The Cubs' murky closer situation became a little clearer Friday when Hector Rondon recorded a save in only his second appearance since his extended absence for an elbow injury. He struck out two in a perfect ninth inning, looking just as dominant as he did in 24 appearances before his disastrous outing June 6 -- his last before his extended absence.
Neil Ramirez, who filled in for Rondon and who many hoped would keep the role given his impressive numbers to date, wasn't even a candidate for the ninth inning in this one. The Cubs used him in the seventh inning. He did fine, issuing one walk and recording one strikeout in a scoreless inning to lower his ERA to 1.00, but how well he pitches is irrelevant in most leagues if he's not getting saves.
He's probably still the Cubs' backup plan, making him worth stashing in deeper leagues where saves are especially scarce, but given how effective Rondon was before the injury, compiling a 1.46 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings, you shouldn't count on him blowing this chance to claim the role all for himself.