Phillies' Matt Strahm: Could open season in rotation
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Strahm could begin the season as the fifth starter or bulk reliever for the Phillies, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Strahm has been getting stretched out this spring in preparation for a multi-inning relief role, so the southpaw shouldn't be too taxed if he's called upon to make starts or serve as a primary pitcher to begin the regular season after manager Rob Thomson said Wednesday that Ranger Suarez likely won't be ready for Opening Day while contending with forearm inflammation. If Strahm is given the opportunity to make starts early on, he's unlikely to work deep enough into games to qualify for wins whenever his turn in the rotation comes up.
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Phillies' Matt Strahm: Multi-inning role planned
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Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Thursday that Strahm would be stretched into a multi-inning reliever, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Strahm initially figured to slide into a setup role after he signed with the Phillies during the offseason, but now he appears in line to give the team multiple innings out of the bullpen. He has experience as a starter, making up to 16 starts for the Padres in 2019, so he's certainly up to the task of going multiple innings in relief. It now is just a matter of getting him re-acclimated to doing so.
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Phillies' Matt Strahm: New contract announced
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Strahm's signing of a two-year, $15 million contract with the Phillies was formally announced by the team Friday.
It's a nice raise for Strahm, who pitched under a one-year, $3 million deal with the Red Sox in 2022. He earned the multi-year pact after posting a 3.83 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 52:17 K:BB across 44.2 innings. The southpaw should serve in a setup role for Philadelphia.
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Phillies' Matt Strahm: Joins Philadelphia
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Strahm agreed to a two-year, $15 million contract with the Phillies on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
The left-hander spent 2022 with Boston on a one-year, $3 million deal, and he's now cashing in with Philadelphia after he posted a 3.83 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 52:17 K:BB across 44.2 innings. Strahm had four saves and 12 holds last season but is unlikely to be a significant factor during the ninth inning for the Phillies.
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Red Sox's Matt Strahm: Earns fourth save
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Strahm walked one batter and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn a save over the Royals on Friday.
Strahm worked around a two-out walk to finish out the 2-1 victory, picking up his fourth save of the year and first since June 8. He'd blown three straight save chances since that last conversion despite posting a 2.57 ERA over his previous 22 appearances. While Strahm worked the ninth inning, Garrett Whitlock pitched in the eighth and both Matt Barnes and John Schreiber got the night off.
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Red Sox's Matt Strahm: Reinstated from IL
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Strahm (wrist) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list Friday.
Strahm will return to the Red Sox bullpen after missing just over a month while nursing a bruised left wrist. The left-hander will likely be eased back into action but he should find himself back in a high-leverage role in the near future. Josh Winckowski was optioned to Worcester on Thursday to open a roster spot for Strahm's return.
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Red Sox's Matt Strahm: Expected to return Friday
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Strahm (wrist) expects to be reinstated from the 15-day injured list ahead of Friday's series opener against the Orioles, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
Strahm has been sidelined for just over a month due to a bruised left wrist, but he made a rehab appearance at Triple-A Worcester on Thursday and struck out one in a scoreless inning. The southpaw should be in the mix for setup duties once he's officially activated.
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Red Sox's Matt Strahm: Heading on rehab assignment
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Strahm (wrist) threw about 30 pitches in live batting practice Sunday and will begin a minor-league rehab assignment this week, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
The veteran left-hander landed on the shelf in mid-July with a bruised left wrist after being struck by a line drive, and he's now been cleared for a rehab assignment. Strahm could rejoin the Red Sox by the end of the week if all goes well in the minors.
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Red Sox's Matt Strahm: Bullpen coming
Rotowire
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said "there's a good chance" Strahm (wrist) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday.
Strahm was hit on the left wrist by a line drive July 12 and has slowly come back to the point of throwing. A throwing session Tuesday potentially puts him on schedule to return rejoin the Red Sox by the weekend.
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Red Sox's Matt Strahm: Resumes playing catch
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Strahm (wrist) has resumed playing catch, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Strahm is still dealing with a stiff wrist a week and a half after landing on the injured list, but it's encouraging that he's able to begin a throwing program. A better timetable for his return should be revealed once he ramps up his intensity.
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Red Sox's Matt Strahm: Placed on 15-day IL
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Strahm was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left wrist contusion Friday, retroactive to July 13.
Strahm exited Tuesday's game against the Rays due to a bruised left wrist and underwent X-rays that came back negative, but he'll still be forced to miss at least two weeks. The southpaw had been feeling better in the last few days, but his return timetable will depend on when he's able to begin a throwing program.
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Red Sox's Matt Strahm: May require IL stint
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Strahm (wrist) has been unable to play catch the last two days and may be placed on the injured list, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports. "If he's not able to play catch tomorrow (Friday), I think the smart move is probably to put him on the IL," Boston manager Alex Cora said.
Strahm was hit by a comebacker Tuesday and X-rays came back negative. Cora reports the left-hander is feeling better but not to the point where he can throw or play catch. The Red Sox will need roster spots to accommodate the returns of Nathan Eovaldi (back) and Garrett Whitlock (hip) on Friday, so Strahm's potential placement on the IL could open up one of those spots.
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Red Sox's Matt Strahm: X-rays reveal no structural damage
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Strahm (wrist) underwent X-rays that came back negative, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.
Strahm was hit by a comebacker on his left wrist Tuesday against the Rays, but he isn't dealing with any structural damage following the matchup. It's not yet clear whether he'll be available out of the bullpen for Wednesday's game in Tampa Bay, but he should tentatively be considered day-to-day.
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Red Sox's Matt Strahm: Hangs on for win
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Strahm (3-2) allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk with three strikeouts in two innings, picking up the extra-inning win Wednesday over the Blue Jays.
Strahm kept the game tied at 3-3 in the ninth inning. The Red Sox pulled ahead by three in the top of the 10th, but Strahm nearly gave it all back in the bottom half of the frame, narrowly preserving a one-run lead at the end to earn his third win. This was just the third time all year Strahm's allowed multiple runs in an appearance. He's at a 3.80 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 26:7 K:BB across 23.2 innings while adding three saves, nine holds and two blown saves. He'll likely continue to be a part of a volatile closer committee, though Tanner Houck (personal) will likely be the preferred closer when the Red Sox return stateside for a three-game series versus the Cubs that begins Friday.
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Red Sox's Matt Strahm: Settles for eighth hold
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Strahm gave up a run on one hit while striking out one batter in two-thirds of an inning Tuesday to record his eighth hold of the season in a 5-4 win over the Tigers.
Getting the call to begin the ninth inning with Boston nursing a two-run lead, Strahm saw his cushion evaporate immediately when Jonathan Schoop took him deep for a solo shot. The lefty then got the hook with two outs and right-handed hitters Javier Baez and Miguel Cabrera due up for Detroit, instead watching as John Schreiber pick up his second save of the season. Strahm has stumbled a bit through eight appearances in June, posting a 4.50 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 7:2 K:BB over six innings, but he still has two saves and four holds during that stretch and his high-leverage spot in the Red Sox bullpen appears to be fairly secure.
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Red Sox's Matt Strahm: Secures another save
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Strahm earned a save over the Angels on Wednesday, retiring both batters he faced and notching one strikeout.
The Red Sox entered the bottom of the ninth inning with a 1-0 lead, and they allowed righty John Schreiber to open the frame against right-handed hitter Juan Lagares. Schreiber notched the out before Boston turned to the southpaw Strahm against lefty Brandon Marsh. Strahm retired Marsh on a lineout and followed with a strikeout of Jack Mayfield to secure a save for the second straight day. Boston's closer situation remains hazy, but Strahm appears to be pushing toward the front of line given his excellent results in the team's past two games.
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Red Sox's Matt Strahm: Back with team, not yet activated
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Strahm was cleared to rejoin the Red Sox on Tuesday, but he wasn't activated from the COVID-19-related injured list prior to the team's series opener with the Reds, Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald reports.
Strahm was placed on the COVID-19 IL on Monday, but his presence in the clubhouse a day later suggests he was deactivated as a precaution and never actually contracted the virus. The 30-year-old lefty has handled a more important role out of the bullpen than expected this season, so the Red Sox are unlikely to delay activating him by more than another day or two if there aren't any concerns about his health.
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Red Sox's Matt Strahm: Charged with blown save, loss
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Strahm (2-2) took the loss after blowing a save during Friday's 12-8 defeat against Baltimore. He gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits with one strikeout and zero walks in one-third of an inning.
Strahm entered with two outs during the eighth inning and was charged with blown save after giving up an unearned run on a double, a single and an error. The lefty returned for the ninth and was pulled after allowing three singles to open the frame, all of which came around to score. Strahm entered with a 1.88 ERA for the season and hadn't allowed a run since April 25, but the poor performance ballooned his ERA up to 3.68.
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Red Sox's Matt Strahm: Notches one-out save
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Strahm earned a save over the Orioles on Friday. He struck out one batter and walked another.
Strahm took over for Hansel Robles with a runner on second and two outs in the ninth inning. After walking Anthony Santander, he struck out Chris Owings to finish the 3-1 victory. He's now sporting a 3.52 ERA with one save and seven strikeouts through 7.2 innings this season.
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Red Sox's Matt Strahm: Absorbs loss
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Strahm (1-1) allowed two runs on two hits over one-third of an inning and was tagged with Monday's loss against Toronto.
In a slightly surprising move, acting manager Will Venable had Strahm enter the eighth inning after starter Nathan Eovaldi cruised through seven innings on just 72 pitches. The lefty reliever got the first out before giving up a single and bunt that was ruled a single after first baseman Bobby Dalbec couldn't squeeze the ball in his glove. Two batters later, Bo Bichette delivered a game-clinching grand slam off Tyler Danish.
