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Palencia retired a single batter via strikeout to record the save in Thursday's 8-3 win over the Reds.
The Cubs were looking to let their top reliever rest Thursday, but with Cincinnati threatening in the top of the ninth inning with the bases loaded, Palencia got the call. The flamethrowing righty got a battle from Nathaniel Lowe before retiring him on seven pitches. Palencia just returned from the injured list Sunday and has recorded only two saves this season across seven appearances, but he's locked in as Chicago's closer and should begin racking up the saves more frequently with the team streaking to a 26-12 record.
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Cubs' Daniel Palencia: Scoreless inning Tuesday
Rotowire
Palencia allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday against the Reds.
With the game tied 2-2 in the top of the ninth, Palencia came on for his first appearance since returning from a lat strain that sidelined him for three weeks. He topped out at 101 mph with his fastball Tuesday. Palencia has yet to allow a run this season and owns a 5:2 K:BB across six innings, notching one save.
The Cubs reinstated Palencia (lat) from the 15-day injured list Sunday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Placed on the shelf April 17 due to a lat strain, Palencia ended up missing just over the minimum amount of time. The righty will rejoin the Cubs after making a 19-pitch rehab appearance for Triple-A Iowa on Friday, when he retired two of the three batters he faced and averaged 100.4 miles per hour with his fastball. Given the brevity of his absence, Palencia should settle back in as the Cubs' closer right away.
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Cubs' Daniel Palencia: Close to return
Rotowire
Palencia (lat) returned to the Cubs from his rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Saturday and is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list in the coming days, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Palencia landed on the 15-day injured list in mid-April due to a left lat strain. He made his lone rehab outing Friday in Triple-A, striking out one batter while allowing one hit and zero walks in two-thirds of an inning. Palencia has not yielded a run across five major-league innings this season and will resume closing duties for the Cubs once activated from the IL.
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Cubs' Daniel Palencia: Making rehab appearance Friday
Rotowire
Palencia (lat) will make a rehab appearance with Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.
The Cubs had left open the possibility of activating Palencia from the injured list Friday, but they've decided to have him pitch in a rehab game first. If the right-hander looks good Friday, it could be the only rehab outing he needs before returning to the active roster.
Palencia (lat) could be activated from the 15-day injured list before Friday's game against the Diamondbacks, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.
Palencia is working his way back from a strain in his left (non-throwing) lat and has experienced enough improvement that he could skip a rehab assignment and return to action this weekend. The hard-throwing closer notched one save and tossed five scoreless innings before getting injured. Palencia's return would be a big boost to a bullpen that's also without Caleb Thielbar (hamstring) and Hunter Harvey (triceps).
Manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday that Palencia underwent an MRI that revealed a lat strain, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.
Palencia initially landed on the injured list Friday with a left oblique strain, but imaging has since confirmed that he's dealing with a lat issue. Counsell noted that the 26-year-old reliever is responding very well to treatment and could begin throwing by the time the Cubs begin their weekend series in Los Angeles. If his rehab continues to progress smoothly, he may be cleared to return to Chicago's bullpen in about two weeks.
Cubs' Caleb Thielbar: Sharp in big spot again Sunday
Rotowire
Thielbar (2-2) worked around a hit to toss a scoreless inning of relief and earn the win Sunday against the Mets in 10 innings. He struck out one.
Thielbar pitched a clean top of the 10th inning in a 1-1 game, then he picked up his second win of the year when the Cubs scored in the bottom half. The veteran lefty picked up his first save of the season Saturday and was good again in a high-leverage spot Sunday as he lowered his ERA to 2.25. With Daniel Palencia (oblique) on the injured list, Thielbar looks like Chicago's preferred end-game option for the time being, making him worth a look in most fantasy formats.
Cubs' Caleb Thielbar: Locks down first save Saturday
Rotowire
Thielbar struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Saturday to record his first save of the season in a 4-2 win over the Mets.
Daniel Palencia (oblique) landed on the IL on Friday, and Thielbar got the call for the Cubs' first save chance in his absence with two left-handed hitters due up for the Mets in the ninth. While the veteran southpaw didn't end up facing either of them as New York emptied its bench for pinch hitters Tommy Pham and Tyrone Taylor, Thielbar still got the job done. It's not yet clear how Cubs manager Craig Counsell intends to navigate closing situations without Palencia, but Thielbar has staked a strong early claim to being the primary option. Through eight appearances and seven innings this season, he sports a 2.57 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 10:4 K:BB.
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