Cubs Lose Top Wild Card Spot as Bullpen Implodes Again in Loss to Brewers

The Chicago Cubs have bullpen issues ... again.

The Cubs (78-61) dropped the second game of their three-game set with the Milwaukee Brewers (86-53), despite leading 3-0 earlier in the game. It was a 4-run sixth inning that saw the Cubs bullpen unravel and relinquish the lead, as Daniel Palencia struggled once again.

But it wasn't just Palencia; each of the Cubs' five pitchers gave up a run this evening as the Brewers finished the night with 13 hits and notched their league-leading 86th win of the season. The loss hurts twice as much with the Phillies winning, as the Cubs are now second in the Wild Card standings and would be on the road if the season ended today.

Luckily, the season doesn't end today, but there are some real concerns about the Cubs' bullpen going into the final month of the season.

A shaky bullpen puts the Cubs’ season at risk

Oct 2, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Daniel Palencia (48) throws the ball against the San Diego Padres during game three of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Just a few weeks ago, it felt like Craig Counsell had found a group of relievers he could lean on this season, especially with budding optimism that the team was adding arms like Daniel Palencia back into the mix. Then, the Cubs went on a six-game road trip, and their most reliable arm in Jacob Webb blew two saves in Seattle and Arizona.

The group has been reeling since, with the Cubs' offense somewhat masking their issues. But this Cubs bullpen simply doesn't miss enough bats, and while they've continued to be one of the best teams in baseball at leaving runners on (76.8% LOB this year), they have a -0.8 fWAR this year.

Only the Nationals have allowed more home runs than the Cubs bullpen, with 14.1% of their fly balls leaving the park, which is the worst in baseball. Their 3.93 ERA looks decent, but their 4.59 FIP is the 4th worst in the league. I honestly have no clue how Craig Counsell has been able to make this all work, but were starting to see the issues cost the Cubs games again.

Sadly, there isn't really a clear solution to this mess right now other than hoping guys like Palencia and Ryan Zeferjahn work through these funks and find stability before the playoffs. Edward Cabrera is close to returning to the team and would provide some much-needed swing and miss to the group. But Cabrera has never been a reliever, so the Cubs can't just stick him into the back end of the bullpen and call it good.

It's a mess right now. Is there still time for the Cubs to clean up the mess in their bullpen and build confidence before the playoffs? Sure. But fans better hope they do that because what we saw on Tuesday was a recipe for a September collapse.

Cubs offense comes up short

Sep 1, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki (27) high fives third baseman Alex Bregman (3) after they score during the fourth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's tough to blame the offense when the bullpen falls apart in a game, but after making it a 5-4 game in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Cubs would go hitless for the remaining three innings. Of course, they were coming off a 9-home run night and a 17-3 win on Monday, so again, hard to blame them for this loss.

But the Cubs are very boom-or-bust at times, and while home runs are great, a team doesn't want to be in a spot where they live and die off the long ball. They did hit 62 home runs last month, though, so it has somewhat become their identity lately.

It doesn't help when the top of the lineup goes 1-10 with five strikeouts, as that's the combined stat line of Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, and Alex Bregman. Cubs need their bats to score runs, and their lack of production was felt. At the same time, when your pitching allows the other team to score in 4 consecutive innings, it's hard to build momentum.

One bright spot was rookie BJ Murray, who got his first MLB hit.

first big league hit for bj. 🥹 pic.twitter.com/UCz5lbAs0U
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 2, 2026

The switch-hitting Murray was called up from Triple-A Iowa yesterday after hitting 16 home runs with an .895 OPS. The 26-year-old is having the best season of his professional career, so it was nice to see him rewarded with the call-up and then his first hit!

The defense drops the ball ... literally

Sep 1, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras (24) slides past Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) after he hits an RBI double during the seventh inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cubs have played great defense all season and should have multiple gold glove winners this year, but this was not a night we'll see on those highlight reels. The most notable mistake was Seiya Suzuki's drop in RF on a tough fly ball from Andrew Vaughn that tied the game up in the 6th.

Before the Vaughn double, though, Daniel Palencia was called for a balk (the league needs to adjust the rule), moving the runner on second to third base. Later, Yelich would hit a 2-run home run, and the Brewers would hold the lead the rest of the way.

Craig Counsell addressed the lack of crispness from the defense in postgame.

"These were very difficult plays, but we have to play great defense. And we played good defense tonight, but against the best team in baseball, you gotta play great defense. We got our glove on a bunch of balls, didn't make plays, and that's the difference."

Craig Counsell on… pic.twitter.com/DO2otQdurf
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 2, 2026

The Cubs technically didn't make any errors, but Counsell is right to say that this team thrives on playing great defense. They were merely good in this one, and we saw in real time how much of a difference that makes this time.

All in all, this was another bad loss, and the Cubs are starting to pile them up. To be sure, there are plenty of good things happening for this team, and there's still time for the Cubs to regain home-field advantage for the Wild Card series. But if there is a concern for the Cubs come playoff time, it's their bullpen and how dependent they are on playing outstanding defense.

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