CHICAGO — Drew Pomeranz has been in the big leagues for parts of 12 seasons now and has heard the lecture time and again.

“You hear the same thing every spring training, it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s not just 26 guys,’” the Chicago Cubs left-hander said. “And no matter what team you’re on, you hear the same spiel.”

Every time, though, it rings true. Teams always need more and more guys – especially on the pitching side. Pomeranz and Friday’s starter Colin Rea are proof of that for the Cubs.

Rea was signed to a one-year, $5 million pact this offseason and Pomeranz began the season in the minor leagues with the Seattle Mariners. The two combined to pick up 18 outs in the Cubs’ 4-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field.

“You need everyone to get you through the season,” Rea said after the win. “It’s a long season. However guys can step up and contribute to help us win one game at a time, whatever their role or whatever it is. And I think we definitely have the guys here to do that, step in those roles and do whatever it takes to help the team win.

“A lot of unselfish guys in this clubhouse, and willing to do whatever it takes just to get that ‘W’ every day.”

Rea continues to prove he’s been a crucial – if unheralded – offseason addition. Pomeranz hopes to be the latest example of plucking relief help from the unlikeliest of sources.

Rea tossed five shutout innings, keeping a potent Phillies offense at bay on Friday after enduring a 2-hour, 10-minute rain delay before first pitch. That led to a bit of a slow start – Rea threw 28 pitches and walked two batters before picking up the final out in the first inning.

“Definitely timing was a little bit off there in the first just trying to get my hand out front, trying to feel that release point, to be consistent,” Rea said. “But felt like we did a good job of settling in after that first inning.”

Rea was moved into the rotation following Justin Steele’s season-ending elbow surgery and thanks to his contributions, the starting pitching group has not skipped a beat.

In three starts (13.1 innings), the righty has a 1.35 ERA. Throw in his three relief appearances and it’s a 0.96 ERA across 18.2 innings this season. Not bad for a guy who was projected to be a swingman when he signed this winter.

“Obviously you can never replace a guy like Justin, but Colin’s been doing a great job, and it’s been fun to watch,” said third baseman Jon Berti, who drove in a run and finished 2-for-4 in the win. “I’ve always liked the way he pitched when playing against him, and it’s a lot more fun being behind him.

“He’s been locating really [well] and he attacks. Being behind him, playing defense is a lot of fun.”

Pomeranz had a wild journey just to return to the mound in the sixth inning on Friday. Injuries curtailed what looked to be a promising second act of his career as a reliever. He had a 1.62 ERA across 47 appearances for the San Diego Padres in 2020 and 2021.

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Last year, he was called up to the San Francisco Giants and warmed up in a game, but never pitched before being released.

“I honestly thought I was done,” Pomeranz said. “I didn’t really have any desire to play. And then some months passed, and I just really was like, ‘Man, it’d be really nice to just pitch one more time and just go out there and give everything I got one more time.’

“And finally got a chance to and hopefully that wasn’t the last one. But we’ll try and get a few more of those.”

Is he the next standout reliever for the Cubs’ bullpen? No one definitively knows. But like Rea, you can’t just rule him out.

Bullpens are volatile and help can come from anywhere. The most important thing is getting the buy-in from the pitching staff to piece together 27 outs on a nightly basis.

“It’s a collective group,” Pomeranz said. “And I’ve learned when I got moved back to the bullpen, it doesn’t matter when you go in, my job is to get outs. Usually, teams that are really good, everyone knows their roles, and they’re really good at just taking care of their role.

“You piece that together, and that’s how you win a lot of games.”