Cubs suddenly face uncomfortable bullpen reality they thought they'd escaped

It has only taken two Jacob Webb appearances for the Chicago Cubs to potentially be back at the drawing board in terms of the plan for the backend of the bullpen. After stacking together over 20 consecutive scoreless outings, Webb has blown a save opportunity in each of his las two times out.

The latest was Tuesday's loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Things came undone for Daniel Palencia in the eighth inning last night, and while Webb initially played savior, he was tagged for two runs in the ninth inning.

Webb's struggles against the Diamondbacks come just after he blew a save against the Seattle Mariners over the weekend. An appearance that saw the 33-year-old give up three runs. In case you're keeping track at home, that's now five runs on four hits and two home runs for Webb over his last two outings.

When Palencia initially made his return to the bullpen, the impression was that Webb would remain in place as the team's closer. The idea being that if it's not broke, there's no need to fix it. It's certainly possible that Webb's last two outings are merely a blip, but given where the Cubs are in their season, there's a larger conversation needed about the number of high-leverage guys they have available in the bullpen.

Cubs' bullpen circle of trust suddenly in question after Jacob Webb regression has arrived

This is also where the struggles of Ryan Zeferjahn comes up. The Cubs targeted Zeferjahn at the trade deadline, in part, because of the reality that he's under control through the 2031 season, but also with the hope that he could become the established high-leverage arm out of the bullpen this season. In eight appearances with the Cubs, Zeferjahn has allowed six runs on nine hits and four walks. His outings certainly haven't been re-assuring, leaving the Cubs in somewhat of conundrum when mapping out their bullpen for the postseason.

To be clear, there's no version of the Cubs having success in October if both Webb and Palencia are struggling. Ideally, both are trusted options for the Cubs by the time the playoffs starts, but if Webb regresses and Palencia continues to be inconsistent, it's hard to imagine the Cubs surviving that reality.

The wild-card in all of this is Ben Brown. Brown is nearing a minor-league rehab assignment, and on track to return to the Cubs within the next few weeks. Before his ascension as a starting pitcher this season, he was thriving as a high-leverage arm out of the bullpen at the start while being capable of tossing multiple innings. Expecting Brown to emerge as the closer may seem unlikely, but he could provide stability for Counsell in the bullpen as he looks for established out-getters during the playoffs.

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