When Chicago Cubs closer Daniel Palencia went down with an injury last weekend, the rest of the bullpen knew it was time for an "all hands on deck" situation. So far, so good in that respect.
The Cubs opened the week with questions about how the bullpen would hold up without its closer. In the series against the Atlanta Braves, that group stepped up big time, being especially dominant in Chicago's final two wins of the series.
In Friday's opener against Tampa Bay at Wrigley, it was more of the same. After an uncharacteristically 'meh' start from Matthew Boyd (5 IP, 4 ER), Porter Hodge, Drew Pomeranz, Brad Keller and Andrew Kittredge slammed the door to give the Cubs a series-opening win over the Rays.