Chicago Cubs: Examining an unusual distribution of innings this season

So far this season, the Chicago Cubs have seen an unusual distribution of innings. This could have an array of consequences come October.

In a lot of cases, the Chicago Cubs usage of pitchers might lead to better rested arms down the stretch. However, some of the pitchers the Cubs have relied upon the most this season may have already been used too much.

The starting rotation has routinely not pitched deep into games. The bullpen has pitched superb, but has been called on a lot. The Triple-A pitching depth has contributed with a ton of quality appearances.

A number of the Cubs regular pitchers have spent time on the disabled list. Joe Maddon has even saved the pitching staff a few innings by having several different position players pitch at the end of blowout games. All told, it’s been a strange season to-date, with Chicago getting innings from some unlikely sources.