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Chris Rodriguez RP | CHW
Angels' Chris Rodriguez: Records win in long relief
Rodriguez (2-0) pitched 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one to earn the win in Wednesday's 4-3 victory over Texas.
The righty has impressed out of the Angels' bullpen early in 2021, pitching to a 2.45 ERA in 14.2 innings. Rodriguez figures to start at some point, be it this season or further down the line, but for now, he remains a relief weapon capable of getting through multiple innings per appearance. The 22-year-old has kept the ball in the park thus far in 2021 and may develop into a viable fantasy asset if he continues to do so.
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Adam Ottavino RP | NYY
Red Sox's Adam Ottavino: Impresses in hold
Ottavino struck out one and did not allow a baserunner in one inning of work, recording the hold in Wednesday's 1-0 victory over the Mets.
That's three consecutive scoreless outings for the veteran righty, whose command appears to have improved considerably from earlier in the season. When Ottavino paints the corners with his sinker and slider as he did Wednesday, he can be a dominant late-inning weapon. The hold was his fifth of 2021, and opportunities for more will be plentiful as long as Boston continues playing well.
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Blake Treinen RP | LAD
Dodgers' Blake Treinen: Records eighth hold
Treinen struck out three and yielded one hit in an inning of work, earning a hold in Wednesday's 8-0 victory over Cincinnati.
The righty has allowed just one earned run since a rough first outing of the season in which he yielded two. Treinen's ERA has been gradually declining, and it now sits at 2.70 through 10 innings pitched. His sinker, cutter and slider all boast elite movement and will keep him among baseball's best relievers as long as he commands them down in the zone. Further, playing for a winning team in the Dodgers will present plenty of hold opportunities, especially in the absence of Corey Knebel (lat).
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Ryan Weathers SP | NYY
Padres' Ryan Weathers: Exits due to joint inflammation
Manager Jayce Tingler said after the Padres' 12-3 win over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday that Weathers is dealing with joint inflammation in his left arm, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Weathers tossed a scoreless first inning before exiting his start with what the Padres initially termed as left arm soreness, with Tingler clarifying afterward that the rookie isn't dealing with any ligament damage and is instead experiencing a case of "dead arm." Tingler noted that after starting the game with his velocity sitting in the 92-to-93 mile-per-hour range, Weathers dropped to around 87 or 88 before his night ended early. The Padres are hopeful that after receiving some treatment, Weathers will be able to make his next start, which would likely come next Tuesday against the Pirates.
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Rafael Montero RP | NYY
Mariners' Rafael Montero: Knocked around for four runs
Montero (2-1) took the loss Wednesday against the Astros after letting up four runs (two earned) on three hits and a walk with no strikeouts over two-thirds of an inning.
Montero entered in the eighth inning looking to preserve a two-run lead and left the game with the Mariners needing two runs to keep the game alive. The 30-year-old quickly found himself in danger with two men on and one out but had a chance to get out of it with a double-play ground ball; however, 2020 Gold Glove winner Evan White's throwing error extended the inning and allowed a run to score. Montero ended up allowing the next two men to reach, bringing home the tying run before manager Scott Servais had seen enough. His replacement wasn't much better, allowing two of the inherited runners to score before finally getting out of the nightmare inning. Montero had a nice stretch of four straight scoreless outings before Wednesday's collapse, but he now has four blown saves and a 4.09 ERA on the year. It wouldn't be surprising if Servais demoted the hard-throwing righty from a share of the closer's role due to his lack of consistency so far this season.
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Ryne Stanek RP | STL
Astros' Ryne Stanek: Enters for save
Stanek struck out one over a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his first save in Wednesday's 7-5 win over the Mariners.
Closer Ryan Pressly had thrown 31 pitches over the last two days, so he was skipped for this save opportunity. Instead, manager Dusty Baker opted for Stanek, who has emerged as Houston's eighth-inning reliever. The right-hander has fired blanks in nine of 12 outings and leapfrogged several relievers to claim a high-leverage role.
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Josh Staumont RP | CIN
Royals' Josh Staumont: Notches four-out save
Staumont recorded his third save of the season Wednesday against the Pirates. He tossed 1.1 scoreless innings while fanning two.
Staumont tossed 12 of his 18 pitches for strikes and pitched more than one inning for the fourth time this season, though this was the first time he did so while notching a save. The right-hander has allowed just one earned run in 13.1 innings across 11 appearances and has gone 3-for-3 in save opportunities so far, so he appears to be making a strong case to hold down the closer's role on a full-time basis.
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Hector Neris RP | HOU
Phillies' Hector Neris: Secures another save
Neris did not allow a baserunner and struck out one to earn the save Wednesday.
Neris made quick work of the Cardinals, as he required only nine pitches to set down the side and record his fifth save. He's been excellent from both a results (1.69 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over 10.2 innings) and skills perspective early on this season and is locked into save chances for the time being.
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Raisel Iglesias RP | ATL
Angels' Raisel Iglesias: Locks in fourth save
Iglesias did not allow a baserunner and struck out one to earn the save Wednesday against the Rangers.
Iglesias was called upon to protect a one-run lead, and he had no issues doing so to lock in his fourth save of the campaign. He's now 4-for-6 in save opportunities this season, though there is no indication that he is in danger of losing his role. Iglesias has a 6.00 ERA across nine innings for the campaign, though that's bloated when considering his excellent 13:1 K:BB.
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Kyle Nelson RP | ATL
Indians' Kyle Nelson: Perfect inning in season debut
Nelson pitched a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout in Wednesday's 10-2 loss to the Twins.
Nelson made a solid first impression in his season debut. The 24-year-old southpaw isn't expected to see much high-leverage work while with the big club.