Adbert Alzolay’s struggles continue after fourth blown save

Closer Adbert Alzolay sat by himself in the dugout following the conclusion of Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the Marlins in Game 1 of a doubleheader.

Alzolay had his fourth blown save of the season after allowing a go-ahead, two-run home run to Marlins outfielder Bryan De La Cruz in the ninth inning. The Cubs officially have a closer problem.

Alzolay has had a rocky start to the season. In his 10 innings, the right-hander has allowed 10 hits, five earned runs and four home runs allowed.

.Manager Craig Counsell said the team needs Alzolay despite the poor start to his season. De La Cruz’s home run came off Alzolay’s 95-mph sinker.

“It’s just not keeping the ball in the park,” Counsell said of Alzolay’s struggles. “Obviously, the home run, for the closer in tight situations, is going to hurt you and it hurts today.”

In all four of his blown saves, Alzolay came in nursing one-run leads. But the job of a closer is to deliver in high-pressure, high-leverage situations, and he’s struggled to do so. After a strong 2023 season — where he converted 22 saves in 25 games — Alzolay’s performance needs to improve.

“We need Adbert to get outs,” Counsell said. “Regardless of where it is, we need Adbert to be an effective member of the bullpen and I strongly believe he will be. It stings when it comes at the end of the game there, but we need outs, and Adbert is going to get us big outs this year.”

After finishing the ninth inning, Alzolay solemnly walked off the mound. After costing the team four games, it’s fair to question his status as the closer.

Counsell said the team is going to continue counting on Alzolay late in games. Counsell is backing his closer, but Alzolay needs to start delivering.

The Cubs can go in a different direction with the closer. Counsell can move high-leverage reliever Mark Leiter Jr. into the role, but his value comes in deploying him when there’s traffic on the basepaths in the middle innings. Leiter has allowed zero runs in 10 innings.

Veteran right-hander Hector Neris has been uneven this season, but he’s saved 89 games in his career. He has at least some experience closing games.

Regardless of where Alzolay enters the game, the Cubs need him to be dialed in on the mound. His stuff is too powerful not to use as a weapon.

“That’s been the challenge,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Friday. Obviously, he’s [Alzolay] had some really good outings, but three different times he’s given up homers. Getting him to, I don’t want to say “execute,” but I think some of those pitches are in the zone, and they should be below the zone.

Counsell is looking for pitchers who can get outs, and right now, that’s not Alzolay, but his faith in the pitcher hasn’t wavered.

It’s just April, but the pressure will only magnify on Alzolay if he can’t improve his play. Even if he’s moved off the closer role, his stuff is a much-needed weapon for the Cubs, but the Cubs can’t afford to give away winnable games like on Saturday.

“There’s been a lot of positives, but no question there’s been some games, some middle innings, some things in the ninth inning that we need to clean up,” Hoyer said. “I don’t necessarily expect those things to be perfectly clean in April, but we do have to get to a point of stability of performance in order to be able to have some consistency and get on a roll.”