Chicago Cubs rotation rocks as bullpen continues to get rocked

The Chicago Cubs took a pair of gut punches very early into the 2026 season when injuries immediately cost them the two starters projected to be their most effective rotation pieces.

More News: Chicago Cubs top pitching prospect pulled for arm issues, per insider

24-year-old emerging ace Cade Horton was laid out with an elbow injury that would require season-ending surgery. Shortly after that, Opening Day starter Matthew Boyd was put on the shelf with a left biceps strain that, depending on who one listens to, could involve a tricky timetable for return. And to put a cherry on top of the bad news Cubs sundae, reliever Phil Maton, who was signed to a two-year, $14.5 million contract with expectations of playing a big role in the bullpen, was placed on the 15-day IL with right knee tendonitis.

But Chicago’s starting rotation has not rolled up in a ball of piteous resignation. As a matter of fact, they’ve been killing it so far as a collective unit, even without their ace and co-ace.

Chicago Cubs rotation has been top-tier

More News: Chicago Cubs: Reported Giolito demands make him unlikely Cubs target

As of Saturday morning, the Cubs’ rotation ranks second in baseball when it comes to ERA (2.47). They’re coming off a three-game stretch where they’ve allowed just one earned run and 3 hits in 16.2 innings—and this is with Colin Rea and Javier Assad, the two subs for Horton and Boyd, and Shota Imanaga, who had serious question marks over his head as the season began.

New Cub Edward Cabrera, meanwhile, has been beyond impressive in his early outings, showing true elite-level stuff. He’s yet to allow a run in 11.2 innings.

If the starters can stay healthy the rest of the way and Justin Steele can make a successful return from elbow surgery by mid-season, things look solid.

Jacob Zanolla of Bleacher Nation is one of many to recently bring up the Cubs’ starting pitching excellence in the face of adversity:

“It’s extremely impressive that the Cubs’ rotation has withstood the early trials that this season has presented, a great sign of things to come. Their starting pitchers have an ERA of 2.47, which is the second-best mark in baseball, just seven points behind the New York Yankees. For a team without pitchers such as Horton and Steele, that’s not something that should be taken for granted. We’ve seen the potential of this rotation, which means the next step is finding out whether it can withstand the test of time. The returns of both Boyd and Steele will help exponentially, but the latter is still around two months away from contributing to the rotation.”

As for the bullpen, though? That’s a different story.

Meanwhile, the bullpen…

As a unit, they’ve been struggling and the loss of Maton right now probably won’t play too much of a role in digging a deeper hole. As of Saturday, the Cubs bullpen is ranked 20th in MLB with a 4.47 collective ERA. With the exception of Daniel Palencia and Hoby Milner, all of the bullpen regulars have been underperforming.

Manager Craig Counsell and the front office have been wizards at picking up and employing effective relievers on the fly, but that good fortune has to run out eventually. Simply put, the Cubs’ relief corps has to step up and right itself.

For now, however, the pitching isn’t even the most pressing issue facing the 6-7 Cubs. The offense has to wake up and start scoring some runs.

The post Chicago Cubs rotation rocks as bullpen continues to get rocked appeared first on ChiCitySports.