Cubs' biggest flaw takes center stage in brutal loss as Porter Hodge hits the IL

The Chicago Cubs were this close to making it four consecutive wins on Monday night. But after hanging a two-out, 0-2 slider to Derek Hill, right-hander Daniel Palencia lost the strike zone, walking Javier Sanoja and setting up Jesus Sanchez's game-winning triple into the right field corner, giving Miami a walk-off victory in the series opener.

There was one question on everybody's mind after the game: where was Porter Hodge? It turns out Hodge, the team's unofficial closer in the wake of Ryan Pressly's continued shortcomings, is headed to the injured list with an oblique issue - hence Palencia in the ninth. It stands to reason he must have suffered the injury leading up to the game, leaving the Cubs no time to make a roster move and get a fresh arm to LoanDepot Park in time.

Regardless, the loss of Hodge is just the latest blow suffered by a Chicago Cubs bullpen that's been inconsistent, to say the least. The Cubs have blown eight saves this year, which ranks 10th-most in MLB, and the bullpen ranks 19th in ERA at 4.36 and 21st in WHIP at 1.36. No matter how you slice it, there's clear room for improvement.

Cubs' bullpen has left much to be desired in the season's first 2 months

This winter, Jed Hoyer defied everything we knew about him as a baseball executive, narrowly missing out on All-Star reliever Tanner Scott in free agency to the free-wheeling Dodgers. Missing out on that signing has loomed particularly large, but the additions the Cubs made haven't been the stabilizing presence he and Carter Hawkins had hoped for, either.

Pressly has looked like a shell of his former self for much of the year (5.71 ERA, 1.732 WHIP, 1.00 K/BB), we haven't seen Ryan Brasier on a big-league mound since the Tokyo Series and Eli Morgan got rocked (7 appearances, 12.27 ERA0 before heading down to Iowa to sort things out. A

There have been pleasant surprises like Brad Keller and Drew Pomeranz - but those were supplementary adds meant to build solid depth around the 'impact' additions like Pressly and Morgan. Instead, they've stepped into the circle of trust instead, which has had a trickle-down effect on a relief corps that's clearly not been its best self so far this year.

Over-investing in one high-end reliever is a dangerous game - nobody's debating that. But another full season of the Cubs' bullpen feeling more like a roller coaster than a relaxing Sunday afternoon drive should have the organization looking long and hard in a mirror and asking if their piecemeal approach to building out a pitching staff is really the answer moving forward.