Chicago Cubs: Who’s hot, who’s not after strong homestand

Chicago Cubs: Two relievers who have pitched up and down

After a slow start to the season, Steve Cishek was the best reliever out of the Cubs bullpen over the successful home-stand. He pitched six innings of scoreless baseball while allowing a lone inherited runner to score. He struck out five batters, walked two and allowed just one extra-base hit.

Due to the Pedro Strop injury, Cishek appeared in some high leverage situations for the Cubs. His biggest moment came in the ninth inning on Sunday night against the Brewers. He entered with a 4-1 lead and set down the side in order to earn his second save of the year.

More from Cubbies Crib

• Cubs starting pitching has been thriving on the North Side
• Make no mistake: the Cubs are very much about power hitters
• Cubs are giving pitcher Javier Assad a deserved shot
• Cubs: It’s time to start thinking about potential September call-ups
• Cubs: P.J. Higgins deserves to be in the lineup on a daily basis

Cishek also earned his first win of the season in the Cubs 5-2 victory over the Marlins when Bryant hit his walk-off home run. The right-hander pitched a scoreless ninth inning to keep the game tied at 2-2. He struck out the first two batters before allowing a harmless single and recording a ground out to end the inning.

On the flip side, Kyle Ryan started his season hot but has run into some hard times on the mound. He only pitched in 2 2/3 innings over the home-stand but he surrendered two earned runs on the way to a 6.75 ERA.

Ryan, unfortunately, put the Cubs in some tough spots as opposed to getting them out of them like he was previously doing. Everyone surely remembers the game against the Marlins where instead of throwing home to get the out, he threw to first and allowed them to tie the game in the ninth inning.

In Hendricks start, the one where Hendricks should have started the ninth, Ryan faced the first batter and allowed a leadoff single. That base runner eventually scored to tie the game and cost Hendricks what should have been his second straight win.

Since he was called up on April 6, Ryan has been Cubs go-to lefty out of the bullpen. Since then the Cubs have gotten Montgomery and Xavier Cedeno back from the injured list. Their return will certainly limit Ryan’s time and could even spell the end for him, especially when Strop is ready to return from the injured list.