CHICAGO – It's probably too much to say that the Chicago Cubs' bullpen has been maligned this season, but there's no doubt their recent level of performance constitutes an improvement over 2025 taken in bulk. That was acutely obvious during the Cubs' 3-1 win (box score) over the San Diego Padres in Tuesday's National League Wild Card Series opener.
The first tell that the Cubs' bullpen is now a weapon rather than a shortcoming came in the top of the fifth. Chicago starter Matthew Boyd had just faced his 18th batter of the game and yielded a single, which meant he was about to get into the Padres' lineup for the third time in the game. Managers in the playoffs who have a strong and deep relief corps are typically loath to allow their non-ace starting pitchers to face the opposing lineup for a third time. But would Craig Counsell do the same? He would because his bullpen is different now.
With one on and one out, Counsell summoned Daniel Palencia, the right-hander with a big fastball who returned from a shoulder injury in time to make a pair of appearances in the final days of the regular season. It was the earliest Palencia had entered a game in almost exactly two years. It was also the first time he'd been called upon with traffic on the bases since before the All-Star break. With much improved control this season, Palencia has earned Counsell's trust, and he was trusted in a major way on Tuesday at Wrigley Field. The 25-year-old right-hander got Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Arraez to line out and keep the score 1-0. The next half-inning, the Cubs would take the lead for good on a pair of solo home runs.
"Yeah, I think to me, that's the outing of the game that was critical," Counsell said after the game of Palencia's outing. "You need outs from your starters in these games. You can't do that every day. But him throwing up five outs in five hitters and going through the top of their lineup, the game made sense after that to me; know what I mean? There was a real path right there."
There was indeed a path. Palencia worked the sixth, picked up a pair of strikeouts, and registered his longest relief appearance since April. Then came venerable lefty Drew Pomeranz, 11 years Palencia's senior, to face the three left-handed bats that Padres manager Mike Shildt had positioned all in a row in his lineup. Pomeranz retired them in order on 11 pitches. Then came Andrew Kittredge, the right-handed deadline pickup who's swapped out some four-seamers for sinkers since being acquired from Baltimore and reached a higher plane. He worked a perfect frame with a strikeout and roughly an hour later was announced as Counsell's opener for Wednesday's Game 2.
Finally, it was Brad Keller to earn his first postseason save, which he did in spotless fashion. In all, the Cubs bullpen retired all 14 batters it faced in Game 1.
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