This stat confirms how horrible Jed Hoyer's Chicago Cubs' bullpen construction is

Starting pitching prospects Hayden Wesneski and Ben Brown have been used as major pieces in the Chicago Cubs' bullpen this season, a sign that the construction of the team's pitching staff appears to be a major weakness. The blame falls at the feet of Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer.

Injuries and ineffectiveness have derailed the Cubs' bullpen this season. Adbert Alzolay's proficiency for giving up the home run quickly saw him demoted from the closer's role at the start of the season, forcing veteran Hector Neris to pitch in a different role than what the original intention was.

To Hoyer's credit, he did spend $9MM on Neris this past offseason despite signs of regression. The idea was that Neris would serve as a high-leverage setup man, pitching in either the seventh or eighth innings. Neris, with his 5.13 FIP and 1.64 WHIP, has been thrust into being the team's closer.

With there being fear that Alzolay that may be done for the season, the Cubs must address their bullpen with external solutions. Otherwise, this stat shared by Bob Nightengale of USA Today is only going to get worse.

The Cubs would be 50-19 if games lasted only seven innings this season. Instead, they are 33-36.
- Bob Nightengale, USA Today

With a record of 50-19, the Cubs would not be only running away in the National League Central but they would have the best record in the entire National League.

That is the issue with Hoyer's roster construction, he has chosen to live on the margins and base his expectations on wishful thinking. It was wishful thinking to believe that Alzolay, despite concerns he showed last September, would prove to be the answer at closer. The ignorance of the idea that Julian Merryweather and Yency Almonte would remain healthy highlights why Craig Counsell has resorted to using Wesneski and Brown as leverage options in the bullpen.

Wesneski has now allowed a home run in three of his last four appearances while Brown is out indefinitely with a neck strain.

If the next Cubs' contention window is going to be successful, Hoyer must alter his philosophy on signing veteran free-agent relievers. Otherwise, the Cubs' hypothetical record will always prove to expose the flawed thinking of Hoyer's style.