MLB News (07/04)
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MLB News (07/04)
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Royal Rumblings (07/04)
Royal Rumblings
By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | July 4th, 2022
Three Royals On Updated Top 100 List: Catcher M.J. Melendez and first baseman Nick Pratto and Vinnie Pasquantino made the mid-season Top 100 list put out by BNN at the half-way point of the season.
Melendez remained in 18th, where he started the season. Baltimore catcher Adley Rutschman, who has yet to reach the end of prospect status, was crowned as the new top dog in the rankings. Bobby Witt, Jr., who began the season as the third-best prospect, is now aged out of prospect status.
Pratto (55th) and Pasquantino (99th) both moved up from their original season rankings. Pratto was 64th in the pre-season rankings, while Pasquantino was 201st.
Zooming out a bit to the Top 200, Right-hander Jonathan Bowlan (114th) made that list without even throwing a pitch this season, as he's been on the injured list with an elbow issue all season. Infielder Michael Massey (134th), lefty Angel Zerpa (175th), and 2021 second-rounder Ben Kudrna (184th) made their debuts in the back half of the Top 200.
Last year's first-round pick, Frank Mozzicato, entered the initial team rankings as the 16th-highest prospect. Other notables are righty Heribert Garcia (11th), outfielder Nick Loftin (14th), and outfielder Erick Pena (18th).Comment
Series Preview: Kansas City (35-42) @ Houston (45-33)
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PITCHING MATCHUPS
07/04: LHP Kris Bubic (0-2, 6.63) vs LHP Framber Valdez (4-5, 5.35)
07/05: LHP Angel Zerpa (0-2, 3.24) vs RHP Luis Garcia (8-4, 4.87)
07/06: RHP Zack Greinke (1-5, 4.20) vs RHP Jose Urquidy (9-3, 3.58)
07/07: LHP Daniel Lynch (5-5, 4.88) vs RHP Justin Verlander (6-6, 3.87)
WHO'S HOT?
RHP Justin Verlander, Houston -- 16 IP, 16 K, 2 ER (2 starts)
WHO'S NOT?
IF Yuli Gurriel, Houston -- 3-for-24 (.125), BB, 7 K
IF Hunter Dozier, Kansas City -- 1-for-24 (.041), BB, 11 K
IF Whit Merrifield, Kansas City -- 3-for-35 (.085), 2B, 3 BB, 13 K
KANSAS CITY INJURED LIST
RHP Jonathan Bowlan (elbow) -- 60-day IL
SS Adalberto Mondesi (knee) -- 60-day IL
HOUSTON INJURED LIST
RHP Hunter Brown (elbow) -- 10-day IL
OF Mauricio Dubon (hamstring) -- 10-day IL
RHP Cristian Javier (shoulder) -- 60-day IL
RHP Jake Odorizzi (elbow) -- 60-day IL
IF Joe Perez (calf) -- 60-day ILComment
Re: Series Preview: Kansas City (35-42) @ Houston (45-33)
Nice series win over Detroit. This series, however, may be a bit more challenging..Comment
Re: One Royal Way (OOTP 23)
Series Recap: Houston Astros
By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | July 8th, 2022
Kansas City Royals at Houston Astros Jul 4, 2022 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Kansas City Royals (36-42) 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 10 0 Houston Astros (45-34) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 W: Kris Bubic (1-2) L: Framber Valdez (4-6) S: Scott Barlow (12)
Monday, July 4th, 2022
There were little offensive fireworks on the Fourth, as four Royal pitchers combined for a shutout of the Astros, taking a 2-0 victory on the road to open a four-game series in the Lone Star State.
Kris Bubic was fantastic for the second straight start, scattering just one hit and two walks with six strikeouts over six shutout frames.
Dylan Coleman followed that up with 1 2/3 innings and five strikeouts, while Amir Garrett and Scott Barlow cleaned up for the final 1 1/3 frames.
Nicky Lopez extended his hitting streak to twenty games, and Bobby Witt Jr., collected his fourth straight two-hit game. Whit Merrifield also went 3-for-4 with a double, his team-best 20th two-bagger of the season.
BWJ singled home Salvador Perez in the fourth, and Perez came around to score again on a wild pitch by Jonathan Sprinkle in the sixth for the only two runs of the ballgame.
Kansas City Royals at Houston Astros Jul 5, 2022 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Kansas City Royals (36-43) 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 7 0 Houston Astros (46-34) 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 X 3 6 1 W: Hector Neris (2-1) L: Amir Garrett (1-2) S: Ryan Pressly (20)
Tuesday, July 5th, 2022
The Royals left the tying run on second base in the ninth inning, falling just short to the Astros by a 3-2 score. Hector Neris picked up the win in relief, with Ryan Pressly notching his league-high 20th save.
On the positive side for Kansas City, two more streaks continued -- Nick Pratto's consecutive games on-base streak reached thirteen, while Nicky Lopez doubled in the first inning to extend his hit streak to a career-high twenty-one games.
Alas, the strong effort from Angel Zerpa was wasted, as he allowed just two earned runs over 5 1/3 innings, scattering three hits and three walks while striking out five. Amir Garrett surrendered the go-ahead hit for the Astros, an RBI double by Yuli Gurriel in the eighth.
Kansas City Royals at Houston Astros Jul 6, 2022 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Kansas City Royals (36-44) 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 0 Houston Astros (47-34) 2 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 X 6 10 2 W: Jose Urquidy (10-3) L: Zack Greinke (1-6) S: Ryan Pressly (21)
Wednesday, July 6th, 2022
Three hits from Nicky Lopez extended his hitting streak to twenty-two games, but that was about all that was on the positive side for the Royals as they took it on the chin from the Astros by a 6-2 score.
With two hits, Nick Pratto extended his on-base streak to fourteen games, which is the Royals' rookie record for longest on-base streak to begin a career. He already owns the rookie record for longest hitting streak to begin a career at ten, which was snapped during the Detroit series.
Facing his former team for the first time as a Royal, Zack Greinke failed to get through the fifth inning for only the third time this season. He struck out five in just 4 2/3 innings; but allowed eight hits and struggled with his command, walking three.
All that said, the Royals were down just 4-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh; until Kyle Tucker bopped his 16th homerun of the season off Collin Snider, putting the Astros up four, and the game out of reach.
The loss slipped the Royals back to eight games below .500, which ties a season-worst for the club.
Kansas City Royals at Houston Astros Jul 7, 2022 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Kansas City Royals (36-45) 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 7 0 Houston Astros (48-34) 2 0 1 1 3 1 2 1 X 11 15 0 W: Justin Verlander (7-6) L: Daniel Lynch (5-6) S: None
Thursday, July 7th, 2022
Nine homeruns were hit during Thursday's afternoon finale, but the bad news is that Houston hit six of them en route to an 11-4 drubbing of the Royals to close out the series. Daniel Lynch went just four frames, allowing six earned runs on nine hits, striking out and walking one each.
Houston scored in every inning but the second; but even then, they had two men on when Jose Altuve rolled into a fielder's choice to end the inning.
On the plus side, Andrew Benintendi continues to hit well in the lead-up to the All-Star break, going 2-for-4 with one of the three Royal dingers on the day. Nick Pratto went deep for the sixth time in his very young MLB career, and Bobby Witt, Jr., also hit a solo homerun in his final game in his home state this year.
With a third-inning single, Nicky Lopez is now the owner of the longest active and overall hitting streak in the majors this season, which now stands at twenty-three games. It's the longest of his career, and the fifth-longest in team history. Whit Merrifield has the longest streak in team history at thirty-one, set between the late 2018 and early 2019 seasons.
This game is also the first in baseball this season to feature nine homeruns by nine different players. The next-highest number is seven that has been done four times in 2022, most recently by the Dodgers and Rockies on June 29th in Denver.Comment
MLB News (07/08)
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Royal Rumblings (07/08)
Royal Rumblings
By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | July 8th, 2022
Three Suitors Emerge For Benintendi: MLB.com Royals beat writer Anne Rogers laid out that three teams have reached out to the Royals and have shown the most interest in the Kansas City outfielder -- San Diego, St. Louis, and Miami.
She made sure to iterate that talks are preliminary, but it's yet another sign that the Royals are beginning to discuss their more marketable players. Milwaukee, Washington, and the Angels have also been linked to Benintendi in recent days.
Not counting the 2020 season in which he played just a handful of games, Benintendi has been an above-average offensive player in every season he's been in the league since 2016, dating back to his days with Boston.
With the Royals, he's gone back to the gap-shooting hitter he was in Beantown, as he's posted a .302/.347/.442 slash in 337 plate appearances so far this season, hitting seventeen doubles, two triples, and seven homeruns. His run-producing bonafides are also there, as he's worth 116 wRC+ with 46 RBI.
Defensively, he's also been worth +2 DRS, which is not at quite the pace of his Gold Glove season a year ago, but is still considered to be a top-ten mark amongst MLB LF's.
Keller Rehab Takes Next Step: After back-to-back solid outings for NW Arkansas in which he allowed just one earned run on seven hits over twelve innings, Brad Keller is headed to Omaha for one start before re-joining the Royals later this month.
Originally on the injured list for a strain of the flexor-pronator in his right elbow, Keller has been pain-free for several weeks, but the Royals have been taking every precaution to ensure that he's 100% healthy and ready to go for the season's second half.
He threw ninety pitches in a 7-2 Naturals loss to Tulsa last night, but the damage that the Drillers did came against the Naturals' bullpen, as righty Taylor Clarke, also on a rehab assignment, surrendered a couple of earned runs in the seventh inning.
For the season, Keller is 1-3 with a 2.68 ERA, and thirty-four strikeouts in 57 innings of work.Comment
Series Preview: Cleveland (39-43) @ Kansas City (36-45)
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PITCHING MATCHUPS
07/08: RHP Triston McKenzie (2-3, 3.91) vs RHP Brady Singer (6-3, 5.32)
07/09: RHP Cody Morris (1-3, 5.81) vs LHP Kris Bubic (1-2, 5.04)
07/10: RHP Zach Plesac (3-7, 4.39) vs LHP Angel Zerpa (0-2, 3.26)
WHO'S HOT?
None
WHO'S NOT?
RHP Aaron Civale, Cleveland -- 9 IP, 4 K, 9 ER (2 starts)
IF Hunter Dozier, Kansas City -- 2-for-32 (.062), BB, 19 K
LHP Daniel Lynch, Kansas City -- 6 1/3 IP, 11 ER, 4 K (2 starts)
IF Whit Merrifield, Kansas City -- 6-for-49 (.122), 4 BB, 10 K
CLEVELAND INJURED LIST
C Austin Hedges (oblique) -- 10-day IL
OF Oscar Mercado (concussion) -- 7-day IL
RHP Nick Sandlin (forearm) -- 10-day IL
RHP Trevor Stephan (shoulder) -- 10-day IL
KANSAS CITY INJURED LIST
RHP Jonathan Bowlan (elbow) -- 60-day IL
SS Adalberto Mondesi (knee) -- 60-day ILComment
Re: One Royal Way (OOTP 23)
Series Recap: Cleveland Guardians
By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | July 11th, 2022
Cleveland Guardians at Kansas City Royals Jul 8, 2022 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Cleveland Guardians (40-43) 0 1 0 1 7 0 0 0 0 9 16 0 Kansas City Royals (36-46) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 W: Triston McKenzie (3-3) L: Brady Singer (6-4) S: None
Friday, July 8th, 2022
Kansas City was down just 2-0 in the fifth when the Guardians exploded for a touchdown in the fifth inning to put the game far out of reach in a 9-0 drubbing to open a three-game series at home.
Brady Singer was charged with the bulk of the damage, as he was tagged for six earned runs (seven total), while allowing seven hits and three walks over 4 1/3 innings. He only struck out three, that included Franmil Reyes twice.
Having lost four in a row now for the first time since May 24th through the 28th, they've been outscored 29-8, including 26-6 in the last three alone. The loss also drops the Royals to double-digit games below .500 for the first time all season long.
"The road trip started off really promising earlier in the week, and then we just got handled over the past few days," said manager Mike Matheny. "It seems like we've always had one side of the ball working at all times, but now it seems as if neither side is really going right."
Nick Pratto's consecutive games reaching base streak was snapped at fifteen games with an 0-for-4, striking out four times. Nicky Lopez was 0-for-3 with a walk, so his on-base streak continues, but his season-long hit streak of twenty-three is now gone.
Cleveland Guardians at Kansas City Royals Jul 9, 2022 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Cleveland Guardians (40-44) 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 5 8 0 Kansas City Royals (37-46) 0 2 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 7 9 0 W: Will Kincanon (1-0) L: Zach Plesac (3-8) S: Scott Barlow (13)
Saturday, July 9th, 2022
Falling just a triple short of the cycle, Andrew Benintendi went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI to help the Royals stop a four-game skid, winning 7-5 to even their home series with Cleveland. Salvador Perez and Nick Pratto also each collected a pair of hits in the skid-breaking effort.
After two brilliant starts, Kris Bubic fell back a bit by not getting out of the fifth inning in Saturday's game. He alloweed five earned runs over 4 1/3, walking four with five strikeouts. Will Kincanon picked up his first win, pitching two scoreless innings. Three others combined ahead of him to hold down the fort for the victory, culminating in Scott Barlow's thirteenth save.
Kansas City jumped out to a 4-0 lead, only to see it nearly evaporate on Cleveland's second turn through the order as they scored three in the fourth. Benintendi's two-run shot put the Royals back in front by three, and they were able to hold off several mini-rallies to get back in the win column.
Cleveland Guardians at Kansas City Royals Jul 10, 2022 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Cleveland Guardians (41-44) 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 5 10 0 Kansas City Royals (37-47) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 1 W: Cody Morris (2-3) L: Angel Zerpa (0-3) S: None
Sunday, July 10th, 2022
The offense sputtered again, this time getting shutout in combined fashion by rookie Cody Morris and Joey Cantillo in a 5-0 loss to the Guardians. Kyle Isbel went 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base. No other Royal reached base safely more than once.
Morris pitched the first eight innings, scattering six hits, a walk, and three strikeouts before Cantillo worked around a one-out hit to finish the game.
Lefty Angel Zerpa cruised along until the sixth inning, when he surrendered four runs in that stanza. He left with just one out in the inning, giving way to Joel Payamps, who got out of that inning, and ended up going 2 1/3 scoreless. Jake Brentz pitched the final 1 1/3, also in shutout fashion.
Jose Ramirez drove in three, going 3-for-5. In fact, the top of the Guardians' order combined to go 8-for-15 with four runs scored and two doubles.Comment
MLB News (07/11)
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Royal Rumblings (07/11)
Royal Rumblings
By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | July 11th, 2022
Royals Deal Taylor To Toronto: Kansas City has decided to part ways with outfielder Michael A. Taylor, sending him to the Blue Jays in exchange for outfielder Yhoangel Aponte, the 23rd-ranked prospect in the Jays' system. Dairon Blanco was added to the 40-man roster, and called up to take his place on the active roster as well.
Perhaps at the summit of his value thanks to a Gold Glove in 2021, and near-league average offensive production this year, the Royals appear to be getting a solid prospect in return for Taylor. The move will also shave roughly $2.2 million off the books this year, and free up a full $4.5 for 2023.
At the absolute worst, Toronto will almost assuredly get top-flight defense through the life of his current deal, which expires at the end of 2023. Toronto is amongst the very worst defensive clubs in baseball, ranking second-to-last in DRS and defensive efficiency despite playing in one of the smaller parks in the league.
He's scheduled to earn $4.5 million next year as well, which is solid value even for a fourth outfielder with an elite glove and decent pop. He had been besting his career strikeout rate marks (25%, career 28%), and walk rate (7.7%, career 6.7%).
Heasley Re-Called For Doubleheader Tomorrow: With the twinbill tomorrow against Detroit, right-hander Jon Heasley was re-called to make the start in Game Two. It was his scheduled start day in Omaha, but with the Triple-A day off, he'll make his appearance with the Royals instead.Comment
Series Preview: Detroit (37-49) @ Kansas City (37-47)
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PITCHING MATCHUPS
07/11: RHP Logan Shore (0-0, 0.00) vs RHP Zack Greinke (1-6, 4.40)
07/11: RHP Carlos Martinez (3-4, 5.53) vs RHP Jon Heasley (2-1, 6.93)
07/12: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-6, 5.01) vs LHP Daniel Lynch (5-6, 5.29)
07/13: RHP Michael Pineda (2-6, 6.88) vs RHP Brady Singer (6-4, 5.77)
WHO'S HOT?
None
WHO'S NOT?
OF Robbie Grossman, Detroit -- 3-for-25 (.120)
RHP Carlos Martinez, Detroit -- 7 2/3 IP, 8 ER, 6 K (2 starts)
IF Hunter Dozier, Kansas City -- 3-for-36 (.083), BB, 17 K
LHP Daniel Lynch, Kansas City -- 6 1/3 IP, 11 ER, 4 K (2 starts)
RHP Brady Singer, Kansas City -- 7 2/3 IP, 5 K, 10 ER (2 starts)
DETROIT INJURED LIST
SS Javier Baez (hand) -- 10-day IL
RHP Angel De Jesus (elbow) -- 60-day IL
RHP Casey Mize (elbow) -- 10-day IL
KANSAS CITY INJURED LIST
SS Adalberto Mondesi (knee) -- 60-day ILComment
Re: Series Preview: Detroit (37-49) @ Kansas City (37-47)
Blanked twice in the Guardians series was not a good look. They have always have a great group of throwers though, so it happens.Comment
Re: Series Preview: Detroit (37-49) @ Kansas City (37-47)
Been a tough few series for Kansas City, hopefully a Detroit that doesn't look so great themselves will help get the offense back up and runningMy Dynasties
Comment
Detroit @ Kansas City (07/11 -- 07/13)
Series Recap: Detroit Tigers
By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | July 14th, 2022
Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals (Game 1) Jul 11, 2022 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Detroit Tigers (37-50) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 Kansas City Royals (38-47) 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 X 0 5 1 W: Zack Greinke (2-6) L: Logan Shore (0-1) S: None
Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals (Game 2) Jul 11, 2022 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Detroit Tigers (38-50) 1 0 0 1 4 0 1 0 0 7 11 1 Kansas City Royals (38-48) 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 X 5 9 1 W: Carlos Martinez (4-4) L: Jon Heasley (2-2) S: Andrew Chafin (16)
Monday, July 11th, 2022
It was turn back the clock day at Kauffman Stadium as the Royals received a performance that a 28-year-old Zack Greinke might have turned in for some games, but the 38-year-old version of Greinke put forth as well as the Royals took the first game by a 4-0 count. The second game, however, went to Detroit as they held on to secure a split with a 7-5 victory over the host Royals.
Greinke threw 107 pitches in all to keep a pretty gassed bullpen from having to be used at least for one game of the twinbill. He fanned a dozen without a walk; scattering four hits, three of them singles, and only two of those left the infield.
"I had everything working for me out there," the veteran righty mused at his locker with a gaggle of press around him. "I used every one of my pitches, and I do mean every one. I felt like I could do what I wanted."
His previous season high in strikeouts was six, and he doubled that in one start. It's just his second win of the season, and lowered his ERA from 4.40 to 3.98.
Andrew Benintendi continues to swing a hot bat, collecting two more hits, including a homerun. Jace Peterson also collected a pair of hits, a run scored, and an RBI in the winning effort.
Jon Heasley and Carlos Martinez tangled in the nightcap, as the Tigers grabbed the lead in the fifth and kept the Royals at bay the rest of the way out. Heasley pitched pretty well early on, allowing just one earned run through his first three frames.
Playing second base for only the second time this season, Bobby Witt, Jr.'s error in the fifth led to three unearned runs for Heasley, as the right-hander made it through four, but couldn't record an out in the fifth as he was relieved by Collin Snider.
In stark contrast to the first game, the Royals used five relievers in Heasley's stead, as they allowed just one earned run in five innings worked.
Jonathan Schoop and Austin Meadows each drove in a pair of runs, while Spencer Torkelson reached base four times, three times via walk. Martinez allowed five runs (two earned), with two walks and three strikeouts to even his record at 4-4.
Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals Jul 12, 2022 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Detroit Tigers (39-50) 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 5 8 0 Kansas City Royals (38-49) 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 6 0 W: Ryan Sherriff (2-0) L: Daniel Lynch (5-7) S: Andrew Chafin (17)
Tuesday, July 12th, 2022
No Eduardo Rodriguez? No problem.
Despite losing the veteran lefty early on due to what was later termed as an oblique injury, Tigers reliever Tyler Alexander helped keep the Royals at bay, tossing 4 1/3 solid innings in a 5-2 defeat that dropped Kansas City into last place for the first time this season, even if by percentage points.
As has been the trend for Daniel Lynch, he cruised along through five innings, allowing just three hits and no runs before running into problems in the sixth, allowing five earned runs alone in that inning. He was also helped by a pair of double plays along the way, facing just two over the minimum going into the sixth.
Bobby Witt, Jr., became just the second Royals hitter to reach double-digits in homeruns, clubbing his 10th homerun off Alexander in the fifth. Andrew Benintendi is next in line with nine.
Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals Jul 13, 2022 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Detroit Tigers (39-51) 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 3 0 Kansas City Royals (39-49) 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 X 3 9 0 W: Ryan Sherriff (2-0) L: Daniel Lynch (5-7) S: Andrew Chafin (17)
Wednesday, July 13th, 2022
Jace Peterson and Nicky Lopez each had a pair of hits, and Brady Singer allowed just one earned run in 6 1/3 innings as the Royals secured a split of their three-day, four-game series with the Tigers in a 3-1 victory as the Royals now embark on a four-game road trip to Toronto to close out the first half of the season.
The two sides battled to a stalemate through the first six innings until Austin Meadows finally put the first run on the board for either side with a solo homerun against Singer in the seventh inning.
Despite having thrown just seventy-six pitches at the time, Mike Matheny decided to go to his bullpen and brought in Dylan Coleman, who got the final two outs in consecutive fashion, to replace Singer. Coleman ended up as the victor when the Royals picked up a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning to go in front for good.
Hunter Dozier led off the seventh with a single, lifting Michael Pineda from the contest. Kyle Isbel bunted Dozier to second, but was followed by three straight free passes, including pinch-hitter Andrew Benintendi, who was hit by a pitch after replacing rookie Dairon Blanco, who got the start in left field.
Kansas City tacked on an insurance run with an RBI double by Isbel, who scored Nick Pratto all the way from first base. Scott Barlow picked up his 14th save by striking out the side; working around a one-out walk in the meantime.Comment
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