During another subpar outing Friday, Cubs reliever Adbert Alzolay was met with a chorus of boos by the fans at Wrigley Field as the Brewers’ third run crossed the plate. But this wasn’t a regular booing. The jeering seemed to come out of frustration with the former closer.
The three runs Alzolay allowed in the eighth inning were the difference in the Cubs’ 3-1 loss. This week hasn’t been encouraging for Alzolay, who allowed a three-run home run Tuesday against the Mets, though the runs were unearned. The Cubs (19-14) and Alzolay need to find answers to his struggles after his major-league-leading fifth blown save.
The Brewers gave themselves an edge in the eighth with their speed. They stole four bases to put runners in scoring position. They have 45 steals for the season, the third-most in baseball. Each of the four hits Alzolay allowed in the inning came on a 2-2 count.
‘‘It feels awful,’’ manager Craig Counsell said. ‘‘He’s struggling right now, for sure, but we need Adbert to be an effective member of the bullpen. We need to keep giving them opportunities to do that.’’
Right now, it’s clear that Alzolay can’t be trusted in high-leverage situations. Entering the game, opponents were slashing .292/.370/.792 against him in such situations.
This has been a trying season for Alzolay, who has a 5.54 ERA. He succeeded in 2023 by adding a slider and becoming a weapon in close games. That version of Alzolay seems far away from the pitcher who’s taking the mound nowadays.
Counsell used five relievers in the Cubs’ 7-6, 11-inning loss Thursday to the Mets, leaving him with few options Friday aside from Alzolay.
‘‘You can’t just stay away from people,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘We just can’t with a stretch like this. We went with a guy that was best-suited for that spot in the lineup. That part of the game just didn’t work.’’
The Cubs are in a stretch of 16 games in as many days, and their bullpen is already taxed. Outside of Mark Leiter Jr., the bullpen has been uneven. Cubs relievers had allowed the sixth-most earned runs (65) in the majors and had logged the third-most innings (130) entering the night games Friday.
The loss overshadowed a strong outing by right-hander Hayden Wesneski, who pitched 6⅓ scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out eight.
Last season, Wesneski experienced the lows that Alzolay is going through. He had a 4.63 ERA and admitted he needed to start this season at Triple-A Iowa because he wasn’t in the right headspace and needed a restart.
‘‘You just feel for the guy, and you want nothing but the best because he is part of this 26-man team and we need him,’’ Wesneski said.
Alzolay has the support of his coaches and teammates, but he knows something has to change.
‘‘At this point, I’m not getting the results, so that’s what I’ve got,’’ Alzolay said.
Counsell said the staff is trying to figure out how Alzolay can get outs consistently. After another blown opportunity for a victory, time is ticking on how much longer the Cubs can let him work in high-leverage spots while trying to recapture his form.
‘‘Last year was last year, so we’re in a new year,’’ Alzolay said of getting outs. ‘‘I’m still trying to figure out that part.’’
