Maton (2-5) blew the save and took the loss Friday as the Rangers fell 6-5 to the Blue Jays, giving up one run on one hit and two walks in one inning of relief. He struck out two.
The closer role in Texas seems to be up for grabs. Robert Garcia entered the game in the seventh inning to protect a 3-0 lead and got only one out while serving up a two-run homer to Alejandro Kirk. Maton's performance was just as bad -- after Danny Coulombe gave up three straight singles to begin the bottom of the eighth in a 5-2 game, Maton walked in two runs before Kirk got to him as well for a game-winning, two-run single. Maton has taken losses and blown saves in back-to-back appearances, and over 7.1 innings in August since being traded to the Rangers he's managed a 7.36 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 9:4 K:BB. Garcia, meanwhile, has begun the month with a 12.60 ERA in five innings. Shawn Armstrong, who has a 0.75 ERA, 0.58 WHIP and 15:2 K:BB in 12 innings since the All-Star break, and Cole Winn, who hasn't allowed a run since rejoining the big-league roster July 21, may find themselves getting ninth-inning auditions.
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Rangers' Phil Maton: Takes loss, blown save
Rotowire
Maton (2-4) was stuck with the loss and a blown save in Wednesday's 6-4 defeat against Arizona. He allowed four runs on two hits and a walk while striking out three over 1.1 innings.
With the Rangers protecting a one-run lead, Maton managed to strike out Tyler Locklear for the final out in the eighth inning. However, it was a different story in the ninth -- after striking out the first two batters in the frame, Maton gave up a solo home run to James McCann. He'd proceed to hit a batter and issue a walk before Ketel Marte launched a go-ahead, three-run blast. Maton had allowed just one home run this season before Wednesday and had given up one run on two hits in his first five innings with the Rangers. Despite the hiccup, Maton figures to share closing duties with Robert Garcia down the stretch. His ERA sits at 3.02 with a 1.10 WHIP and 55 strikeouts across 44.2 innings between Texas and St. Louis this year.
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Rangers' Phil Maton: Tallies third save Tuesday
Rotowire
Maton picked up the save Tuesday against the Yankees, allowing one hit and no walks in a scoreless ninth inning. He struck out one.
Maton notched his third save of the season and his first since joining the Rangers. The veteran right-hander's usage signals that he's already part of Texas' high-leverage mix, but it remains to be seen how many more save opportunities he'll see the rest of the way. Through 41.1 frames, Maton has a 2.18 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 51:16 K:BB. It's also worth noting closer Robert Garcia had been dealing with a back issue recently, so it's possible the Rangers are easing him back into action.
Maton was traded from the Cardinals to the Rangers on Thursday in exchange for Skylar Hales, Mason Molina and international bonus pool money, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
The Cardinals dealt all their high-leverage relievers, so Maton's brief time atop the closer depth chart in St. Louis comes to an end. Robert Garcia is the incumbent in Texas, and he has had a lot of recent success, so Maton should return to a setup role.
Maton allowed a hit and struck out two batters during a scoreless inning to earn a save against the Diamondbacks on Sunday.
Maton also hit a batter but was able to protect the 4-3 lead. He's now converted two of his three save chances this year and picked up his first since April 9. Overall, Maton has been successful this season; he's registered a 2.84 ERA across 19 innings and all six runs he's allowed so far came during two appearances. Ryan Helsley did not appear in the game after pitching Friday and Saturday.
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Cardinals' Phil Maton: Earns save Tuesday
Rotowire
Maton picked up a two-out save in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Pirates, allowing a hit and striking out a batter in a scoreless appearance.
Ryan Helsley threw 37 pitches Sunday in a blown save attempt, so Maton was called upon to shut the door after JoJo Romero let the Pirates back in it with two runs in the ninth. Maton allowed an RBI double to Joey Bart to make it a two-run game and bring the tying run up to the plate, but he was able to retire Tommy Pham for the win. Maton has now tossed 5.1 scoreless innings with a 7:1 K:BB while picking up his sixth career save in the early going this year.
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Cardinals' Phil Maton: Fully built up
Rotowire
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Thursday that Maton is "fully built up" after working out the last several weeks in Arizona, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Maton was signed to a one-year contract Thursday, just two weeks before Opening Day. However, it sounds like he'll be ready to roll for the Cardinals' March 27 opener against the Twins. Maton will throw a live batting practice session Sunday and should see game action shortly after that. He is projected for a setup role in St. Louis.
Maton signed a one-year, major-league contract with the Cardinals on Thursday.
Bailey Horn was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Maton, who split last year between the Mets and Rays, posting a 3.66 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 60:24 K:BB over 64 innings during the regular season. The journeyman has reached double-digit holds in each of the last three seasons and could very well do so again in 2025 since he figures to slot in near the back end of the St. Louis bullpen.
The Mets declined Maton's $7.75 million club option for 2025 on Monday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Maton will be given a $250,000 buyout instead and is now a free agent. The 31-year-old was terrific for the Mets after being acquired via trade from the Rays, collecting a 2.51 ERA and 30:6 K:BB over 28.2 innings. However, the club didn't feel he was worth bringing back at a $7.75 million price tag.
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