Major League Baseball knows that the offense is humming for the Chicago Cubs. It also knows the pitching staff has some holes.
Starter Justin Steele is out for the season after elbow surgery. Shota Imanaga is on the injured list with a hamstring injury.
The Cubs have found ways to paste over those holes. Colin Rea has given them nice innings. So has Matthew Boyd. Cade Horton’s call-up from Triple-A Iowa has gone well so far.
There are issues to deal with in the bullpen, too. Ryan Pressly, whom the Cubs traded for in the offseason, has been uneven. He only has four saves. Daniel Palencia has a team-leading five. The hope was that Pressly would bolster the closer role, not leave it open for debate.
But one thing isn’t for debate. Whether Pressly or Palencia gets the ball, they’re getting it with a lead. One of the big reasons for that was the Cubs’ best pitcher in May, reliever Brad Keller.
On a team where much of the discussion has been around the losses in the starting rotation, Keller’s first season, and his month of May in particular, should be of interest to the organization.
He appeared in 14 games in May and finished with a spotless 0.00 ERA. He only allowed eight hits and didn’t give up a run. He had a 6.98 K/9 ratio, with 12 strikeouts and two walks. He had a 0.64 WHIP. He even started a game on a spot basis for Chicago, finished 2-0 and pitched 15.2 innings. He also recorded four holds.
He’s had to do a little bit of everything this month for Chicago, and that extends to this season.
Keller has worked a team-high 26 games with 28 innings pitched. He’s allowed just seven earned runs, no home runs and has struck out 28 to eight walks. He has a 2.22 ERA and eight holds.
The right-hander has been in the Majors since 2018, but he only joined the Cubs on a free-agent deal. The 28-year-old was assigned to Iowa to start they but was called up for the stateside opening day in Arizona.
Keller struggled last year, with stints with both the Chicago White Sox and the Boston Red Sox. He went 0-4 with a 5.44 ERA in 16 games, with a save, 32 strikeouts and 15 walks in 41.1 innings.
Right now, he’s on pace for the best season of his career — and carving out a necessary role in the Cubs’ bullpen.
