The Chicago Cubs discovered on Saturday morning that their closer, Daniel Palencia, has a mild flexor strain in his right arm and will not throw for more than a week. Before the Cubs faced the Toronto Blue Jays at Wrigley Field, manager Craig Counsell explained, “We’re looking at through the road trip, and then we’ll start ramping it up a little bit.”
The absence of Palencia as a reliable late-game option was felt when the Cubs bullpen squandered a five-run lead. They conceded eight runs in the seventh and eighth innings in an 8-6 loss to the Blue Jays. Three pitchers — Trent Thornton, Caleb Thielbar, and Jacob Webb — combined to give up eight runs in just 1 2/3 innings.
“We didn’t have a good day in the bullpen,” Counsell said. “Colin (Rea) pitched great, definitely put us in a position to win. When you have three guys kind of have bad days, then we gave up a lot of runs because of it. We just didn’t get it done in the bullpen today.”
Palencia’s placement on the IL with right elbow inflammation is the latest in a series of injuries affecting the Cubs bullpen, impacting the entire pitching staff’s efficiency. Half of the opening-day bullpen is no longer part of the reliever mix. Rea and Ben Brown have shifted to the rotation, while Hunter Harvey and Palencia remain on the injured list. Phil Maton, signed to a two-year deal in the offseason, has struggled with a 5.92 ERA, and was not pitched in Saturday’s game.
Earlier in the year, names like Thornton, Ryan Rolison, and Webb stepped up, providing Counsell with some comfort. With a three-run lead and 11 outs to cover, Counsell turned to the bullpen, trusting Rolison who managed to induce an inning-ending double play with one pitch. The script for Counsell had Thornton, Thielbar, and Webb covering the final outs, but the plan faltered.
“We’re going to try to get in that same spot tomorrow,” Counsell remarked. “Whether it’s a 5-0 lead in the sixth or a 5-3 lead in the eighth, every time you got to try to get to that spot again. Just didn’t get it done today.”
The Cubs relief corps has had a rough month, with the bullpen carrying a 4.94 ERA in June, as well as blowing five saves and pitching 71 innings — the sixth-most in the league. This indicates a possible adjustment by the league to these pitchers who showed success earlier in the season. Webb exemplifies these struggles. A standout in May with a 0.64 ERA and impressive strikeout numbers, his performance declined to an 8.22 ERA in June. He allowed three earned runs on Saturday, including two inherited runners from Thielbar, culminating in a three-run home run by Blue Jays player Kazuma Okamoto.
“I didn’t (expletive) execute today, period. Plain and simple,” Webb admitted. “Coming into stop the game right there. It’s not anything else other than that, literally. I mean, the last few outings I’ve just made mistake after mistake, truly, and it’s pretty (expletive) frustrating, I’m not going to lie. So, back to the drawing board, figure some stuff out.”
The news about Palencia’s injury was somewhat reassuring, indicating no major elbow damage. Meanwhile, left-hander Matthew Boyd was set for a rehab outing with High A South Bend. Yet, the Cubs must address pitching concerns urgently, especially with some improvements evident in their offense.
Pete Crow-Armstrong hit his 16th home run of the season, a two-run shot, extending his on-base streak to 23 games. Matt Shaw, who slammed a three-run home run, is batting .292 with a .954 OPS since returning from the injured list. Nonetheless, these offensive gains were overshadowed by the bullpen failures.
“I mean, every outing I have, I’m trying to go out there and do my best,” Webb mentioned. “Not always does it work that way. But I think we’d like Danny back as soon as possible, but for right now, we have to play without him until we can get him back.”
Andy Martinez is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.