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Jalen Beeks RP | TEX
Rays' Jalen Beeks: Picks up second save
Beeks struck out one in a perfect 10th inning Wednesday to record his second save of the season in a 2-1 win over the Marlins.
Pete Fairbanks, Colin Poche and Jason Adam worked the late innings in regulation, so when the Rays took their first lead of the game in the top of the 10th, Beeks got the call to close things out. The southpaw is now the seventh Tampa Bay pitcher this season to record multiple saves, and he's earned his high-leverage opportunities with a 2.65 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 28.1 percent strikeout rate on the year.
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Matt Barnes RP | WAS
Red Sox's Matt Barnes: Secures save Wednesday
Barnes allowed one hit and one walk over one scoreless inning to record a save against the Twins on Wednesday.
Barnes got the ball in the ninth inning with Boston holding a one-run lead and made things interesting, allowing the first two batters he faced to reach base. However, he rebounded to induce a flyout and a double play to successfully convert the save. It was his first opportunity to close in over two weeks, so Barnes is probably still behind Garrett Whitlock and John Schreiber in the pecking order. He pitched relatively well in August, posting a 2.92 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 13:6 K:BB over 12.1 innings.
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Rafael Montero RP | NYY
Astros' Rafael Montero: Tallies 10th save
Montero allowed one hit and struck out one across a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Wednesday against the Rangers.
Montero continues to occupy the closer role in the absence of Ryan Pressly (neck), as he has three saves since Aug. 25. He's pitched fairly well in that span, allowing only one earned run across three innings while striking out four and walking nine. Montero will almost certainly cede save chances back to Pressly, though he is in a strong position to provide plenty of saves in the short term.
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Jimmy Herget RP | COL
Angels' Jimmy Herget: Secures fifth save
Herget walked two and struck out two in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Yankees.
Herget has picked up saves in each of his last three appearances, which makes him look like a slight favorite for closing duties in the Angels' committee. He made it interesting Wednesday with walks to Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton before retiring the next three batters in order. Herget ends August having allowing just one run in 17 innings with an 18:6 K:BB. He's been effective with a 2.70 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 52:12 K:BB through 53.1 innings overall, adding five saves, three holds, a blown save and a 2-1 record through 36 appearances.
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Liam Hendriks RP | CHC
White Sox's Liam Hendriks: Shaky in 29th save
Hendriks allowed a run on two hits and struck out one in one inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Royals.
Hendriks wasn't at his sharpest, but he got the job done despite allowing an RBI single to Michael Massey in the ninth inning. This was Hendriks' first appearance since his blown save Aug. 25 versus the Orioles, though that was mostly due to a lack of save opportunities, as the White Sox snapped a five-game losing streak Wednesday. The closer owns a 3.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 67:11 K:BB through 46 innings with 29 saves in 33 attempts.
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Paul Sewald RP | TOR
Mariners' Paul Sewald: Snags 17th save
Sewald pitched a scoreless ninth inning, walking two batters while striking out two on his way to a save in Wednesday's 5-3 win over Detroit.
Sewald was called upon to protect the 5-3 lead in the bottom of the ninth, working around two walks for his 17th save of the season. The right-hander has now pitched three consecutive scoreless outings after giving up three runs over back-to-back appearances. Sewald now owns a 2.52 ERA and 0.69 WHIP with 61 strikeouts over 53.2 innings while appearing in 54 games this year.
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Tyler Alexander RP | TEX
Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Exits in fifth
Alexander pitched 4.2 innings, surrendering two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out four in Wednesday's loss to the Mariners. He did not factor into the decision.
Alexander was tagged for a two-run homer by Eugenio Suarez in the top of the first inning, accounting for all the damage against him before he exited with two outs in the fifth frame. The left-hander rebounded well Wednesday after getting crushed for seven runs Friday versus the Rangers. Alexander has produced a 5.45 ERA and 1.36 WHIP with 19 strikeouts over 34.2 innings in seven starts since joining the Tigers rotation in late July.
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Daniel Mengden RP | KC
Royals' Daniel Mengden: Likely starting Thursday
Mengden is expected to have his contract selected from Triple-A Omaha to start Thursday against the White Sox, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Mengden spent a few weeks with the Royals in June and allowed one earned run over 4.1 innings out of the bullpen, and he's now poised to rejoin the big club as a starter. The 29-year-old has primarily worked as a starter for Omaha this year and has a 4.55 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 76:50 K:BB over 91 frames.
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Joe Kelly RP | LAD
White Sox's Joe Kelly: Moves past knee issue
Kelly (knee) gave up a run on one hit while pitching the eighth inning of Tuesday's 9-7 loss to the Royals.
Kelly was back on the mound after he was removed from his previous relief appearance three days earlier against the Diamondbacks due to a bruised right knee. He retired three of the four batters he faced, though the lone hit he allowed was a solo home run by Michael Taylor. Kelly now owns a 7.07 ERA and 1.68 WHIP over 28 innings on the season.
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Cody Morris RP | NYY
Guardians' Cody Morris: Likely to be September call-up
Morris (shoulder) joined the Guardians' taxi squad Wednesday and is expected to be activated from the 60-day injured list Thursday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
Morris has resided on Cleveland's 60-day injured list all season after suffering a right shoulder strain in spring training, but he's been healthy for quite some time. After resuming game action in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League in mid-July, Morris shifted his rehab assignment to Triple-A Columbus earlier this month. The 25-year-old right-hander is being developed as a starter, but he'll likely work as a multi-inning arm out of the Cleveland bullpen in September after recording no more than 10 outs in any of his six rehab outings with Columbus. He's been dominant across his 15.1 innings at Triple-A, allowing only 11 baserunners while striking out a whopping 30 batters.