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Wil Crowe RP | PIT
Pirates' Wil Crowe: Steps in for save
Crowe (4-6) didn't allow a baserunner and struck out one across 1.1 innings to earn the win Wednesday against the Brewers.
Crowe bailed out Yerry De Los Santos in the eighth inning, recording the final out of the frame with two runners on base. Crowe went on to pitch a clean ninth inning in a tied game and appears to be the preferred option to close games with David Bednar (back) sidelined. After some struggles in June, Crowe has posted a 1.93 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and an 11:3 K:BB across his last 14 innings.
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Yerry De Los Santos RP | NYY
Pirates' Yerry De Los Santos: Struggles in setup role
De Los Santos allowed three earned runs on four hits and a walk across 0.2 innings Wednesday against the Brewers.
De Los Santos entered the game in the eighth inning and retired the first two batters he faced without incident. However, he went on to allow five consecutive batters to reach base to blow a three-run lead. De Los Santos looked to be in a strong position to earn save chances with David Bednar (back) sidelined, but he has worked in the eighth inning in both of his appearances since Bednar became unavailable. De Los Santos has also struggled of late, allowing at least one earned run in six of his last 15 appearances.
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Jose Leclerc RP | SD
Rangers' Jose Leclerc: Takes loss
Leclerc (0-1) suffered the loss Thursday, allowing two runs on two hits and one walk while striking out one over 1.2 innings against the Orioles.
Leclerc set down the first four batters faced, but he gave up a four-pitch walk with two outs in the eighth that set off a Baltimore rally. The base on balls has been his bugaboo over the years, and Leclerc has a 4.2 BB/9 rate since returning to the majors from Tommy John surgery in June. The right-hander has worked himself into a high-leverage, late-inning role and pitched well after a rough re-entry to the majors.
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Liam Hendriks RP | CHC
White Sox's Liam Hendriks: Picks up another save
Hendriks picked up the save Wednesday against Kansas City, allowing no runs on no hits while striking out one and walking none over one inning.
Hendriks was lights out Wednesday, needing 11 pitches to get three outs to close out the game. He earned his 21st save of the year, good for eighth most in baseball. The veteran righty saw his ERA spike to 3.48 in July after allowing a string of five runs across three innings, but Hendriks has pitched well lately with no runs allowed over his last three outings. His ERA now sits at 3.19.
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Craig Kimbrel RP | KC
Dodgers' Craig Kimbrel: Notches 19th save
Kimbrel earned a save over the Giants on Wednesday, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one batter over one inning.
As has been the case more often than not of late, Kimbrel didn't make things look easy. He allowed three straight batters to reach base (via a walk, single and hit-by-pitch) with one out but managed to wiggle out of the jam and emerge with the save. Kimbrel has allowed at least one baserunner in each of his past seven outings but is nonetheless 4-for-4 in converting save chances over that stretch.
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Zach Jackson RP | ATH
Athletics' Zach Jackson: Earns third save
Jackson recorded a save Wednesday against the Angels, tossing a perfect frame during which he struck out two batters.
Jackson protected a two-run, ninth-inning lead with ease, notching a pair of punchouts and retiring all three batters he faced on 14 pitches. It was a strong bounce-back performance after the right-hander took a loss against the White Sox his last time out. With Lou Trivino now a Yankee, Jackson could be Oakland's closer of choice -- A.J. Puk, who is also in competition for the role, worked the seventh inning and picked up his 14th hold in the contest. Dany Jimenez, who was recently activated from the injured list, also figures to be in the ninth-inning mix.
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Tyler Beede RP | CHC
Pirates' Tyler Beede: Struggles in first start
Beede gave up four earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out one over 1.1 innings in an 8-7 win over the Brewers on Wednesday. He did not factor into the decision.
Beede made his first start of the season after pitching well in a middle-relief role throughout the year. However, the experiment did not go as planned for the Pirates, and Beede was chased in the second inning after 42 pitches. It is unclear as to whether Beede will be given another opportunity to start or if manager Derek Shelton will hand the ball to someone else to replace the hole in the rotation left by Jose Quintana being shipped out at the trade deadline.
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Jorge Lopez RP | WAS
Twins' Jorge Lopez: Strong in Twins debut
Lopez didn't allow a baserunner and struck out one to record the save Wednesday against the Tigers.
Lopez wasted no time showcasing why the Twins chose to acquire him prior to the trade deadline, as he needed only seven pitches to record his 20th save of the season. Though Minnesota has used a committee to close out games for most of the season, Lopez should be in line to pick up the vast majority of chances moving forward. He has been excellent in the role, maintaining a 1.64 ERA and 55:17 K:BB across 49.1 frames on the season.
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Chase Silseth RP | TEX
Angels' Chase Silseth: Set to start Saturday
Silseth will be promoted to start Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Mariners, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Silseth was sent to the minors over the weekend but will be able to quickly rejoin the big-league club due to the twin bill. The 22-year-old has started seven games for the Halos in his first taste of the majors this year and has a 6.59 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 24:12 K:BB across 28.2 innings.
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Tyler Alexander RP | TEX
Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Takes tough-luck loss
Alexander (2-5) allowed just two runs on two hits across five innings but took the loss Wednesday against the Twins. He walked one and struck out five.
Alexander probably deserved a better fate, but Detroit's bats were stymied by Joe Ryan and four Minnesota relievers. Alexander has now made consecutive appearances as a starter, allowing four earned runs across nine innings. The lefty worked as a long reliever earlier in the season, but with Detroit dealing with several injuries in the rotation, he'll likely stick as a starter. His next outing is tentatively set for Tuesday against the Guardians.