Chicago Cubs: Is it time to worry about Carl Edwards Jr?

 How worried should we be about the recent struggles of Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Carl Edwards Jr?

The Chicago Cubs entered the eighth inning of Sunday’s game against the Washington Nationals leading by a score of 4-3. Mike Montgomery began the inning by striking out Howie Kendrick. He then gave up a single to Bryce Harper.

With the right-handed hitting Ryan Zimmerman coming up, Joe Maddon called on arguably his best bullpen weapon, right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. Zimmerman greeted Edwards into the game with a sharp double to center field. Edwards then intentionally walked Daniel Murphy to load the bases for Anthony Rendon.

Unfortunately, Edwards promptly hit Rondon to force in the tying run. Even more unfortunately, the next batter, Matt Wieters, took Edwards deep to center field for a grand slam to bust the game wide open for the Nationals.

Maddon trusted Edwards in a big spot and he clearly did not come through. A relief pitcher cannot be expected to be perfect every single time out, but is there a reason to worry about Edwards?

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His season long numbers are strong. Even after his disastrous appearance on Sunday, Edwards has a 3.07 ERA on the year. He also has an impressive 35.6% strikeout rate, according to FanGraphs. When he is on, Edwards is nearly unhittable. However, this is not the first time that he has struggled recently.

He also allowed an earned run against the Nationals in his one inning of work on Friday, and walked the only two batters he faced on Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Those two walks came around to score for the Diamondbacks, and the Chicago Cubs ended up losing that game 10-8.

I don’t know about you, but I had gotten used to dominant Carl Edwards on the mound. His stuff is incredible and while he can be a bit wild, Edwards always seemed to come up with a strikeout in the biggest moments. Now, he seems to be getting crushed every time out.

Walks have always been an issue for Edwards, but he was able to keep them in check last season. His 10.1% walk rate in 2016 was not good, but acceptable considering his incredible 37.7% strikeout rate. In 2017, Edwards’ walk rate has shot way up to 16.4%. It is hard to be effective when walking that many batters. Is he now too worried about the walks and it is forcing him to be in the strike zone to get crushed? I could see that being the case.

I still 100% believe in Edwards’ arm. However, I think the Cubs should start using him in some less important situations. Give him some opportunities to regain his confidence and get his mojo back on the mound. The Chicago Cubs have a strong and deep bullpen. As great as Edwards can be, they can afford to take it easy with him in the short-term.

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However, if the Cubs are going to be serious contenders in October, Edwards needs to get back on track. He can be an absolutely devastating weapon out of the bullpen. When he is at his best, the Cubs can turn the game into a legitimate seven-inning affair. We all know how important that can be in the postseason.