Royals' Taylor Clarke: Notches first save
Clarke gave up a solo home run and struck out three in the ninth inning Friday to record his first save of the season in a 4-2 win over the Astros.
Carlos Hernandez worked the eighth inning for the Royals, so Clarke got the call to finish things up and was dominant aside from a one-out blast by Jose Abreu. Clarke has been tagged for a run in four straight appearances but has also struck out at least one batter in nine straight since being activated from the IL in mid-August, posting a 4.15 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB through 8.2 innings over that stretch. Hernandez had the last three saves for Kansas City prior to Friday, but Clarke's high strikeout rate should keep him in the high-leverage mix as the team evaluates bullpen options for 2024.
