The Chicago Cubs ' bullpen could be getting a boost at the perfect time.
The last couple of weeks have left a lot to be desired for the Cubs. Previously closing in on the Milwaukee Brewers , reality hit hard on a West Coast road trip. They lost back-to-back walk-off games to the Seattle Mariners before dropping a second consecutive series to the Arizona Diamondbacks .
To make matters worse, the Cubs' starting arms were essentially excellent during this stretch. David Peterson allowed only 2 earned runs and struck out eight batters in Game 2 against the Mariners. Jacob Webb would later come in and give up 3 earned runs.
Clay Holmes went 7.0 innings of work in Tuesday's meeting with the Arizona Diamondbacks, allowing only two hits and zero earned runs. The Cubs were up a comfortable 4-0, only for Daniel Palencia to give up 3 runs before Jacob Webb forked over 2 more.
Lastly, Matthew Boyd finally bounced back in Wednesday's afternoon battle at Chase Field. He went 6.0 innings deep with only three hits and a single run allowed. Can you guess what happened next? After Trent Thornton got through an inning, Ryan Zeferjahn would step into a scoreless game and give up a costly insurance run.
Could it have been nothing more than a rough week? Sure, but the Cubs can't afford to have those kinds of stretches in this Wild Card race. And that's why two updates from down at the farm this week feel particularly notable.
Jun 19, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Hoby Milner (41) pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the ninth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Chicago Cubs initially placed Hoby Milner on the IL at the end of June with appendicitis. He has been pitching with the Iowa Cubs since late July, looking pretty darn sharp every step of the way.
This includes throwing 3.2 scoreless innings since August 19. Overall, in August, Milner has a 2.79 ERA with only 3 earned runs allowed and nine strikeouts.
In other words, the results have been similar to what he was showing at the major league level. His 3.53 ERA was one of the better lines for the Cubs early in the season, which is why they were turning to him pretty frequently over the first handful of months. Milner also offers something a little different, not throwing a single pitch that typically surpasses 90+ mph. He leans most heavily on his sinker, while his sweeper is known to generate the most whiffs.
As the Chicago Tribune's Meghan Montemurro pointed out this week, a decision will have to be made on Milner sooner rather than later. His 30-day window for rehab assignments is nearing an end. With that said, they are pretty thin on bullpen arms with available options, complicating the situation.
Can they really afford to move Zeferjahn, Palencia, or Ryan Rolison to the minors? The latter two are their hardest throwers, while Rolison has been strong all season long. It's not going to be an easy call, but Milner is pitching like someone who deserves a spot in the bullpen.
Speaking of which, the Shelby Miller hype is getting real. Signed during the offseason as he continued to rehab from Tommy John surgery, there was little expectation that he would be part of the equation this season. However, Miller has looked really solid during his rehab stints.
Miller has struck out 12 batters in 6.1 innings of work this month. Take away Wednesday's outing, and he's allowed just 3 earned runs and six hits in his six appearances. Now, he did just give up 2 more runs in that Wednesday performance, but he also struck out the first two batters he faced and threw up to 98 mph, per Jason Kempf.
Carson Wolf also noted that the last time he threw 98 mph came back in 2019!
Look, the Cubs are going to want to be extra careful with Miller (and have been up until this point). But it's also hard not to think about how his swing-and-miss stuff could help down the stretch of the season.
At the end of the day, the recent production from both Milner and Miller is very encouraging for the Cubs, especially in the wake of a very bad Ben Brown update. The more options they have to consider before setting their postseason roster the better.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/cubs/onsi as Cubs May Have Bullpen Saviors After Updates on Hoby Milner, Shelby Miller .
