One ugly stat exposes why the Cubs can't seem to solve their never-ending Brewers problem

Monday was yet another example of how the Chicago Cubs struggle to close out games against the Milwaukee Brewers. Perhaps Craig Counsell left Matthew Boyd in the game one batter too long, but the end result is one that Cubs fans have grown to expect.

The Brewers took advantage of a Cubs' bullpen that wasn't in a position to succeed, and then consequently closed the door on the game. Sure, Pete Crow-Armstrong's home run in the ninth made it a one-run game, but the damage had already been done.

Craig Counsell's management of the game has certainly been a topic of conversation over the past 24 hours. No one really had an issue with Counsell leaving Boyd in the game to start the eighth innings, but once the veteran starting pitcher walked Garrett Mitchell to open the frame, perhaps the right move would have been pulling Boyd.

Ryan Zeferjahn was warming up in the bullpen, and even had he entered the game sooner, it would seem likely that Jake Bauers would have pinch-hit for Joey Ortiz. No point in debating what would have happened in a scenario that never came to fruition, but the larger point is that the Cubs very much still have a problem with their bullpen.

Cubs keep failing against Brewers and one painful stat makes it easy to understand

That is where the biggest difference lies between the Cubs and Brewers. As of Monday, the Brewers' bullpen had an fWAR on the season of 7.0. Meanwhile, the Cubs' bullpen has a fWAR of -1.5. Entering play on Tuesday, the Cubs trail the Brewers by eight games in the National League Central.

Blaming Zeferjahn's for Monday's loss would have been wrong. Counsell's role in how things unfolded on Monday can certainly be debated, but the finger needs to be pointed at Jed Hoyer.

At the start of the season, the hope was that Daniel Palencia would be the established closer for the team, and Phil Maton would be the high-leverage setup arm in the bullpen. Neither of those scenarios happened this season. Palencia's season has been riddled with injuries, and now that he's healthy, he doesn't appear to be the established option he once was. Phil Maton was bad when he was healthy this season, and seems likely that his season is over.

The Cubs spent nearly $30 million on the bullpen during the offseason. Of course, $6 million of that was wasted on Hunter Harvey. Maton's money didn't look bad at the time of his signing, but his struggles, and overall status of the bullpen, pointed to Hoyer needing to have a concrete plan of improvement for the bullpen at the trade deadline.

Instead, he pinned his hopes on the project that was Zeferjahn, and hoping that a returning Palencia could provide a boost. Neither has happened, and given where the Cubs are in their season, it's hard to imagine them solving their bullpen woes before the playoffs.

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