Jacob Webb protects four-run lead in ninth

He got a lot of help. With two on and none out, Brooks Lee drove a ball to right center that Pete Crow-Armstrong came up just shy of making a sliding catch on. The ball then deflected off his glove, bouncing about 15 away from him. In spite of that, Josh Bell was in no position to score from second and wound up getting thrown out heading back to third after a throw home. Lee was trying to go second, but with Victor Caratini correctly reading the situation in front of him and staying put there, Lee gave up on the play entirely for a few seconds and was thrown out returning to first, resulting in a double play. It was all pretty embarrassing for the Twins, but it worked out for Webb, who lowered his ERA to 2.98. He’s the current favorite for saves in Chicago with Daniel Palencia out.

Webb helped set up Trent Thornton last night, but this makes two saves in four days for him. He threw just nine pitches tonight and seven on Tuesday, so maybe the Cubs would risk having him close again on Thursday. It’d also be a third straight day for Thornton if he were to work again.

Chicago’s closer is progressing in his recovery from a minor flexor strain in his right elbow, but the club is going to take a cautious approach and not push him too quickly. Expect the Cubs to continue to patch together the ninth inning in his absence with Jacob Webb the most likely candidate to accrue saves.

This opens up a roster spot for the newly acquired David Peterson. For Maton, it’s the same problem that had him shelved for much of April. Maton gave up single runs in his last two appearances to raise his ERA to 6.08. He was a candidate for save chances with Daniel Palencia out, so this makes Jacob Webb a little better of a bet for the short term.

The Cubs called on Webb for their first save opportunity in more than a month and in the wake of Daniel Palencia’s latest trip to the injured list. Before he came on, Ethan Roberts let this game get off the rails in the eighth inning and trusted lefty Caleb Thielbar had to come in and to settle things down. Then, Webb let up a home run to Kyle Karros before closing it out and it’ll be interesting to see who gets the next save chance between these two.

Not good. Palencia will presumably undergo an MRI to determine whether he’s dealing with any structural damage. There should be a clear return timetable at some point later this week. The hard-throwing 26-year-old stopper has converted all three of his save chances and holds a 2.70 ERA and 19/6 K/BB ratio across 16 2/3 innings this season. He missed a couple weeks earlier this season with a lat strain. It’ll likely be some combination of Jacob Webb, Caleb Thielbar and Phil Maton handling the closing duties in his absence. It’s probably a complete stay-away for fantasy managers outside of extremely deep formats.

He walked Ildemaro Vargas at the start of the ninth, but struck out Corbin Carroll and quickly got through Gabriel Moreno and Ketel Marte to lock down the save. It was a bit surprising to not see Phil Maton summoned for the ninth on two days rest, but it’s hard to argue with the result. The Cubs closer situation should be resolved soon when Daniel Palencia returns from the injured list.

The contract has incentives that can push the deal to $2 million and also has a club option for $2.5 million for 2027. Webb pitched well for the Rangers last year, posting a 3.00 ERA and 58/19 K/BB ratio in 55 appearances. He also has a 2.99 ERA over 247 MLB appearances with the Braves, Angels, Orioles and Rangers.

Webb’s designation is a bit of a surprise, as he was effective in his 55 relief appearances with a 3.00 ERA and 58/19 K/BB ratio. Sborz was less effective, but teams will likely have interest in the right-hander as a potential mid-inning option. The same can be said about Webb, but likely with more guaranteed cash.

Webb returns to bolster Texas’ high-leverage mix following a three-week absence recovering from back spasms. The 32-year-old righty has compiled a strong 3.75 ERA and 39/14 K/BB ratio across 48 innings in 42 appearances.