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Palencia earned a save against the Rockies on Wednesday, striking out two batters in a perfect inning of work.

Palencia entered for the ninth inning with Chicago hanging onto a one-run lead, and he set the side down in order on 14 pitches (10 strikes) to secure a Cubs win. The right-hander had no saves midway through May, but since Porter Hodge (oblique) went on the IL on May 20, Palencia has racked up four saves in four chances while registering a 5:0 K:BB over four scoreless innings. Considering his success so far in the closer role, Palencia can be expected to get most of Chicago's save opportunities for at least as long as Hodge is on the shelf, which could be a while longer since manager Craig Counsell said Monday that Hodge isn't making much progress in his recovery.

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