Chicago Cubs: Theo Epstein, Joe Maddon masterfully correcting mistakes

Mistakes on the part of both Theo Epstein and Joe Maddon have gone largely overlooked, thanks to both their responses and that of the Chicago Cubs.

When Pedro Strop came to the plate to bat for himself with the bases loaded and one out in the tenth last week, Chicago Cubs nation collectively threw their hands in the air to question their skipper’s decision.

Needless to say, Joe Maddon’s out-of-the-box thinking did not work. It cost them their backup closer for at least two weeks in the midst of a tight pennant race, while they were already short-handed in the back-end of their bullpen.

When Strop came up lame after trying to leg out an inning-ending double play, it was the worst possible scenario. The Cubs were already without opening day closer Brandon Morrow. After Strop, the Cubs lacked a clear successor to take over the role.

That’s where Maddon becomes a weapon in the Cubs dugout. While it was his own mistake that put him in this position, there is no manager better suited to get the most out of a depleted bullpen.

Chicago Cubs: Relying on unlikely contributors

In the immediate aftermath of Strop’s injury, the Cubs bullpen compiled 13 2/3 shutout innings before Allen Webster allowed a pair of runs late Wednesday. They’ve done so largely without having to use their four best arms, Justin Wilson, Steve Cishek, Jesse Chavez and a struggling Carl Edwards Jr..

The starting pitching has been excellent throughout that stretch, but its worth noting that Maddon has been able to get quality innings from Jorge De La Rosa, Dillon Maples, Alec Mills and Jaime Garcia.

Throughout Maddon’s tenure in Chicago he has been able to mix and match with his bullpen better than anybody. Regardless of the weapons he has, he always seems to get success out of his bullpen.

Chicago Cubs: Theo’s rollercoaster 2018

Maddon isn’t the only member of the Cubs organization to make poor decisions in 2018. Theo Epstein laid an egg in the offseason. The Cubs have had little to no production from Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood and have now lost Brandon Morrow for the remainder of the season.

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Like Maddon, Epstein covered his tracks. In Epstein’s case, he won big at the trade deadline. He was able to acquire Cole Hamels, Daniel Murphy, Jesse Chavez and Brandon Kintzler for basically nothing. All will play a vital role for the Cubs going forward.

The two biggest acquisitions were Murphy and Hamels. Both have been a shot in the arm for the Cubs when they’ve needed it most.

When Epstein landed Hamels, the Cubs rotation was struggling to find a rhythm. Jon Lester was in a funk and the back-end of the rotation couldn’t carry their weight. Inserting Hamels into that rotation was exactly what they needed. Heading into Wednesday (an admitted clunker), Hamels made nine starts, and is 4-0 with a 1.57 ERA. He’s been the ace the Cubs needed, and the rest of the rotation has followed his lead.

Over the last month, Hamels, Lester, Kyle Hendricks, and Jose Quintana have all had under a 2.50 ERA.