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Tyler Duffey RP | KC
Yankees' Tyler Duffey: Catches on with Yanks
Duffey and the Yankees agreed Wednesday on a contract, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Duffey will join his third organization of the season after his long run with the Twins came to an end earlier this month before he joined the Rangers for a brief pit stop, only to opt out of his minor-league deal with Texas just over two weeks later. The 31-year-old righty had turned in an unremarkable 4.91 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in 44 innings in the majors with Minnesota earlier this season, but he delivered a 2.69 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 21.6 K-BB% across 144 frames from 2019 through 2021. Duffey is initially expected to report to the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but he could be in the mix for a promotion to the big-league bullpen in the final month of the regular season.
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Hector Neris RP | HOU
Astros' Hector Neris: Nabs third save
Neris pitched a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts to earn the save in a 4-2 victory over the Rangers on Tuesday.
Neris was called in to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning, and he shut the door with two strikeouts on 15 pitches. Neris has been excellent lately and now has three consecutive scoreless appearances with six strikeouts over the past week to lower his WHIP to 0.96 on the season. Neris has joined Rafael Montero in the mix for saves primary closer Ryan Pressly is sidelined with neck spasms.
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Jordan Romano RP | COL
Blue Jays' Jordan Romano: Nails down 28th save
Romano tossed 1.1 scoreless innings Tuesday to record his 28th save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Cubs.
He didn't strike out a batter, but the lone baserunner he allowed came via a hit batsman. Romano hasn't been tagged with a run in seven straight appearances, and since the All-Star break, he sports a 1.10 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB through 16.1 innings while converting eight of nine save chances.
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Shawn Armstrong RP | CLE
Rays' Shawn Armstrong: Strong effort in surprise start
Armstrong didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 7-2 win over the Marlins, allowing three hits over three scoreless innings. He struck out one without walking a batter.
Pressed into duty as a spot starter after Shane McClanahan (shoulder) was a late scratch, Armstrong fired 36 of 48 pitches for strikes in an impressive performance. The Rays will look for a more permanent replacement in the rotation for McClanahan, so Armstrong should return to the bullpen, but the right-hander has worked more than one inning in six of his last nine appearances and would likely be a key part of any future bullpen days for Tampa. In 33 games since joining the Rays, he sports a 3.73 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 47:9 K:BB through 41 innings.
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DL Hall RP | MIL
Orioles' DL Hall: Rejoining big club as reliever
The Orioles plan to recall Hall from Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Hall made his MLB debut earlier this month as a starter, but he was sent back to the minors immediately after that outing and has since pitched in relief for Norfolk. The Orioles still intend to develop Hall as a starter over the long term, but because he's already nearly tripled his innings count from a season ago -- he's covered 88 innings in 2022 compared to 31.2 in 2021 -- the organization will keep him in the bullpen the rest of the way in an effort to manage his workload. Once officially promoted, Hall will likely be eased in as a low-leverage reliever, but the rookie could eventually settle into a key setup role later in September if he impresses in his initial appearances out of the big-league bullpen.
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Nick Martinez SP | TB
Padres' Nick Martinez: Shaky in eighth save
Martinez allowed two runs on a hit and a walk while striking out one in one inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Giants.
Martinez entered with a three-run cushion and gave up a two-run blast to Joc Pederson before closing out the contest. Those were the first runs Martinez has allowed in August -- he entered Tuesday on a 15-inning scoreless streak. The strong pitching has earned him the primary closer gig since Josh Hader was demoted from the role earlier this month. Martinez has played a versatile role this year, pitching to a 3.18 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 82:35 K:BB with eight saves, three holds and a 3-3 record across 93.1 innings through 34 appearances (10 starts). The right-hander can be expected to function as a traditional closer for now, though he also has the ability to cover multiple high-leverage innings as necessary.
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Mike Mayers RP | TOR
Angels' Mike Mayers: Hit hard Tuesday
Mayers (1-1) took the loss Tuesday versus the Yankees, allowing seven runs (five earned) on eight hits and two walks while striking out four over four innings.
The Yankees did their damage with the long ball, with three homers accounting for the five earned runs on Mayers' line. An error by Luis Rengifo in the third inning allowed two runs to score as well. Mayers' position in the rotation is far from secure, especially after long reliever Touki Toussaint delivered five innings of one-hit ball. Through 20 outings (two starts), Mayers owns a 5.17 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 36:14 K:BB through 38.1 innings this year. If he gets another turn in the rotation, he'd be lined up for a favorable home start versus the Tigers next week, though it's far from guaranteed he'll get that opportunity.
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Jake Reed RP | LAD
Dodgers' Jake Reed: Records first save
Reed allowed one hit in a scoreless inning to pick up the save in Tuesday's 4-3 victory over the Mets.
In his first appearance since being called up, Reed recorded the save. It's a surprise, especially considering Los Angeles was only up by one run when he entered the game, and he was only the fourth reliever to enter the game. Reed now has an 8.10 ERA and 1.70 WHIP over 10 innings split between the Mets and the Dodgers.
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Daniel Bard RP | COL
Rockies' Daniel Bard: Records another save
Bard picked up the save in a perfect inning Tuesday against Atlanta. He struck out two.
The Rockies' closer made quick work of the top of the Atlanta lineup, setting down Dansby Swanson, Michael Harris and Austin Riley in order to record his 28th save of the season. The save was his sixth this month and second in as many games for Colorado. While his team has struggled to just 56 wins on the campaign, Bard has made the most of his chances as he has recorded the save in half of those games and has been a big reason why the Rockies are 20-21 in one-run games.
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Derek Law RP | ARI
Reds' Derek Law: Earns win in Cincinnati debut
Law (1-1) picked up the victory Tuesday against St. Louis, striking out one in two shutout innings of relief while allowing a hit in a 5-1 win.
In his first appearance for the Reds, Law entered the game in the fifth inning with the team leading 4-1 and tossed two scoreless innings. The veteran signed a minor-league deal with Cincinnati on Aug. 14 after being designated for assignment by Detroit earlier in the month. It was his first win since 2019 when he was a member of the Blue Jays.