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  • Brendon Little RP | TOR

    Blue Jays' Brendon Little: Collects hold No. 25

    Little struck out both batters he faced in the eighth inning Friday to record his 25th hold of the season in a win over the Marlins.

    The southpaw leads the Blue Jays in holds, and Little is second in the American League in that category behind the Guardians' Hunter Gaddis (27). Little had a couple poor appearances in late July and early August, but he's otherwise been impressive in a breakout campaign, posting a 2.93 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 79:37 K:BB over 55.1 innings.

  • Fernando Cruz RP | NYY

    Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Return from IL imminent

    Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that Cruz (oblique) will be activated off the injured list Sunday or Monday, Max Goodman of NJ.com reports.

    Cruz has made four minor-league rehab appearances and is just about ready to return to the big club's bullpen. Though his first two rehab outings were rough, the right-hander has bounced back by allowing one run over 2.1 innings with a 5:1 K:BB over his past two appearances. Cruz should have a prominent place in the Yankees' bullpen upon his return, though the trade-deadline acquisitions of David Bednar and Camilo Doval could push him down the pecking order to some extent.

  • Bryan Abreu RP | HOU

    Astros' Bryan Abreu: Notches second save

    Abreu struck out four in 1.1 scoreless innings Friday to record his second save of the season in a 10-7 win over the Orioles.

    Plunking Coby Mayo (hand) with a pitch was the only blemish on a dominant relief performance by Abreu. The right-hander hasn't given up a run in August, posting a 0.70 WHIP and 12:3 K:BB over 10 innings, and with Josh Hader (shoulder) likely out for the rest of the regular season, Abreu is locked into the closer role for the Astros.

  • Cade Smith RP | CLE

    Guardians' Cade Smith: Blows another save

    Smith (5-5) allowed two runs on three hits and did not retire a batter, picking up a blown save and the loss Friday against the Rangers.

    Smith squandered a second consecutive save opportunity and has allowed runs in three straight appearances. Prior to this stretch, he pitched well as a fill-in closer for Emmanuel Clase (personal). Smith entered Friday with a 2.13 ERA in 12.2 innings over his last 12 appearances while converting four of his six save tries since replacing Clase as the primary closer.

  • Luis Morales SP | ATH

    Athletics' Luis Morales: Steady in third start

    Morales allowed a run on two hits and struck out six without walking a batter over six innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners on Friday.

    Morales retired the first 13 batters he faced before Eugenio Suarez hit a solo home run in the fifth inning. Through four appearances (three starts), Morales is looking major-league ready, posting a 1.72 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 15:8 K:BB over 15.2 innings, with Friday's outing being against his toughest opponent yet. It's not yet clear when he'll start again, but the Athletics are at home versus the Tigers and Rangers in a pair of three-game series next week.

  • Andres Munoz RP | SEA

    Mariners' Andres Munoz: Sloppy in 30th save

    Munoz allowed a run on three hits and a walk while striking out two over one inning to earn the save in Friday's 3-2 win over the Athletics.

    Munoz gave up three straight one-out singles to bring in a run, and then loaded the bases with a walk. He was able to get the last two outs, but this was far from a pretty effort from the Seattle closer. He's given up two runs on seven hits and six walks while striking out nine over eight innings in August, picking up six saves in his eight appearances. Munoz is at a 1.47 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 63:24 K:BB through 49 innings this season. He reached the 30-save mark for the first time in his career by closing out Friday's game.

  • Justin Topa RP | MIN

    Twins' Justin Topa: Picks up third save Friday

    Topa notched the save in Friday's 9-7 win over the White Sox, allowing two hits and one walk with no strikeouts in 1.2 scoreless innings.

    Topa registered save No. 3 on the year, and each of those have come following the trade deadline. The right-hander appears to have the upper hand over Cole Sands, who worked the seventh inning Friday, in Minnesota's closer committee in the aftermath of the Jhoan Duran trade. Topa has a 0.84 ERA over 10.2 innings in August, whereas Sands owns a 4.50 ERA across his 10 frames this month.

  • Red Sox's Aroldis Chapman: Notches 24th save

    Chapman earned the save in Friday's 1-0 win over the Yankees, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.

    Chapman was handed a one-run lead in the ninth and slammed the door on just 10 pitches. The 37-year-old has now strung together 12 straight scoreless outings since July 26, as he continues to turn back the clock in dominant fashion. For the year, he's 24-for-26 in save chances with a 1.08 ERA, 0.70 WHIP and 71:14 K:BB across 50 innings.

  • Jeff Hoffman RP | TOR

    Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Secures 28th save

    Hoffman earned the save in Friday's 5-2 win over the Marlins, allowing one walk without recording a strikeout in a scoreless, hitless ninth inning.

    Hoffman was called upon to protect a three-run lead in the ninth and worked around a two-out walk to slam the door. Aside from an ugly blown save Aug. 10 in which he issued five walks, the 32-year-old has now strung together nine straight scoreless outings. On the year, he's 28-for-33 in save chances with a 4.08 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 73:17 K:BB across 53 innings.

  • Gregory Santos RP | SEA

    Mariners' Gregory Santos: Aiming for mid-September return

    Santos (knee) is expected to begin a rehab assignment soon and is hopeful to return in mid-September, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.

    Santos has been sidelined since late April with a knee injury that required surgery. The 25-year-old is getting close to pitching in games, but he'll require a lengthy minor-league rehab assignment before being activated from the 60-day injured list. Santos has a 5.14 ERA in seven big-league innings this season.

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