It has been a tough go of it for Adbert Alzolay this season.

He began the year as the Cubs’ closer but was removed from that role after blowing 4 saves in the season’s first few weeks.

The team moved Alzolay to some lower-leverage situations but they have been forced to lean on him in big spots this week and the struggles have continued.

Alzolay was saddled with the loss Friday against the Brewers, giving up all 3 runs in the 8th inning. He recorded just 1 out and gave up 4 singles and 3 stolen bases — all 3 stolen bases came around to score.

Home runs were the issue earlier in the year for Alzolay and on Friday, it was the stolen base and some perfectly placed hits. Three of the 4 singles the Brewers collected off Alzolay registered less than 81 mph in exit velocity, but they found green grass or trickled just past the outstretched glove of the Cubs infielders.

On the season, Alzolay is now 1-4 with 5 blown saves and a 5.54 ERA.

Friday marked back-to-back appearances with a loss for the 29-year-old right-hander. He surrendered a 3-run homer in the 6th inning of a tie ballgame Tuesday in New York, though all 3 runs were unearned due to a throwing error by Dansby Swanson.

That was the 5th home run Alzolay has allowed this season. He gave up only 5 all last year in 64 innings.

“It feels awful,” manager Craig Counsell said. “It feels bad for sure and you feel for Adbert for sure. He’s struggling right now for sure. But we need Adbert.

“We need Adbert to be an effective member of the bullpen and we need to keep giving him opportunities to do that.”

Counsell ideally would stay away from Alzolay in high-leverage spots right now but the situation Friday did not allow such a decision.

Two of the team’s top relievers — Héctor Neris and Yency Almonte — were down Friday after working back-to-back days. Richard Lovelady had already pitched in relief of Hayden Wesneski Friday after throwing 22 pitches in Thursday’s game. Plus, the Brewers had a pair of righties due up, creating a good pocket for Alzolay in theory.

Daniel Palencia and Keegan Thompson both threw Thursday and throughout their careers, neither has consistently pitched in back-to-back games. Palencia has only done so twice and Thompson — who often works in multiple-inning stints — has pitched on back-to-back days just 3 times (all coming during his rookie season of 2021).

That left Alzolay, Mark Leiter Jr. and Colten Brewer to get the final 5 outs of the game as the Cubs were clinging to a 1-0 lead Friday against the Brewers.

“The situation we’re in with just who we have available today, you can’t just stay away from people,” Counsell said after the 3-1 loss. “We just can’t in a stretch like this. And so we went with the guy that was best suited for that spot in the lineup and that part of the game. And it just didn’t work.”

The Cubs are in the midst of 16 straight games without an off-day and they’ve been hammered with injuries, especially to the pitching staff. Drew Smyly and Julian Merryweather are both on the IL and due to a trio of rotation injuries (Justin Steele, Kyle Hendricks, Jordan Wicks), Hayden Wesneski and Ben Brown have been forced into starting roles (thus leaving more holes in the bullpen).

Wesneski did his part in Friday’s game, tossing 6.1 innings of shutout baseball. He struck out 8 and lowered his season ERA to 0.54 in the process.

He knows he needs to be there for Alzolay as a teammate right now.

“You feel for the guy and it really hurts me,” Wesneski said. “It really does. I’m cheering for him and you just keep bringing a positive attitude. I know it’s really difficult to go through these and fight through it because he’s fighting what I did last year.

“You just feel for the guy and you want nothing but the best because he is part of this 26-man team that we need him.”

For his part, Alzolay was waiting in the locker room after Friday’s game, waiting to address the media. He admitted he is still searching for answers as to his struggles.

[WATCH: Alzolay addresses the media Friday]

“This is a results-based game and I’m not getting results,” Alzolay said. “That’s the bottom line for me.”

He admitted the struggles are frustrating but he and the Cubs are working through all avenues to potentially get him back on track.

Alzolay does not have any minor-league options remaining, so the only answer is to continue forward at the big-league level.

“Yeah, at some point, it gets to you,” Alzolay said. “But you just gotta keep going out there and hopefully one day it turns around.”