The Chicago Cubs and their fans took a real gut punch when Daniel Palencia got shellacked by the Washington National on September 7 and then left the game with an apparent shoulder injury. The second gut punch came shortly thereafter when the Cubs placed him on the 15-day IL, putting into question the likelihood of him being able to return this season.
Palencia had been a revelation for the team, assuming the role of dominant closer shortly after his mid-April call-up from Triple-A. Without him, Cubs manager Craig Counsell will rely on a closer-by-committee plan for the remainder of the season and into the playoffs.
So far, that plan has gone well, at least judging by the last couple of games. On Wednesday, for instance, five relievers took the mound to deliver 4.2 scoreless, one-hit innings en route to a 3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves in Atlanta.
The Comeback?
One of those five flawless arms coming from the bullpen belonged to right-hander Porter Hodge. It would be the fourth consecutive scoreless/hit-less outing from the 24-year-old sophomore, who is at the tail end of a wildly disappointing and frustrating 2025 season.
After serving as the Cubs closer in the second half of 2024 and registering a dominant 1.88 ERA over 43 innings pitched with 9 saves, many felt that he should be the favorite to land that high-leverage back-of-game role in 2025.
Instead, the Cubs opted to roll the dice on veteran Ryan Pressly, who they acquired from the Houston Astros in the offseason. By the time the 36-year-old Pressly definitively failed in the closer’s role, Hodge was too mired in his own issues to be considered for the job.
Porter Hodge’s bad breaks
On May 20, Hodge was placed on the IL with an oblique strain. A subsequent hip impingement would delay his ability to return to the big league roster until June 24. A little over two weeks after his return– and after a disastrous 6-run outing against Minnesota Twins– he would be placed on the IL again with a right shoulder impingement.
He’s been good to go since his latest return in September, limping into the final full month of the season with an ugly 6.93 ERA. He’s been so “good to go,” as a matter of fact, that Counsell had been itching to test him in higher-leverage situations. He got that opportunity on Wednesday.
“The way the game sequenced, I thought we had a really good spot to introduce Porter into a bigger inning,” Counsell told The Athletic. “And he delivered. Absolutely take note of it. We talked about it (the other day), but we’re optimistic that he had turned some things around and could be important. Tonight was another step.”
A key piece of the Chicago Cubs’ puzzle
Wednesday’s starter Jameson Taillon, who’s also just returned from the IL, talked up the importance of a healthy and effective Hodge for the Cubs right now.
“Very important,” Taillon told reporters. “He was closing games for us last year, he was electric. We’ve seen glimpses of it this year, we know it’s in there. I was excited to get him back up here. I think his last couple outings, he looked awesome. He can get big outs.”
The importance of a fully “back” Hodge is obvious at this point, as the team works around losing a closer who’s been lights out up until fairly recently.
Right now, and for the foreseeable future, Counsell may not name any pitcher the Cubs’ closer. But for the team to succeed down this last stretch of season and into the playoffs, they’re going to need a lot of guys capable of closing.
Hodge, with a history of doing that and the ability to produce some electric stuff when healthy, needs to be one of those guys.
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