# Palencia feels great, the numbers don't agree > A Cubs reliever says he's back to himself, but the ERA, the strikeouts and the save count all tell a different story. - Title: Palencia feels great, the numbers don't agree | Shortify - Summary: A Cubs reliever says he's back to himself, but the ERA, the strikeouts and the save count all tell a different story. Palencia's velocity and confidence are… - Keywords: cubs, bullpen, mlb, daniel palencia, baseball, news, local, Palencia, feels, great, numbers, don't - Source: Chicago Sun-Times — https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2026/09/13/chicago-cubs-reliever-bullpen-daniel-palencia-closer-jacob-webb-pedro-ramirez-ryan-flaherty - Published: 2026-09-13T20:33:07.209+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: cubs, bullpen, mlb, daniel palencia, baseball, news, local ## He feels great anyway Daniel Palencia told the Sun-Times on Sunday that he's in a really good spot, even though his 2026 numbers say otherwise. > I feel like I'm in a really good spot right now. ## More work, more confidence Palencia credits the simple fact that he's pitching again. Regular appearances have him feeling like himself on the mound. > I'm getting more action, so I'm starting to feel really good. ## The ugly recent line Since returning from right elbow inflammation on Aug. 21, he has thrown 8 1/3 innings across nine games and given up seven earned runs, a 7.56 ERA. ## A season broken in two A strained left oblique in April and the elbow in August cut his year into pieces. He's at a 4.32 ERA in just 28 games. ## Last year was different In 2025 he posted a 2.91 ERA in 54 games with 22 saves. The gap between that pitcher and this one is the whole story. ## October proved it once In six postseason outings, all at least an inning, he kept the other side scoreless five times. That's the version the Cubs want back. ## Sunday looked like him He touched 100 mph and finished a fourth straight scoreless outing, his longest run since April, holding a one-run deficit in the ninth of a 4-3 loss. ## Counsell keeps running him out The manager called it Palencia's best outing since coming off the injured list and said that's exactly why he keeps getting the ball. > That's why you just keep putting him out there. ## Bats aren't missing Compared with last season, his strikeouts are down, his walks are up and hitters are making far more contact against him. ## Not the WBC's fault He racked up three saves and nine strikeouts in five scoreless World Baseball Classic innings, and says he pitched well after that anyway. > I don't think so, because I was good after that. ## Thinking too much Coming off the first injury he was focused on staying healthy and overthought it. Now, he says, he's just playing baseball again. > The human body's not made to play baseball. So it's going to happen. ## Stuck on three saves He hasn't added one since May 14. Jacob Webb leads the Cubs with nine, and 14 different Cubs have recorded at least one. ## He's not chasing the ninth Asked if he wants the closer job back, Palencia pointed at the group instead of himself. > I love that job, but all the guys have been great for us. I don't care who takes the ball. ## The Ramirez squeeze Dansby Swanson returns from an oblique strain next weekend, pushing Nico Hoerner back to short and rookie Pedro Ramirez out of the lineup after a .936 OPS week. > It's a good problem to have. ## Two outs, no problem Amaya's fifth-inning homer fed a majors-best 300 two-out RBI, plus a league-leading 235 RBI from the Nos. 7-9 spots. ## Key takeaway Palencia's velocity and confidence are back before his results are, and he says he's fine either way with someone else closing.