Smith struck out two batters in a perfect inning and earned a save against the Tigers on Tuesday.
Smith was one pitch away from an immaculate inning as he dominated Detroit's 5-6-7 hitters in order. It was his 16th save of the year and first since Sep. 14. He's converted nine of his last 10 save chances, posting a 2.51 ERA and a ridiculous 26:0 K:BB over 14.1 innings during that span. Smith is sporting a 3.01 ERA with a 103:19 K:BB through 71.2 frames this season.
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Guardians' Cade Smith: Collects win after blown save
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Smith (7-5) blew the save but picked up the win Tuesday, striking out two and giving up a solo home run in the ninth inning of a 7-5 extra-inning victory over the Tigers.
Called in to protect a 3-2 lead, Smith instead served up a game-tying homer to Kerry Carpenter, only for the Cleveland offense to erupt for four runs in the top of the 10th. It's the right-hander's first blown save since Aug. 22, ending a streak of eight straight successful conversions, and since taking over the closer role in late July he's posted a 3.38 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and eye-popping 33:2 K:BB in 24 innings while securing 12 of 16 save chances.
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Guardians' Cade Smith: Notches 15th save
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Smith pitched a scoreless frame while allowing two hits and no walks to collect the save in Sunday's 3-2 win over the White Sox. He struck out two.
Smith worked around a pair of singles to smoothly secure the save on 12 pitches and tally his seventh consecutive blank appearance. Over that stretch, the 26-year-old righty has converted six saves while producing a 14:0 K:BB in seven innings. Through 67.2 total frames, Smith now sports a 3.06 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 96:19 K:BB.
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Guardians' Cade Smith: Breezes to 14th save
Rotowire
Smith struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning to secure the save in Saturday's 3-1 win over the White Sox.
Tasked with protecting the Guardians' two-run lead, Smith struck out the first two batters he faced in the ninth inning before getting Andrew Benintendi to fly out to center field. Smith has converted each of his last seven save opportunities and has struck out 12 batters across his last six outings.
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Guardians' Cade Smith: Picks up 12th save
Rotowire
Smith secured his 12th save of the season with a scoreless inning Tuesday, allowing one hit while striking out two in a 2-0 win over the Royals.
Smith was summoned after Joey Cantillo began the inning by allowing a leadoff base hit. A Bobby Witt single put runners on the corners with one out before Smith fired back with consecutive strikeouts to end the game. He's converted his last five saves and now has multiple strikeouts in each of his last three appearances. Smith's had another productive campaign, posting a 3.20 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 90:19 K:BB in 64.2 innings.
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Guardians' Cade Smith: Nabs extra-inning win
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Smith (6-5) picked up the win Wednesday, striking out one during a perfect 10th inning in a 4-3 victory over the Rays.
The right-hander needed only seven pitches (six strikes) to breeze through Tampa Bay's 8-9-1 hitters and leave designated runner Jake Mangum stranded at third base, setting the stage for Kyle Manzardo to walk it off in the bottom of the 10th with an RBI single. Smith allowed runs in three straight appearances last week, but he appears to have righted his ship against the Rays, collecting a win and a save in back-to-back scoreless outings. Through 13.1 innings in August, Smith sports a 2.70 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 14:2 K:BB.
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Guardians' Cade Smith: Up to six saves
Rotowire
Smith recorded the final out Thursday to earn the save in a 9-4 win over the Marlins.
After Nic Enright loaded the bases in the ninth inning, Smith came on to record the final out and lock down his sixth save of the season. The 26-year-old Smith has been impressive since taking over the closing job in Cleveland. He's held opponents scoreless in his last eight appearances (nine innings) to lower his ERA to 2.67 with a 1.09 WHIP and 74 strikeouts across 54 innings this season.
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Guardians' Cade Smith: Fans three in win
Rotowire
Smith (3-4) came away with the win against the Twins on Friday after tossing two perfect innings while striking out three batters.
Smith was dispatched in the ninth inning to keep the game tied at 2-2, and his efforts were rewarded after Kyle Manzardo walked off the Twins in the 10th with an RBI single. Smith appears to be the next man up at closer for the Guardians with Emmanuel Clase on non-disciplinary leave through Aug. 31 as part of MLB's sports-betting investigation. In 21 appearances since the beginning of June, Smith boasts a 3.32 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 27:7 K:BB across 21.2 innings.
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Guardians' Cade Smith: Blows save, takes loss Monday
Rotowire
Smith (2-4) took the loss against the Rockies on Monday, allowing four runs (one earned) on two hits while recording only one out in the ninth inning. He did not register a strikeout.
With Emmanuel Clase on non-disciplinary leave through Aug. 31, it was Smith who received the team's first save chance in his absence. Unfortunately, he allowed the tying run to score on his own throwing error and was ultimately charged with three more runs. While it wasn't an ideal audition for the closer role, Smith has gone 3-for-5 in save opportunities this season with a 3.40 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 65:17 K:BB across 45 innings. It's unclear whether he'll get the next shot in the ninth or if manager Stephen Vogt will go with a committee approach moving forward.
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Guardians' Cade Smith: Returns from back spams
Rotowire
Smith (2-3) has returned from back spasms and picked up the loss in Sunday's game against Detroit. He allowed six runs (four earned) on five hits and an error over a third of an inning.
Smith came on to pitch the 10th inning after closer Emmanuel Clase's wild pitch in the ninth allowed the tying run to score. Smith, who had ceded just one regular-season home run during his MLB career, was taken deep twice in the final frame. Back spasms limited his availability over the final week of June.
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Guardians' Cade Smith: Picks up second save
Rotowire
Smith threw a perfect inning and earned a save against the Yankees on Tuesday.
Smith needed only four pitches in the ninth inning to close out the 3-2 victory. He recorded seven holds through 11 appearances to start the year but has now converted saves in back-to-back days. Those two save chances came directly after Emmanuel Clase was rocked for three runs in a blown save against the Pirates on Sunday while pitching for a third straight day, which inflated his season ERA to 7.84. Clase has not appeared during either of the last two games while dealing with some shoulder discomfort, though for now it appears he'll avoid the injured list. Smith owns a 1.38 ERA with a 16:4 K:BB through 13 innings this season and could see a boost to his fantasy profile, depending on the health of Clase.
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Guardians' Cade Smith: Earns fifth hold
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Smith struck out two in a scoreless inning to earn a hold during Saturday's 6-3 win over Kansas City.
With the Guardians up 3-1, Smith opened the top of the eighth inning with the task of getting the lead to closer Emmanuel Clase. He made quick work of the Royals for his fifth hold, before Cleveland stretched the lead with three runs in the bottom of the frame. Smith has allowed two unearned runs over eight outings, giving up three hits and three walks while striking out nine over 7.2 innings.
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Guardians' Cade Smith: Secures fifth win
Rotowire
Smith (5-1) struck out three over 1.2 perfect innings to earn the win Tuesday over the Tigers.
Xzavion Curry couldn't complete five innings, and Smith ended up with the win after the Guardians pulled ahead in their half of the fifth. Smith's scoreless streak is up to 9.2 innings, a span in which he has an 18:1 K:BB. For the year, he's at a 2.11 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 67:10 K:BB through 47 innings. He's added a save, 14 holds and a blown save, though he has just two holds and two wins over nine appearances in July. Smith's elite ratios make him an intriguing fantasy option even with virtually no path to saves.
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Guardians' Cade Smith: Picks up fourth win
Rotowire
Smith (4-1) struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the win Sunday over the Giants.
Smith pitched the sixth inning, and the Guardians took the lead in their half of the frame to make him the pitcher of record. After a strong first two months of the season, Smith has taken a bit of a step back, allowing six runs over his last 14.1 innings since the start of June. He's now at a 2.50 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 53:9 K:BB while adding a save and 13 holds over 39.2 innings.
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Guardians' Cade Smith: Tagged with loss Friday
Rotowire
Smith (3-1) allowed a run on three hits and struck out one over one inning Friday, taking the loss versus the Marlins.
It was a rare hiccup for Smith, who gave up a run-scoring single to Jazz Chisholm in the eighth inning. This appearance ended Smith's 12-inning scoreless streak, during which he had a 14:1 K:BB. He's at a 1.82 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 39:7 K:BB over 29.2 innings with a save and six holds as he continues to grow into a high-leverage role as a rookie.
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Guardians' Cade Smith: Collects second win
Rotowire
Smith (2-0) allowed a hit and struck out three without walking a batter over 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the win Tuesday versus the Rockies.
Smith got the final out of the sixth inning and also pitched the seventh after the Guardians regained the lead. The rookie right-hander has an eight-inning scoreless streak going, and he's posted a 13:1 K:BB in that span while adding a save and three holds. Smith continues to see an increasing role in the late innings, one that he's earned by pitching to a 1.82 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 37:7 K:BB over 24.2 innings this season.
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Guardians' Cade Smith: Picks up first career save
Rotowire
Smith earned the save in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Mets, allowing one hit while striking out two in a scoreless inning of work.
After Emmanuel Clase pitched in three consecutive days, the Guardians turned to Smith in the ninth with a three-run lead Wednesday. The rookie right-hander would allow a two-out double to Francisco Lindor before rebounding to strike out Pete Alonso, sealing his first MLB save. Smith's been solid out of the bullpen for Cleveland this year, pitching to a 2.01 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 32:7 K:BB while recording five holds in 22.1 innings. While he won't unseat Clase for the closing job, Smith has certainly established himself as a high-leverage option going forward.
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Guardians' Cade Smith: Grabs first win
Rotowire
Smith (1-0) retired both batters he faced to earn the extra-inning win over the Astros on Wednesday.
Smith got the last two outs of the ninth inning, and Emmanuel Clase closed out the game in the 10th after the Guardians grabbed the lead. Aside from giving up two runs in back-to-back outings in mid-April, Smith has been one of the Guardians' many successful relievers early in the year after winning a job in the bullpen out of spring training. He's pitched to a 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 22:6 K:BB over his first 14.2 major-league innings, and he's added two holds.
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Guardians' Cade Smith: Added to 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Guardians selected Smith to their 40-man roster Tuesday.
Smith pitched to a 4.02 ERA and 95:28 K:BB over 62.2 innings this past season between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus. The 24-year-old reliever is now protected from next month's Rule 5 Draft and might be poised to make his MLB debut at some point in 2024.
