3 things that went right for the Chicago Cubs during the month of May

Chicago Cubs: Bullpen ranked among the best in baseball in May

While it might not feature a lot of eye-catching or flashy names, the Chicago Cubs bullpen has shown its more than ready to go toe-to-toe with the best in the game.

During the month of May, as a unit, Cubs relievers worked to a 1.59 ERA. It’s been all hands on deck and, seemingly, there has been no weak spots in the chain. From young arms like Keegan Thompson (0.52 ERA in 10 appearances) and Tommy Nance (0.00 ERA in seven appearances) to seasoned veterans like Ryan Tepera (0.61 ERA in 14 appearances) and Andrew Chafin (0.66 ERA in 11 appearances) – this group deserves a ton of credit for the team’s resurgence.

In the ninth inning, Craig Kimbrel continues to dominate, as well. Given he’s heading into his mid-30s and is in the final year of his contract, he’s a prime trade candidate this summer, but, for now, let’s just enjoy what he’s doing in the late innings.

On the year, Kimbrel has a dozen saves to go along with a 0.82 ERA. He’s struck out 36 in just 22 innings of work and he’s regained his footing as one of the top ninth-inning arms in the league. A deal that once looked like a complete bust is looking more and more palatable as the veteran right-hander continues to pitch well.

Chicago Cubs: An ‘all hands on deck’ approach is fueling the offense

With key contributors, including Anthony Rizzo, Jason Heyward and Jake Marisnick sidelined, the Chicago Cubs just keep rolling, embracing a ‘next man up’ mentality that saw Patrick Wisdom put the finishing touches on the month of May with a two-homer game on Memorial Day.

Everyone has played their role to perfection, embracing the challenge and stepping up in all sorts of ways. Guys like Wisdom (1.633 OPS in seven May games) have perfectly complimented bounce back months from key players like Ian Happ and Joc Pederson. Throw in the consistency of Bryant and the ever-exciting play of Javier Baez and this lineup continues to do damage.

After an abysmal first month in a Cubs uniform, Pederson cranked it up a notch in May, hitting .314 and driving in 13 runs. Happ worked a .387 OBP during the month, sticking with his approach that failed to net results early on but looked promising.

Getting healthy will be critical for the team. Key contributors such as Matt Duffy and Nico Hoerner were swinging hot sticks before hitting the IL and getting them back into the mix will give Ross some much-needed roster flexibility heading into an admittedly tough stretch of the schedule.

It’s safe to say few of us expected a month like this from the Chicago Cubs. But, at least for now, the team is flying high, sitting in first place and ready to play spoiler one last time (as long as the front office lets them do so).