Early in the year, the Cubs bullpen was the main question mark with this team.

They ranked near the top of the league in blown saves for much of the first few months of the 2024 season and the group was fraught with instability.

That is no longer the case.

The Cubs bullpen has not only been a strength for this team but it has been the best unit in baseball over the last two months – by a wide margin.

Since June 27, the Cubs’ 1.95 bullpen ERA ranks ahead of the Angels (2.61) and Rays (2.82).

The group came through once again Saturday, keying the charge in an important victory with 7 innings of relief after a pair of rain delays forced starter Justin Steele out of the game early.

Six relievers combined to allow just 2 runs to the Blue Jays offense.

“Those guys are doing a great job,” Craig Counsell said. “They’re getting their outs and that makes the other guy’s job a little easier. Magnificent effort by the bullpen.”

The Cubs bullpen has a mix of young, inexperienced arms as well as reliable veterans. And their confidence is soaring.

“We’re nasty out there,” said Jorge López, who picked up his 1st save in a Cubs uniform. “Doing a really good job through the summer and through now. We just got to keep our focusing going.”

[WATCH: Jorge López explains the secrets behind the Cubs bullpen’s success]

The bullpen has been a work in progress all season. The year began with Héctor Neris joining Adbert Alzolay, Mark Leiter Jr. and Julian Merryweather as the top leverage arms in the unit.

Alzolay struggled in April and was removed from the closer’s role. He then was placed on the IL with a forearm injury in May and will now miss the next year-plus with Tommy John surgery.

Neris stepped into the closer’s role but has had his ups and downs, including Friday’s blown save. Merryweather missed more than 3 months with an injury and Leiter also spent some time on the IL before he was traded away last month at the deadline.

Meanwhile, the Cubs found some diamonds in the rough, picking up López after he was released by the Mets and trading for Tyson Miller earlier this year when the Mariners designated him for assignment.

[MORE: How the Cubs bullpen developed into a stabilizing force]

Drew Smyly has been a stabilizing force in the bullpen, though he also spent some time on the IL.

Then there’s rookie Porter Hodge, who has transformed from a call-up when the Cubs desperately needed depth in the bullpen to arguably the team’s best high-leverage arm. He pitched 1.2 innings Saturday to notch his 9th hold of the season.

Nate Pearson is now a big part of the bullpen after being acquired by the Blue Jays in a trade in late-July. Pearson pitched 2 innings in relief of Steele Saturday and secured his 2nd win of the season.

This year is a shining example that bullpens are rarely ever set in stone once a team emerges from Spring Training.

“It’s a tough job,” Counsell said. “It’s generally a volatile job. They depend on each other. I really think that’s an important part of this. And the starters make their job easier.

“[We] certainly got in a pretty good place and we got some guys that weren’t here at the start of the season doing it doing a real heck of a job.”

López believes the key to the bullpen’s success lately has been preparation. But there’s also a strong chemistry that has been built down there.

“We’re best friends,” López said. “So we’re helping each other, being honest. Preparation is the most important.

“And now with the most important [part] of the season, we just gotta keep playing hard.”

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