I really don't think the intention was to be this bad. But Bloom's construction of the bullpen looks terrible, there's no way around that.
It really seems to make the "throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks" approach look questionable, to put it nicely.
But Whitlock is our best potential pitcher, period.
Not trying to be a smartass, but we could have Eovaldi close and Wacha pitch the 8th, too, if the philosophy is to use your best guys at the ends of games.
No doubt you're right that Whitlock closing would have turned a bunch of losses into wins.
But considering our other issues, I don't think it would be a season-saver.
As 5GG's says, this is a Bloom issue, not a Cora issue.