Finnegan (3-4) tossed two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win in Friday's 7-5 victory over the Royals. He walked one and struck out one.
Finnegan worked the seventh and eighth innings to earn the win out of the bullpen, with Will Vest covering the ninth. The former has two wins since joining Detroit at the trade deadline to go along with four saves and a hold. He's also sporting an impressive 0.00 ERA and 0.38 WHIP with 12 strikeouts across 10.2 innings with his new team. Both Finnegan and Vest are seeing ninth-inning work for the Tigers, giving both pitchers fantasy appeal but also capping their respective ceilings.
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Tigers' Kyle Finnegan: Logs another save
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Finnegan earned a save against the Twins on Saturday, allowing one hit and striking out two batters over one scoreless inning.
Finnegan inherited a three-run lead when he entered in the ninth inning, and he worked around a two-out infield single to secure the save. The veteran right-hander has yet to be scored upon since joining Detroit at the trade deadline, racking up 7.2 shutout frames with a 10:1 K:BB over seven appearances. Finnegan notched a save in his first three appearances with the Tigers, then went three consecutive outings without one as Will Vest picked up a pair of saves during that latter span. Vest got the final out of the seventh inning and worked the eighth against the top of the Twins' order, and he seems to be viewed as the higher-leverage option for manager A.J. Hinch -- which should result in more ninth-inning chances for Finnegan when Vest is needed earlier in the game.
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Tigers' Kyle Finnegan: Notches second save with Detroit
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Finnegan picked up the save in Monday's 6-3 win against Minnesota, allowing one hit and no walks while striking out two over a scoreless inning.
Finnegan worked around a one-out single by Royce Lewis to tally his 22nd save of the season. Despite not pitching since Saturday, Will Vest did not appear in this contest; however, he tossed 29 pitches across Friday and Saturday. Finnegan appears to have pulled ahead Vest as the primary saves option in Detroit, but the situation remains fluid given manager A.J. Hinch's proclivity to mix and match relievers based on matchups. In 41.1 total innings, Finnegan owns a 4.14 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 35:14 K:BB while converting 22-of-28 save chances.
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Tigers' Kyle Finnegan: Earns first save with new club
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Finnegan earned a perfect four-out save in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Phillies. He recorded one strikeout.
Primary closer Will Vest was brought in to face the top of the Philly order in the eighth inning but surrendered two runs and got the hook with a runner on and two outs. Finnegan shut the door from there, finishing the eighth and retiring the side in the ninth to notch his first save with the Tigers. The 32-year-old is now 21-for-27 in save chances this season while sporting a 4.24 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 33:14 K:BB across 40.1 innings. He clearly remains in the mix for saves in Detroit, especially if Vest continues to be deployed in earlier high-leverage spots.
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Tigers' Kyle Finnegan: Acquired by Tigers
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The Tigers acquired Finnegan from the Nationals on Thursday in exchange for Josh Randall and R.J. Sales, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Finnegan has notched 20 saves for the Nationals this season, collecting a 4.38 ERA and 32:14 K:BB over 39 innings along the way. He is unlikely to unseat Will Vest as the Tigers' primary closer option, but Finnegan will give manager A.J. Hinch another late-inning option. With Finnegan no longer around, Jose Ferrer could be the current favorite for saves in the Nationals' bullpen.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Rebounds for 19th save
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Finnegan earned the save in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Padres, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.
Finnegan was called upon to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning and needed just 10 pitches to do so. It was a strong rebound for the 33-year-old after surrendering eight runs over his previous two appearances, including a five-run loss Friday. He's now 19-for-25 in save chances this season with a 4.25 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 29:13 K:BB across 36 innings.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Implodes in ninth inning
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Finnegan (1-3) allowed three runs on three hits and two walks over one-third of an inning, taking the loss and a blown save in Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Brewers.
Finnegan had strung together 8.1 scoreless innings over his last eight appearances, allowing just two walks in that span. It came crashing down quickly Saturday, as he allowed three straight batters to reach base, including a two-run double by Andrew Vaughn that tied the game. Caleb Durbin delivered the final blow with a walk-off single. Finnegan has blown his last three save chances dating back to June 10 -- his recent strong pitching has come in non-save opportunities for the 38-56 Nationals. That poor record as a team suggests there won't be many saves to come by for any member of this bullpen, though Finnegan is on a one-year deal in 2025 and could be moved at the trade deadline. He remains Washington's best bet to see saves for now.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Blows second save in a row
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Finnegan was saddled with a blown save after allowing three runs on three hits, walking and striking out none, during Monday's 6-4 loss to the Rockies.
It was perhaps the worst outing of the season for Finnegan, allowing a season-high three runs and three hits. The 33-year-old has flirted with danger lately, allowing seven hits in his last five games, but this was the first time that he allowed a run credited to him over that stretch. The right-hander is now 18-for-23 on save opportunities for the season.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Notches 18th save
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Finnegan struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 18th save of the season in a 2-0 win over the Rangers.
He had to navigate around a CJ Abrams throwing error, but Finnegan was up to the task. The right-hander is tied with Carlos Estevez for second in the league in saves behind Robert Suarez's 20, and Finnegan has been especially sharp since the beginning of May, posting a 1.64 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 7:1 K:BB over his last 11 innings while converting nine of his 10 saves chances.
Finnegan was unavailable for Saturday's game against the Giants due to shoulder fatigue, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
Finnegan hasn't pitched since blowing a save against Atlanta on Thursday. He reported soreness in his shoulder following his last outing, but manager Dave Martinez said that imaging on his shoulder came back negative, and the 33-year-old righty is considered day-to-day for now.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Collects 15th save
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Finnegan earned the save in Tuesday's 5-3 win over Atlanta, tossing a scoreless ninth inning without a hit, walk or strikeout.
All 10 pitches Finnegan tossed resulted in strikes as he was able to successfully defend the Nationals' two-run lead in the ninth. He's converted on each of his last six save opportunities, and his 15 saves are tied with Andres Munoz and Robert Suarez for most in the majors. Finnegan has a 2.55 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 17:7 K:BB across 17.2 innings this season.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Collects 12th save
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Finnegan recorded his 12th save of the season in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Guardians, giving up a run on two hits in the ninth inning without a walk or a strikeout.
There was drama right to the end of the matinee in a 10-9 win for the Nationals, as Finnegan gave up back-to-back singles and a sacrifice fly before getting Brayan Rocchio to line out to left field to end the contest. It's only the fourth time in 15 appearances that Finnegan has been tagged for a run, and through 14.2 innings he sports a 3.07 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 15:7 K:BB while converting 12 of 14 save chances.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Secures 11th save
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Finnegan struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Sunday to record his 11th save of the season in a win over the Reds.
The right-hander had trouble protecting a 4-1 lead, fanning Gavin Lux and Jose Trevino to end the game. Finnegan has been his usual reliable self as closer despite not re-signing with the Nationals until late February, converting 11-of-13 save chances with a 2.63 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 15:7 K:BB through 13.2 innings to begin the season.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Notches save Tuesday
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Finnegan struck out two batters in a scoreless inning and earned a save against the Pirates on Tuesday.
Finnegan retired all three batters he faced to quickly close out the 3-0 victory. He's converted each of his six save chances this season and has thrown 4.2 consecutive scoreless frames. His ERA dropped to 1.17 with an 8:4 K:BB across 7.2 innings.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Back in Washington on one-year deal
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The Nationals re-signed Finnegan to a one-year, $6 million contract Tuesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
The Nationals non-tendered Finnegan back in late November to avoid giving him a big raise in arbitration, but he has found his way back to the club three months later on a salary similar to the $5.1 million he made in 2024. Finnegan will probably need some time to get back up to speed, but he immediately becomes the favorite for saves in a Washington bullpen lacking established late-inning options. The 33-year-old notched 38 saves last season, although that came with a relatively uninspiring 3.68 ERA and 60:24 K:BB over 63.2 innings.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Logs pair of saves Saturday
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Finnegan notched a save in each game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Pirates, allowing one run on three hits and a walk in Game 1 and pitching a perfect frame with two strikeouts in Game 2.
Finnegan struggled a bit in the matinee, allowing four of the first five batters he faced to reach base to allow a run to cross the plate and load the bases with one out. He was able to escape the jam, however, by getting Bryan De La Cruz to ground into a game-ending double play. Finnegan tossed 23 pitches in that outing, but that didn't stop Nationals manager Dave Martinez from going to him again with the team up by two runs in the ninth inning of the nightcap. This time Finnegan got the job done with ease, retiring the side in order on 19 pitches. With the pair of saves, Finnegan is up to 36 on the season, third most in the majors.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Secures another save
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Finnegan earned a save against the Yankees on Wednesday, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one batter in one inning.
Finnegan was called upon in the ninth inning to protect a three-run lead. He started the frame in shaky fashion, allowing a single and a walk to the first two batters he faced to bring the tying run to the plate with no outs. However, Finnegan bounced back to retire the next three batters without allowing a run to score. The save was his third in the past four days and his 34th of the season, third most in the majors.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Shaky in four-out save
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Finnegan earned the save in Tuesday's 4-2 victory over the Yankees, allowing a run on three hits and no walks over 1.1 innings with no strikeouts.
The Washington closer entered the eighth with two outs and a runner on third and escaped cleanly thanks to a Giancarlo Stanton groundout. However, the ninth started ominously for Finnegan, as he yielded a leadoff double to Jazz Chisholm but managed to finish the game, laboring through 24 pitches in the inning. Despite struggling with a 7.30 ERA across 12.1 innings since the All-Star break, Finnegan remains cemented as the Nationals closer while the team is out of playoff position and eyeing 2025.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Logs four-out save
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Finnegan picked up the save Sunday against Atlanta, allowing one hit and no walks with two strikeouts across 1.1 scoreless innings.
Sunday's save pushed Finnegan's season total to 32, which ranks third in all of baseball. It was just his sixth time throwing more than one inning in 2024 but the third time he's done so in August. While Finnegan sports a 3.51 ERA through 51.1 innings this season, he's been shaky lately, allowing nine runs in his last nine outings (8.2 innings).
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Collects 31st save
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Finnegan pitched a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his 31st save of the season Sunday against the Phillies, allowing one hit with zero strikeouts.
Finnegan allowed a leadoff single to Edmundo Sosa, but he quickly put an end to the scare, inducing a double play and a groundout to secure his 31st save of the season, good for third in MLB. The 32-year-old has been shaky since the All-Star break, logging an unsightly 8.38 ERA, 2.07 WHIP and 6:5 K:BB in 9.2 innings. Despite the rough patch, Finnegan has converted all six save chances during that span and is now 31-for-35 in save opportunities this season.
