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Ryder Ryan RP | LAD
Mariners' Ryder Ryan: Optioned to Tacoma
Seattle optioned Ryan to Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday.
Ryan made only one appearance during his nine-day stay in the Mariners' bullpen, though it was a scoreless frame in which he struck out two of the four batters he faced. The 28-year-old has pitched to a 3.54 ERA and 40:15 K:BB in 40.2 innings this season at Triple-A.
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Paul Sewald RP | TOR
Diamondbacks' Paul Sewald: Strikes out two for 25th save
Sewald picked up the save Wednesday against Colorado, allowing one hit while striking out two over a scoreless inning.
Sewald entered the game with a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth and allowed a leadoff single to Charlie Blackmon before retiring the next three batters, two of which went down swinging. The veteran reliever has now converted each of his last four save opportunities, racking up five strikeouts to only one walk over that scoreless stretch. He has, however, allowed a total of four hits over his last two appearances.
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Gregory Santos RP | SF
White Sox's Gregory Santos: Crumbles in ninth inning
Santos (2-1) took the loss and blew a save against the Cubs on Wednesday, allowing three runs on two hits and one walk without retiring a batter.
Santos recorded a 1.2-inning save Tuesday and looked dominant with three strikeouts without allowing a baserunner. His outing Wednesday was entirely different, as he faced three batters and gave up a double, a walk and a walk-off, three-run homer to blow the save. Despite the rough appearance, Santos probably won't lose the ninth-inning job since he had been solid prior to the misstep, collecting three saves and posting an 8:1 K:BB over 6.2 innings while giving up just one run in five prior appearances since he moved into the closer role July 28.
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Javier Assad RP | CHC
Cubs' Javier Assad: Tosses quality start Wednesday
Assad allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out four batters over six innings in a no-decision against the White Sox on Wednesday.
Marcus Stroman (hip/ribs) was originally expected to start Wednesday, but he had a setback that's keeping him on the injured list. Instead, Assad got another opportunity in the rotation and notched his second straight quality start. The right-hander opened with three scoreless frames before the White Sox tagged him for a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth, but Assad bounced back with a scoreless sixth before he was relieved. He's pitched well enough to remain a starter even after Stroman returns, though that scenario may depend on whether the Cubs elect to keep Drew Smyly in the bullpen or place him back in the rotation.
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Carlos Estevez RP | KC
Angels' Carlos Estevez: Shows poise in 26th save
Estevez earned a save in Wednesday's 2-0 win over the Rangers, allowing two hits and striking out two batters over one scoreless inning.
Estevez came on in the ninth frame to protect a two-run lead and quickly found himself in trouble when Mitch Garver and J.P. Martinez began the inning with back-to-back singles. However, Estevez bounced back to retire the next three batters and close the contest without further incident. After a three-outing stretch during which he allowed nine runs over 2.1 frames and blew two save chances, Estevez has bounced back to earn a save in each of his subsequent three opportunities, posting a 4:0 K:BB and tossing three scoreless innings over that stretch.
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Raisel Iglesias RP | ATL
Braves' Raisel Iglesias: Converts 23rd save
Iglesias earned a save against the Yankees on Wednesday, striking out one batter in a perfect inning.
Iglesias needed just 10 pitches to set the side down in order in the ninth frame, with a strikeout of Aaron Judge among the three outs he recorded. The veteran closer extended his streak of scoreless outings to 10, and he's picked up seven saves while posting a 15:2 K:BB over 10 innings during that span.
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Ryan Walker RP | SF
Giants' Ryan Walker: Takes loss as opener
Walker (4-2) allowed an unearned run on a hit and a walk while striking out two over one inning, taking the loss Wednesday versus the Rays.
Walker has given up just two runs (one earned) over 8.1 innings across seven appearances in August while continuing his role as a frequent opener. This was his 10th start of the season, though he's yet to exceed three innings in any appearance. Walker has a 2.23 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 50:13 K:BB over 44.1 innings, and he'll likely continue to see time either as an opener or a low-leverage reliever the rest of the way.