Nationals' Tanner Rainey: Progressing in throwing program
Rotowire
Rainey (elbow) is currently throwing from 60 feet away as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
Rainey is currently in the third week of his throwing program. The right-hander's goal is to return to the diamond by Aug. 3, which is the 12-month mark from when he underwent the surgery. When Rainey returns to the Nationals, it's possible he could see save opportunities, but he can safely be ignored in redraft fantasy formats at this point.
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Nationals' Tanner Rainey: Avoids arbitration
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Rainey (elbow) and the Nationals agreed to a one-year deal Tuesday, avoiding arbitration, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Rainey underwent Tommy John surgery in early August, so he'll make no more than a handful of appearances this season if he makes it back at all. Kyle Finnegan remains the favorite to close games in his absence.
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Nationals' Tanner Rainey: Undergoes Tommy John surgery
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Rainey underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Rainey was expected to miss the remainder of the season after he was placed on the 60-day injured list in mid-July, and he's slated to be sidelined until at least August 2023 following Wednesday's procedure. Kyle Finnegan has taken over as Washington's closer while Rainey has been unavailable.
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Nationals' Tanner Rainey: Likely done for season
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The Nationals placed Rainey on the 60-day injured list Wednesday due to a UCL sprain of his right elbow.
Washington hadn't disclosed that Rainey was dealing with any injury before the closer landed on the IL prior to the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader with Seattle. Given the nature of his injury along with the fact that he was shuttled to the 60-day IL rather than the 15-day IL, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com speculates that Rainey will require season-ending surgery. Whether it's Tommy John surgery or a different type of elbow procedure will determine Rainey's recovery timeline, but fantasy managers in redraft leagues can feel comfortable moving on from the 29-year-old right-hander. He recorded 12 saves and turned in a 3.30 ERA and 1.30 WHIP across 30 innings out of the bullpen this season.
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Nationals' Tanner Rainey: Notches 12th save
Rotowire
Rainey tossed a perfect ninth inning while striking out two on his way to his 12th save in Wednesday's 3-2 victory over the Phillies.
Rainey made quick work of the Phillies in the bottom of the ninth frame, retiring them in order while striking out two on his way to his 12th save of the year. The closer produced a scoreless outing after he had allowed three runs over two frames in his last two appearances, including a blown save against Miami on Sunday. Rainey has now converted 12 of 16 save opportunities this season and owns a 3.54 ERA and 1.32 WHIP with 36 punchouts over 28 innings in 28 appearances.
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Nationals' Tanner Rainey: Secures 11th save
Rotowire
Rainey earned the save during Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Pirates with a scoreless ninth inning. He allowed a hit and a walk and had one strikeout.
The right-hander surrendered a one-out walk and a two-out single but kept Pittsburgh off the board with a strikeout to end the game. Rainey has now picked up saves in his past four appearances without giving up a run, and overall he has a 2.88 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 30:11 K:BB over 25 innings while going 11-for-14 in save chances.
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Nationals' Tanner Rainey: Earns 10th save
Rotowire
Rainey got three outs in the bottom of the ninth while striking out one to earn his 10th save of the season.
Rainey got three outs to close the game and move to double-digit saves on the year. The Nationals didn't expect to need Rainey in this contest, but Francisco Perez gave up three runs without recording an out in the ninth to make it a save situation before being pulled from the game. The Nationals don't have many bullpen options, so Rainey should continue to see the team's highest-leverage situations despite posting a 4.70 ERA in June.
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Nationals' Tanner Rainey: Notches eighth save
Rotowire
Rainey gave up a hit and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his eighth save of the season in a 3-0 win over the Orioles.
It's his first save in over two weeks, as late leads remain few and far between for the 25-46 Nationals. Rainey hasn't been particularly sharp lately as it is, posting a 5.40 ERA and 1.65 WHIP through 6.2 innings in June despite a 10:3 K:BB. However, his hold on the closer job for Washington seems reasonably secure.
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Nationals' Tanner Rainey: Struggles in non-save situation
Rotowire
Rainey struck out two and gave up a two-run home run in the ninth inning of Saturday's 8-6 win over the Brewers.
Called upon to protect a four-run lead in the ninth, Rainey issued a one-out walk to Andrew McCutchen before Luis Urias took him deep to chop that lead in half, but the Nationals' closer was able to escape by striking out Rowdy Tellez. Rainey has been scored upon in three straight appearances -- the second such stretch for him this season -- and his 3.38 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 22:7 K:BB through 18.2 innings mark him as one of the less reliable closers in the league.
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Nationals' Tanner Rainey: Blows third save
Rotowire
Rainey (1-2) blew his third save of the season and took the loss Wednesday as the Nationals fell 2-1 to the Marlins in 10 innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits while recording only one out.
All the scoring occurred in the 10th, as the Nats grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the frame before Rainey let it slip away. The loss wasn't entirely on him, however, as the tying run scored after video review when Keibert Ruiz was ruled to have blocked the plate and not allowed a clear lane for Jazz Chisholm. Nonetheless, Rainey is now a mediocre 7-for-10 in converting save chances this season to go along with a 3.06 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 20:6 K:BB through 17.2 innings.
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Nationals' Tanner Rainey: Picks up seventh save
Rotowire
Rainey gave up a solo home run among two hits while striking out two in the ninth inning Saturday to record his seventh save of the season in a 10-8 win over the Reds.
Handed a three-run lead after the Nationals' offense came to life in the final frames, Rainey needed the cushion after he served up a solo shot to Brandon Drury. It was the first homer Rainey has allowed this season, and the right-hander will take a 2.60 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 20:6 K:BB through 17.1 innings into his next appearance.
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Nationals' Tanner Rainey: Secures fifth save
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Rainey retired all five batters he faced in Sunday's win over Colorado. He struck out three and earned a save.
The 29-year-old entered the game with one out in the eighth inning after Kyle Finnegan allowed a pair of runs in the frame. Rainey needed just 18 pitches (16 strikes) to finish off the game and earn his fifth save of the year. Rainey lowered his season ERA to 2.35, and he's currently on a 4.2-inning scoreless streak after he was tagged with six runs (four earned) in his previous three appearances.
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Nationals' Tanner Rainey: Collects fourth save
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Rainey gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to record his fourth save of the season in a 1-0 win over the Dodgers.
It wasn't the sharpest outing, as Rainey needed 19 pitches (10 strikes) to work his way through the bottom of the Los Angeles order, but he was able to get the job done and pick up his first save since April 19 after blowing his first two chances in May. The right-hander will carry a 2.84 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB through 12.2 innings into his next appearance.
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Nationals' Tanner Rainey: Records win after blown save
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Rainey (1-1) was charged with his second blown save of the season but picked up the win in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-inning victory over the Marlins, giving up a run on a hit and two walks in one inning of relief. He struck out one.
With the Nationals ahead 4-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, Rainey got the call but quickly loaded the bases with one out before a Jazz Chisholm sacrifice fly tied the game. Rainey has now blown his last two save opportunities and given up runs in three straight appearances after maintaining a 0.00 ERA through his first eight games. On the season, the right-hander now sports a 3.38 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 13:4 K:BB through 10.2 innings, and if he continues to struggle, it could open the door for someone like Kyle Finnegan to get a look in the closer role.
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Nationals' Tanner Rainey: Takes loss, blows save Sunday
Rotowire
Rainey (0-1) blew the save and took the loss after allowing three runs on three hits and a walk over two-thirds of an inning in a 5-4 defeat Sunday against the Angels.
Rainey entered the game with a two-run lead and struck out the first batter he faced. After a walk and a single, he punched out Mike Trout. Shohei Ohtani then smacked a two-run double off the wall to tie it and was plated on a walk-off single by Anthony Rendon. Rainey had been excellent in his first eight appearances, converting all three of his save opportunities and holding opponents scoreless. The 29-year-old is the lone National to record a save, and his status as closer should not change despite this hiccup.
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Nationals' Tanner Rainey: Secures third save
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Rainey collected his third save of the season in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Diamondbacks, giving up two hits and a walk while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning.
Called upon to protect a 1-0 lead, Rainey managed to load the bases with nobody out before escaping the jam he'd created. The right-hander has an unblemished ERA and 4:1 K:BB through four innings to begin the season and has yet to blow a save chance, but Rainey has a long way to go before he should be considered reliable as the Nationals' closer.
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Nationals' Tanner Rainey: Notches second save
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Rainey gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning to record his second save of the season in Wednesday's 3-1 win over Atlanta.
The right-hander did give up a two-out single to Austin Riley to make things interesting, but Rainey is 2-for-2 in save chances to begin the season. As long as he keeps getting the job done, Nationals manager Dave Martinez will keep turning to him in the ninth, but Rainey still has a little more work to do before he can be considered the team's true closer.
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Nationals' Tanner Rainey: In closer mix
Rotowire
Manager Dave Martinez said Sunday that he would "love" for Rainey to cement himself as the Nationals' closer coming out of spring training, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Martinez's comments can't be taken as evidence that Rainey is penciled in as the team's ninth-inning man, but the 29-year-old's strong finish to an otherwise turbulent 2021 season appears to make him the early frontrunner for the job. In addition to sustaining a collarbone injury last spring, testing positive for COVID-19 in May, and then suffering a right tibia stress reaction in late June, Rainey struggled mightily when available for the first four months of the season with a 7.62 ERA while walking 16.5 percent of the batters. However, upon returning in mid-September from a one-month stint at Triple-A, Rainey recaptured the strong form he displayed in 2020, submitting a 29.2 K-BB% and holding hitters to a .150 average while notching a pair of saves over five appearances. Though the late-season sample was a small one, it might be enough to position Rainey atop the depth chart in a bullpen that's mostly lacking in upside arms.
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Nationals' Tanner Rainey: Escapes with third save
Rotowire
Rainey allowed one run on a hit and a walk in one inning Sunday and recorded a save against Colorado.
Rainey gave up a two-out RBI double to C.J. Cron but escaped the threat to finish off the 5-4 win. He's converted his last two save chances, making him 3-for-6 on the year. Rainey has produced a 6.75 ERA and 39:23 K:BB through 30.2 frames.
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Nationals' Tanner Rainey: Picks up second save
Rotowire
Rainey tossed a perfect two-thirds of an inning to earn the save in Wednesday's win over the Marlins.
The Marlins put three runs on the board off Washington reliever Ryne Harper to cut the Nationals' lead to 7-5 with one out in the ninth inning. Rainey was called upon to put out the fire, and he quickly induced groundouts from Miguel Rojas and Jazz Chisholm to secure his second save of the year. It's been a lost season for Rainey, who owns a 6.91 ERA in 35 appearances, but he has managed to provide three straight scoreless outings since returning from Triple-A Rochester.
