Mason Miller isn't the Cubs Wild Card nightmare everyone is making him out to be

The danger in facing the San Diego Padres in the playoffs is that they boast one of the best bullpens in baseball. The Chicago Cubs found that out last October, and it would seem to be one of the leading reasons why some experts are giving San Diego the advantage this time around.

Ken Rosenthal is among the pundits siding with the Padres against the Cubs, and one of the reasons is because the Cubs could be overwhelmed by the Friars' bullpen.

Quickly, it's entirely possible that the Padres' home-field advantage could also work to the Cubs' favor. It certainly will be an electric vibe at Petco Park, but as discussed on the latest episode of the Cubbies Crib podcast, there could be a benefit for the Cubs' offense to be away from Wrigley Field this week. The Cubs bats went cold last week in Chicago, but this is an offense that outside of the month of May, has regularly been one of the best run-scoring groups in all of baseball. Perhaps the warm-weather environment of San Diego helps ensure Pete Crow-Armstrong and Co. don't go cold.

Mason Miller looks like Cubs' worst Wild Card nightmare but reality tells another story

Then there's Mason Miller and the Padres' bullpen. While the Cubs survived against the Padres last October, Miller was dominant. He tossed 2 and 2/3 perfect innings while striking out eight of the nine hitters he faced.

Here's the thing, the Cubs may have figured Miller out this season. In three appearances against the Cubs this season, Miller has allowed two runs on five hits and one walk. Most importantly, he only struck out two fo the 13 hitters he faced.

No, that doesn't guarantee that the Cubs will have success against Miller during the Wild Card round, but he shouldn't be viewed as this unmovable object blocking the team's path to the NLDS.

Of course, it's not just Miller that makes up San Diego's bullpen, and Adrian Morejon has proven to be a problem for the Cubs over the course of his career. In 11 career appearances against the Cubs, Morejon has an ERA of 1.64. Specific to this year, Morejon has an ERA of 2.45 across three appearances.

In a perfect world, yes, the Cubs are in a position where Miller and Morejon don't have an impact on these games. But there's no reason for the Cubs to be afraid of San Diego's bullpen, they've found success against them and most of that success has come with this year's offense.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow