The Chicago Cubs are only six games into their 2025 season, but early on, the bullpen has been a problem.

Cubs relievers have a combined 8.34 ERA — the third-worst in the majors — and collapsed on Sunday in a 10-6 loss that spoiled an otherwise sparkling debut for new Cubs starting pitcher Matt Boyd.

Boyd fired 5.0 scoreless innings, giving up four hits and striking out five. Chicago led 1-0 when he exited the game, only to see the bullpen give up 10 runs over the final three innings, including eight in a disastrous eighth inning.

For his part, Boyd doesn't seem worried.

“We got a great group of guys down there, we have so much talent,” he told the media after the game. “There’s not one ounce of worry when it comes to those guys. All in all, we got a great pitching staff. We know what we can do.”

New reliever Eli Morgan had the roughest outing of the bunch on Sunday, giving up six runs on six hits in 0.2 innings to take the loss. After giving up plenty of loud contact, he said he plans to take another look at his outing to figure out what went wrong.

“I feel like the pitches felt good out of my hand,” Morgan said, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. “It’s more command — seeing where they end up — versus stuff.”

Manager Craig Counsell is unconcerned by Cubs' bullpen woes

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell (11) talks to media members before the game against the Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome.
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Cubs manager Craig Counsell is similarly unconcerned about his bullpen's poor start. A baseball lifer who played 16 years in the Majors himself, Counsell knows that it's too early to start panicking about anything.

“We pitched well for five innings and then we struggled for three innings, essentially,” he said after the game. “We got a couple big outs, Caleb [Thielbar] got a couple big outs in the seventh and in the 8th inning, we just didn’t pitch well. They got pitches to hit and they did something with them.”

In addition to Morgan's struggles, Nate Pearson had a forgettable outing, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks in 1.1 innings. Thielbar followed him and he walked three and gave up two runs despite not allowing a hit in 0.2 innings.

The Cubs made it a point to upgrade their bullpen depth over the offseason and Counsell seems committed to letting his relievers figure themselves out.

“This is our group,” he said.

Counsell is in his second season as Cubs manager after spending eight years leading the Milwaukee Brewers. Between his time in Milwaukee and Chicago, he is seeking his ninth straight season of either a playoff appearance or winning record.