Joe Maddon has been nothing short of brilliant since arriving in Chicago. However, Saturday’s management of the team’s pitching wasn’t the best.

Up 1-0 with Jake Arrieta on the mound in the 8th inning, the Chicago Cubs seemed destined to pull out a victory Saturday afternoon against the Seattle Mariners. Instead, chaos ensued for the Cubs, who lost the lead and the game 4-1.

Although one can ultimately attribute the loss to the fact that the Cubs only scored one run on three hits, it also is true that one pitching change may have given the Mariners the win overall.

After walking the first two batters to open the 8th inning, Maddon opted to remove the reigning Cy Young Award winner from the game, handing the ball to former closer Hector Rondon.

Obviously, Rondon is a very good pitcher, one who can be and has been counted on many times to get three outs in a game, especially the final three while previously assuming the role as the Cubs’ closer. Naturally, Rondon picked up two outs from the first two batters he faced, one on a sacrifice bunt and the other on a fielder’s choice out at home plate.

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As simple math shows, Rondon needed just one more out of any fashion to get out of the inning unscathed, one more out to keep the score at 1-0. One can assume Rondon had the chance to strikeout the next batter, as he has 49 strikeouts in just 39.1 innings in 2016.

Instead of giving Rondon a chance to face the left-handed hitting Leonys Martin and Robinson Cano, Maddon chose to insert Aroldis Chapman into the game, the team’s new closer who was recently acquired from the New York Yankees. With a fastball that tops out over 100 MPH, giving Chapman the ball one out early seemed like a no-brainer.

Essentially, Maddon preferred to have the left-handed Chapman being the man who faced the two left-handed hitting Mariners, as such match-ups generally favor a pitcher. Instead, Chapman gave up a two-run double and threw a wild pitch that resulted in a run being scored, giving the Mariners a 3-1 lead after everything was said and done.

Maddon cannot be blamed for his best starting pitcher and best reliever faltering when needed most. After all, Arrieta’s two walks to start the inning put the Cubs in a tough spot, especially Rondon. Maddon also cannot be blamed for thinking Chapman, who is arguably the game’s best closer, would falter as bad as he did.

On the other hand, it seems pretty clear that Maddon did make one mistake: pulling Rondon. Although it is true bringing in Chapman gave the Cubs a lefty vs. lefty matchup, Rondon has pitched in many high-pressured situations as a closer in his career, often against left-handed hitters, nonetheless.

Could Rondon have been the pitcher to give up the lead? Of course, but that’s beside the point. The simple matter-of-fact here is that Maddon had a guy on the mound already who is more than capable of pitching in big moments. Pulling Rondon out of the game as prematurely as he did might have been the wrong choice.

Next: Walks come back to bite Cubs in late inning loss

Regardless of the pitching change, I am the last person who wants to bash Joe Maddon. The guy has been a phenomenal manager for the Cubs and has proven to be one of the brightest managers in the MLB day in and day out. Although Saturday’s pitching change might have been a mistake, all it will end up being for Maddon is an outlier of a great tenure as manager of the Chicago Cubs.