Thielbar tossed a scoreless inning of relief with a strikeout to record a hold in Tuesday's 4-3 win over Atlanta.
Thielbar is now up to 19 holds for the year, which is good for second on the team behind Brad Keller's 22. The veteran lefty has been locked in lately, as he's recorded nine straight scoreless appearances. Overall, Thielbar has an elite 1.99 ERA and 0.83 WHIP to go along with 48 strikeouts in 49.2 innings out of the bullpen this season, his first with the Cubs.
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Cubs' Caleb Thielbar: Continues strong stretch
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Thielbar, who tossed 1.1 scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts in Wednesday's win over the Brewers, has 13 scoreless appearances across his last 14 outings.
The only blemish in the stretch of scoreless outings for Thielbar was his Aug. 3 appearance when he allowed a game-winning, two-run home run to Baltimore. The veteran southpaw has been outstanding all season for the Cubs, as he now has a 2.12 ERA and 46 strikeouts across 46.2 innings. Thielbar has been particularly tough against left-handed batters, limiting them to just a .125 batting average.
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Cubs' Caleb Thielbar: Serves up winning home run
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Thielbar (2-3) allowed two runs on two hits and a walk while retiring only two batters to take the loss in Saturday's 4-3 defeat to the Orioles.
After seven scoreless innings from starter Matthew Boyd, relievers Ryan Brasier and Thielbar coughed up the lead in the eighth. The key play was a three-run home run by Gunnar Henderson off Thielbar, which saddled the veteran lefty with the loss. Thielbar still has a strong 2.36 ERA and 0.86 WHIP across 42 innings this season, and he should remain a key piece of Chicago's bullpen despite the hiccup.
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Cubs' Caleb Thielbar: Bounces back with hold Friday
Rotowire
Thielbar tossed a scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts to earn a hold in Friday's 4-1 win over the Red Sox.
After allowing two runs in his last appearance before the All-Star break, Thielbar got back into a groove Friday. The veteran lefty has been scored upon only six times in 41 outings this season, leaving him with a solid 2.23 ERA to go along with 10 holds and two wins out of Chicago's bullpen. After posting a 5.32 ERA last year for Minnesota, Thielbar has bounced back in his first year with the Cubs, working as an effective bridge to closer Daniel Palencia, who earned his 13th save of the season Friday.
Thielbar, who retired two batters in Monday's 3-1 win over the Rockies without allowing a run to record a hold, now has a 2.37 ERA and 1.00 WHIP through 22 appearances this season.
Thielbar has pitched well in his first year with the Cubs, and he's now gone eight straight appearances without allowing a run. The veteran lefty struggled last season in Minnesota, posting a 5.32 ERA and 1.56 WHIP across 59 games, but his 2025 figures are closer to his career marks of a 3.32 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. Thielbar should remain a key member of Chicago's bullpen, particularly due to his success against left-handed hitters. Batters from the same side are only hitting .071 against Thielbar this year.
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Cubs' Caleb Thielbar: Returns from paternity leave
Rotowire
The Cubs reinstated Thielbar (personal) from the paternity list Monday, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.
Thielbar was away from the Cubs for the maximum three games while he welcomed a new addition to his family. Chicago optioned righty Gavin Hollowell to Triple-A Iowa to clear a spot on the 26-man active roster and in the bullpen for Thielbar.
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Cubs' Caleb Thielbar: Placed on paternity list
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The Cubs placed Thielbar on the paternity list Friday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Thielbar's wife gave birth Friday, and the left-handed reliever could miss the weekend series against the Mets. In a corresponding move, the Cubs recalled Tom Cosgrove from Triple-A Iowa.
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Cubs' Caleb Thielbar: Picks up first win
Rotowire
Thielbar (1-0) tossed two scoreless innings of relief with a strikeout to earn the win in Saturday's 6-2 victory over the Diamondbacks.
Thielbar worked the fifth and sixth innings after starter Ben Brown covered the first four frames. That set the lefty reliever up for his first win in a Chicago uniform. Thielbar allowed two runs in his third appearance of the year, but since then, the veteran reliever has only allowed two total runs across 6.1 innings in seven appearances. His fantasy upside is limited, however, as a middle-relief option for the Cubs.
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Cubs' Caleb Thielbar: Receives MLB deal from Cubs
Rotowire
The Cubs signed Thielbar to a one-year contract Tuesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
Thielbar will turn 38 in January and had a down 2024 season, posting a 5.32 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 53:24 K:BB over 47.1 innings. However, he boasted a 30.6 percent strikeout rate and 7.0 percent walk rate from 2021 to 2023, so the left-handed reliever seems like a fine gamble on a one-year deal.
Thielbar threw two perfect innings while striking out two in Friday's 6-3 win over the Guardians.
Thielbar struggled to start the season with a 8.04 ERA and 5.2 BB/9 in his first 15.2 innings. However, he's turned his season around since June 12 with a 2.81 ERA and 19:5 K:BB over his last 16 innings. He had seemingly lost the ability to control his looping curveball early in the season, but has gotten back to peak form. He could play a key role in high-leverage spots for the Twins as the top southpaw in the bullpen, and he's picked up two of his eight holds on the year in his last three appearances.
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Twins' Caleb Thielbar: Encouraging outing
Rotowire
Thielbar threw 1.1 scoreless innings without a strikeout or walk Thursday against Arizona.
It was a confidence-building performance for Thielbar, who has struggled in June. Thielbar allowed nine runs (seven earned) and eight hits in his previous 3.2 innings over seven games. He had seemingly lost the ability to control his looping curveball, but he looked back to form Thursday. He's been limited to lower-leverage chances while he works out of his slump.
Thielbar struck out two batters in a scoreless inning and earned a save over the Mariners on Monday.
Thielbar faced the heart of Seattle's lineup after Jhoan Duran pitched a perfect eighth inning. It was Thielbar's third save of the year and first since April 29. He lowered his ERA to 6.14 with a 9:3 K:BB through 7.1 innings. Duran should still see most of the save chances in Minnesota but there should still be some vulture save opportunities for the likes of Thielbar and Griffin Jax.
Thielbar earned the save Monday against the White Sox, allowing one hit and one walk with two strikeouts over a scoreless inning.
Theilbar followed both Griffin Jax and Brock Stewart for his second save in as many appearances. However, with Jhoan Duran (oblique) expected to be activated Tuesday after an IL stint, Thielbar will likely return to a middle relief role.
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