Cubs activate closer Daniel Palencia from injured list before game against Mets
CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs closer Daniel Palencia was reinstated from the 15-day injured list Wednesday and got two outs in the sixth inning of Chicago’s 10-3 win over the New York Mets.
In a corresponding move, the Cubs optioned left-hander Jordan Wicks to their training complex in Arizona.
Palencia went on the injured list Sept. 8 with a right shoulder strain. The 25-year-old right-hander has 22 saves in 25 chances and is 1-6 with a 2.96 ERA in his third major league season — all with the Cubs.
Before the game, manager Craig Counsell said Palencia might not return immediately as the closer or in high-leverage situations.
“I just want Daniel to pitch, you don’t care where,” Counsell said. “I think we’ve got to get Daniel outings. We’ve got to get Daniel on this mound. That’s the only thing that’s important.”
That’s exactly how it played out.
With the Cubs leading 8-2 in the sixth, Palencia replaced starter Matthew Boyd and got the last two outs of the inning. Pete Alonso lined out to center field before Palencia struck out Starling Marte.
“I would have loved to get him a full inning,” Counsell said. “You kind of see where the game was going and so it was just the right spot.”
Aaron Civale wrapped it up with three innings for his first career save.
“It was really good to get Daniel back and he looked good, and we’ll get him out there as soon as we can for the next one,” Counsell said.
Palencia was placed on the IL a day after blowing his third save opportunity and getting hurt during a ninth-inning meltdown against Washington as the Nationals came back for a 6-3 win.
Palencia entered that game with a 3-1 lead, faced five batters and did not get an out. He yielded five runs, giving up two homers, a triple, a single and a walk. His four-seam fastball averaged 98.5 mph, down 1.1 mph from his season average, and his splitter averaged 86.8 mph, a drop of 1.3 mph.
The 26-year-old Wicks is 0-1 with a 7.94 ERA in seven relief appearances covering 11 1/3 innings for Chicago this season.
Playoff-bound Chicago solidified its hold on the first National League wild card, 2 1/2 games ahead of San Diego. The Cubs have four games left, while the Padres have three.
New York remained one game ahead of Arizona and Cincinnati in a scramble for the final NL wild card.
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