Cubs lose most trusted bullpen arm to injury

The Chicago Cubs haven't been able to rely on their bullpen for much of the year. Now they're down an arm.

The Cubs put Mark Leiter Jr. on the 15-day IL with a right forearm strain. In a corresponding move, Chicago brought up Luke Little from Triple-A.

Little has made 23 appearances for the Cubs this season, going 2-1 with a 4.35 ERA. In five appearances in June, he's allowed just one earned run in 4.1 innings.

Cubs bullpen faces more pressure with Mark Leiter on IL

Leiter has been far from perfect this season, just like the rest of the Cubs bullpen. He has a 5.34 ERA with a 2-4 record. And his recent performances have been poor, including allowing three earned runs in two of his last three outings. So, maybe something has been brewing with him on the injury front.

Still, Leiter is one of Chicago's best relievers. Losing him to a forearm strain puts more pressure on an already underperforming unit.

The hope is that he just needs a rest and can come back after 15 days better than before. If it turns out he has a more significant problem, then the Cubs are in more trouble than they already were. Hector Neris' reliability as a closer is questionable at best. Adbert Alzolay is on the 60-day injured list.

Chicago's starting rotation is largely up for the task. Better performance from the relievers would completely change Chicago's trajectory this year.

The Cubs came into Sunday at 37-40 and struggling to stay in Wild Card race, let alone contend for the NL Central. After series losses to the Reds, Rays and Cardinals, they finally went 2-1 against the Giants. Sunday will give them the chance to take the series against the Mets after 8-1 win on Saturday.