<p>SEATTLE – <b>Daniel Palencia</b> returned to the <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs" >Cubs</a> with his closer’s job taken.</p><p>That’s <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2026/08/12/cubs-jacob-webb-closer-bullpen-relief-pitcher-craig-counsell-daniel-palencia-ryan-rolison-trent-thornton" >how good righty reliever <b>Jacob Webb</b> has been</a> this season, that the fireballing right-hander Palencia steps back into the bullpen after a two-month absence recovering from elbow inflammation without claim to the ninth inning.</p><p>That doesn’t seem to be a problem, though, with Palencia saying Friday he’s open to whatever <b>Craig Counsell</b> and the team have in mind.</p><p>“I’m 100-percent open. I’m here to help my team,” Palencia said. “I’m open to every opportunity. I just want to pitch. I want to be that guy you can trust.”</p><p>The Cubs were able to trust Palencia to be eye-poppingly effective as their closer last year. He recorded 22 saves and finished the regular season with a 2.91 ERA before pitching six times in the postseason, nearly perfect in all but one outing.</p><p>With eyes on a deep October run, the Cubs would be thrilled to get that version of Palencia back, even if it’s not as the No. 1 reliever in the bullpen. Playoff pitching demands a lot more than just one guy.</p><p>“This is a player capable of pitching in big innings,” Counsell said. “We’ve got to get him back to being that pitcher.”</p><p>They’ll attempt to do it, first and foremost, by simply getting more innings under Palencia’s belt. He logged just 16 2/3 innings this season before returning Friday, when he pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning.</p><p>But the Cubs know what sort of weapon Palencia can be: one they’d like to unleash on opponents when the lights get their brightest.</p><p>“I’ve been growing all since last year’s playoffs,” Palencia said. “I feel like a new pitcher right now. I feel way more confident. I’ve been working a lot this offseason and during the season, during my recovery. It’s trying to be me. I don’t want to change anything. I want to keep attacking my hitters. I just want to be ‘The Gasolina,’ throwing heat.”</p><p>“The guy’s an electric arm,” lefty reliever <b>Caleb Thielbar</b> said. “We have a little over a month left until the biggest games of the year. Hopefully he can get himself into a groove and carry that into the postseason.”</p><p><b>Assad down again</b></p><p>Righty pitcher <b>Javier Assad</b> was sent to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, another tough break for a player with options.</p><p>Assad has been mostly excellent for the Cubs this season, with a 3.46 ERA in 22 trips to the mound as a starter and reliever. He’s been especially effective of late, with a 1.71 ERA since the start of July.</p><p>But having options means the team is able to shuttle him between the majors and minors and hang onto him, which they wouldn’t be able to do with other players; moving them off the roster means losing them.</p><p>“Guys like that are so much more valuable than people give them credit for,” Thielbar said of Assad. “He’s a guy that can go out there and give you a quality start and then, the next outing out of the bullpen, go out and save the entire bullpen for multiple innings. It’s not an easy role to fill.</p><p>“I feel bad for how much he’s had to jump around this year. On an old, veteran team like this, frankly, it kind of sucks being the guy with options sometimes. I feel bad for him, but he’s done a great job every time he’s come up here.”</p><p><b>Unhappy homecoming … and birthday</b></p><p>Lefty starter and Seattle native <b>Matthew Boyd</b> pitched in his hometown Friday, tagged by the Mariners for four earned runs.</p><p>Counsell, who celebrated his 56th birthday, was displeased with a balk call against Boyd and got ejected.</p><p><b>Other moves</b></p><p>The Cubs added infielder <b>Gabriel Arias</b> to the active roster after claiming him on waivers Wednesday. They designated infielder <b>Owen Miller</b> for assignment to make room.</p>
IUSTITIA.BG – Investigations 2009-2026 2026-08-22 04:44:50
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