The Chicago Cubs appeared to make a surprising move on Wednesday night when they turned to Porter Hodge to close out their contest against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night.
Hodge earned one strikeout and allowed no hits in the ninth inning as the Cubs held on to win 7-6 in front of 37,150 fans at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs swept the Dodgers in their two-game series this week. Chicago now has a 4-3 lead in their regular-season series against Los Angeles.
A Chicago Cubs pitcher had a procedure done on his knee
The Cubs turned to Hodge, who has a 5.68 ERA this season and also pitched one inning during Tuesday night’s 11-10 win, to close out the contest on Wednesday because Ryan Pressly had his knee drained on Tuesday night.
“Cubs closer Ryan Pressly had his right knee drained last night, manager Craig Counsell said, which is why Porter Hodge saved tonight’s 7-6 win over the Dodgers at Wrigley Field,” Patrick Mooney of The Athletic posted on X. “Counsell hopes Pressly will be available Friday for the start of a three-game series vs. the Phillies.”
Pressly is tied for 14th place for having the most saves this season with four saves. He has an ERA of 2.45 with five strikeouts in 11 innings pitched in 11 appearances. He most recently pitched against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.
The Cubs are off Thursday and will next host the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday at 1:20 p.m. CST.
The Cubs reportedly plan to shake up their bullpen soon by calling up help from Iowa.