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Strickland (3-2) took the loss against the White Sox on Tuesday, allowing three runs on two hits and one walk while retiring one batter. Strickland entered in the eighth inning following seven scoreless frames by starter Jack Kochanowicz. Strickland was able to retire the first batter he faced but then gave up a pair of doubles and a walk to result in a run. Brock Burke came on in relief for the veteran hurler and gave up two more hits, which allowed another pair of runners to cross the plate. Though he wasn't charged with a blown save, the outing didn't help Strickland's case for grabbing any remaining save opportunities in an Angels bullpen that doesn't have a clear closer following Ben Joyce's shoulder injury and subsequent placement on the injured list.
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Strickland earned a hold against the Rangers on Saturday, allowing one hit in a scoreless inning of work. Strickland entered in the sixth inning and worked around a one-out walk to keep Texas off the scoreboard. It was the sixth straight scoreless outing for the veteran right-hander, who has posted a 7:1 K:BB over six innings during that span. Strickland has 11 holds on the campaign, his most since 2019.
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Strickland was charged with a blown save Thursday versus the Rockies after he allowed two runs on a hit and a walk during the ninth inning. He had one strikeout. The 35-year-old recorded his first save of the season in Tuesday's series opener and was called upon again Thursday, but he gave up a two-out, two-run homer to Jake Cave to tie the game at 4-4. Ben Joyce seemed poised to take over as the Angels' closer after the trades of Carlos Estevez and Luis Garcia, but manager Ron Washington has instead turned to the veteran Strickland. According to Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register, Joyce is still considered the club's closer of the future, but Strickland will receive first crack at the ninth inning until Washington feels Joyce is ready for the job. Even including Thursday's blown save, Strickland has pitched well this season with a 3.35 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 42:14 K:BB across 51 innings.
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Strickland struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 10-7 win over the Rockies. Strickland got the first save after the trade deadline, which saw the Angels ship out Carlos Estevez to the Phillies over the weekend and Luis Garcia to the Red Sox earlier Tuesday. Strickland has limited experience as a closer -- his career high for saves in a year is 14 with the Giants in 2018, and he logged seven saves over 66 appearances with the Reds in 2022 before failing to appear in a big-league game in 2023. It's unclear if Strickland will get a chance to run with the closer role, though he's pitched well this year with a 3.06 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 41:13 K:BB over 50 innings while adding six holds. Ben Joyce also figures to be in the mix, but he worked in the eighth inning Tuesday in a high-leverage spot against the middle of the Rockies' order.
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The Angels selected Strickland's contract from Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday. Strickland didn't make the team as a non-roster invitee after pitching well this spring, but he'll receive an early-season promotion. The veteran reliever will likely operate in the middle innings.
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Stats
| Year | Team | APP | GS | INN | W | L | S | K | BBI | HA | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | LAA | 72 | 0 | 73.3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 57 | 24 | 56 | 3.31 | 1.09 |
| 2022 | CIN | 66 | 0 | 62.3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 60 | 33 | 61 | 4.90 | 1.50 |
Last 7 Games
| DATE | Opp | W | L | S | INN | HA | ERA | BBI | K | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/28 | vs  |
- | - | - | 0.2 | 1 | 3.60 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 |
| 9/24 | @  |
- | 1 | - | 0.1 | 2 | 1.80 | 1 | 0 | 9.00 |
| 9/22 | @  |
- | - | - | 1.2 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0 | 0.60 |
| 9/19 | @ |
- | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0.00 | 0 | 1 | 1.00 |
| 9/17 | vs |
- | - | - | 1.0 | 2 | 0.00 | 0 | 2 | 2.00 |
| 9/15 | vs |
- | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
| 9/14 | vs |
- | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |