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Evan Phillips RP | LAD
Dodgers' Evan Phillips: Notches win Friday
Phillips (3-3) earned the win over the Cubs on Friday by pitching a perfect 10th inning.
After Los Angeles rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth, Phillips was asked to keep the Cubs off the scoreboard in the 10th. He did so with relative ease, inducing three groundouts to retire the side on eight pitches. Phillips was then credited with the win as a result of Will Smith's walk-off single in the bottom of the frame. Phillips has gone 16 straight outings without allowing an earned run, surrendering just seven hits while posting a 17:4 K:BB in 15.2 innings over that span. He's been one of the team's most effective relievers this season, recording a 1.60 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 10.4 K/9 while picking up three wins and 10 holds over 33 appearances overall.
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Tanner Scott RP | LAD
Marlins' Tanner Scott: Racks up 11th save
Scott walked one in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 11th save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Mets.
The southpaw fought with his control, firing only 13 of 22 pitches for strikes, but the balls the Mets were able to put into play found their way into gloves. Scott's inability to find the plate consistently is beginning to cost him, as he has a 4.66 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 13:9 K:BB through 9.2 innings over his last 10 appearances with two blown saves. If Marlins manager Don Mattingly elects to switch closers again, it appears as though Dylan Floro could be the next man up.
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Lucas Luetge RP | BOS
Yankees' Lucas Luetge: Collects three-inning save
Luetge recorded his first save of the season in Friday's 12-5 win over the Red Sox, allowing a hit and a walk over 3.1 scoreless innings while striking out six.
The Yankees held a 9-5 lead when Luetge took the mound and they just kept adding to it, so the 35-year-old was left in the game to notch a rare three-inning save. Luetge has been scored upon only once in 12 appearances since the beginning of June, posting a 0.51 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 15:5 K:BB through 17.2 innings over that stretch while also chipping in a win and two holds. Despite that success, he remains in a fairly low-leverage role in the New York bullpen.
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Josh Hader RP | HOU
Brewers' Josh Hader: Notches 26th save
Hader gave up one earned run on two hits and a walk while striking out two to earn the save in a 4-3 win over the Pirates on Friday.
Hader had some trouble with the Pirates in the ninth inning, but he managed to close out the game to pick up his MLB-leading 26th save. With two outs and running on contact, Kevin Newman tried to score the tying run from first on a Daniel Vogelbach single, but he was thrown out at the plate on a relay. Despite relying on his defense to get the job done, Hader earned a dramatic road save. He's allowed a run in each of his last three appearances, but he still owns elite ratios with a 1.88 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 49:10 K:BB in 28.2 innings this year.
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Brad Hand RP | ATL
Phillies' Brad Hand: Picks up fourth save
Hand pitched a perfect ninth innings with no strikeouts to earn the save in a 2-0 win over the Cardinals on Friday.
Hand only needed eight pitches to retire the side and earn his fourth save of the campaign. The 32-year-old veteran arm has now tallied three saves since Corey Knebel was pulled out of the closer role due to control issues in mid-June. Hand finds himself in a closer committee with Seranthony Dominguez, who earned the save in Thursday's game.
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Ryan Borucki RP | SF
Mariners' Ryan Borucki: Impressive for first win
Borucki (1-0) nabbed the win in an extra-innings victory over the Blue Jays on Friday, firing two perfect innings during which he recorded a strikeout.
Borucki earned every bit of his first win -- which notably came against his old squad -- turning in a highly efficient outing that saw him pound 14 of his 21 pitches into the strike zone. The 28-year-old southpaw was rewarded for his pristine effort Friday when Eugenio Suarez walked it off with a three-run home run in the bottom of the 11th, and Borucki has now turned in eight scoreless appearances in his last nine trips to the mound, including five straight.
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Ken Giles RP | ATL
Mariners' Ken Giles: Pulled due to tightness
Giles exited Friday's extra-innings win over the Blue Jays with tightness in the back of his shoulder after retiring the first batter he faced in the eighth inning, the Associated Press reports.
The oft-injured veteran had just started his fifth appearance of both the season and since 2020 at the big-league level before he had to exit with a trainer in the midst of facing Santiago Espinal. Giles has overcome Tommy John surgery and a tendon injury on his right middle finger over the last two years, and it remains to be seen how serious a setback Friday's developments represent.
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Sam Moll RP | CIN
Athletics' Sam Moll: Adds to scoreless streak Friday
Moll fired two scoreless innings in a loss to the Astros on Friday, allowing two hits and recording a strikeout.
Moll got through his pair of frames on a relatively efficient 20 pitches, authoring his fourth straight scoreless appearance in the process. The left-hander has been one of manager Mark Kotsay's most reliable bullpen assets all season, recording a pair of victories and six holds while even logging a trio of outings of more than one inning.
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Kirby Snead RP | SEA
Athletics' Kirby Snead: Impressive in multi-inning outing
Snead fired two scoreless innings in a loss to the Astros on Friday, allowing two hits and a walk while recording four strikeouts.
Snead has been impressive since his most recent promotion from Triple-A Las Vegas on June 21, forging a 1.59 ERA and not allowing a home run over 5.2 innings across five appearances. The 27-year-old southpaw is likely to struggle to garner many hold opportunities, much less save chances, as the Athletics have typically found multi-inning leads hard to come by this season.
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Dany Jimenez RP | ATL
Athletics' Dany Jimenez: One rehab appearance likely
Jimenez (shoulder) played catch again before Friday's game against the Astros, and manager Mark Kotsay noted the right-hander will likely need at least one rehab appearance, the Associated Press reports.
Jimenez has progressed to throwing out to 90 feet in recent days and has apparently been able to engage in multiple throwing sessions without setback. Consequently, the brief rehab assignment Kotsay alluded to could well be imminent, and it's possible Jimenez even logs multiple appearances in the minors considering he's been sidelined since June 21.