Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Racking up the strikeouts
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Helsley struck out all three batters he faced in a Grapefruit League appearance Wednesday against the Mets.
Helsley did the same in his previous Grapefruit League outing Sunday versus the Nationals. The hard-throwing 28-year-old carries top-tier fantasy closer upside into the 2023 campaign after dominating to the tune of a 1.25 ERA with 94 strikeouts over 64.2 regular-season innings for the Cardinals in 2022. He jammed his right middle finger just before the playoffs and aggravated it in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Phillies, but there has been no apparent carryover this spring.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Loses arb case versus STL
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Helsley lost his arbitration case against the Cardinals and will make $2.15 million in 2023, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Helsley had asked for a $3 million salary in his first turn through arbitration eligibility. The right-hander registered a dominant 1.25 ERA with 94 strikeouts and 19 saves over 64.2 regular-season innings in 2022 before his sudden collapse in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Phillies. He is expected to serve as the primary closer in St. Louis throughout the upcoming campaign.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: MRI clean but unavailable
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Helsley's MRI on his right middle finger came back clean Saturday, but he'll nevertheless be unavailable for Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the Phillies, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
Helsley initially suffered the injury while fielding a groundball in his final appearance of the regular season. He didn't look like himself in Game 1 against the Phillies on Friday, losing the plate and throwing less than half of his 33 pitches for strikes while allowing four earned runs before his exit. While he's seemingly escaped a serious injury, that kind of workload will still keep him from pitching again for at least one day.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Heading for MRI
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Helsley will undergo an MRI on the middle finger of his right hand after he exited the Cardinals' loss in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series against the Phillies on Friday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
The 28-year-old jammed his finger Tuesday in his final appearance of the regular season and aggravated the injury Friday after he struggled with his command in the playoff opener. Helsley threw only 15 of his 33 pitches for strikes, and he was charged with the loss after he gave up four runs on a hit, two walks and a hit by pitch over one inning. The right-hander reported a lack of feeling in his fingers before he was removed from the contest, and the MRI will hopefully shed some light on the specifics of his injury.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Departs Game 1 with injury
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Helsley was removed from Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series against the Phillies on Friday after he apparently aggravated his jammed right middle finger, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
The right-hander suffered the injury during the penultimate game of the regular season Tuesday and was cleared after throwing a bullpen session Thursday, but he struggled with his command in Game 1 before being lifted. Helsley retired the first two batters he faced to end the eighth inning and keep the Cardinals ahead 2-0, but he came back out for the ninth and exited after he let in a run via a hit by pitch with the bases loaded. He ended up being charged with four earned runs as the bullpen behind him also struggled, and his availability for the rest of the series is now up in the air.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Available for NL Wild Card Series
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Helsley (finger) didn't feel any pain during a side session Thursday and will be included on the Cardinals' wild-card roster, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Helsley exited Tuesday's game against the Pirates due to a jammed right middle finger, but the issue won't impact his availability to begin the postseason. Over the last month, the right-hander has converted all seven of his save chances while posting a 2.38 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 11.1 innings over 11 appearances.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Testing finger Thursday
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Helsley (finger) is throwing a bullpen session Thursday to help determine his availability for the NL Wild Card Series against the Phillies, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
The right-hander exited Tuesday's game against the Pirates with a jammed middle finger, and his availability for the wild-card round remains up in the air. The issue doesn't appear to be a serious concern since Helsley never underwent medical imaging, and the closer could be available for Game 1 on Friday if all goes well during Thursday's session.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Nursing jammed finger
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Helsley was removed from Tuesday's game against the Pirates as a precaution with a jammed right middle finger, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Helsley suffered the injury when he fielded a batted ball from the only hitter he faced, and he then left the field with training staff. The fact the right-hander's exit has been labeled a precaution is an encouraging sign, and it doesn't appear he'll undergo medical imaging, according to John Denton of MLB.com. It's clear Helsley won't pitch in Wednesday's regular-season finale, and he should be considered day-to-day for Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series on Friday.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Leaves with apparent injury
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Helsley was removed from Tuesday's game against the Pirates with an apparent right hand injury, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Helsley retired the lone batter he faced after he entered for the eighth inning Tuesday, but he may have tweaked something while he fielded the ball. The specifics of the issue remain unclear, but the Cardinals could be illustrating caution with their playoff positioning already secured.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Picks up 19th save
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Helsley issued one walk, struck out one and did not give up a hit in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save in a 2-1 victory over the Pirates on Friday.
Helsley closed out the one-run game thanks in part to some excellent defense behind him. With a runner on first and two out, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt made an incredible running catch on a pop up by Miguel Andujar in foul territory that saw him crash into the netting. Helsley has a superb 1.26 ERA this season and could reach the 20-save mark for the first time in his career depending on how the Cardinals decide to manage his rest in the final week of the regular season.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Immaculate inning for save
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Helsley struck out the side on nine pitches to earn the save in Friday's 6-5 win over the Reds.
It was the third immaculate inning recorded in Cardinals history, and it was enough to secure a win after St. Louis trailed three times in the contest. Helsley has converted six straight save chances despite allowing two runs over six innings in that span. The hard-throwing righty owns a 1.21 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 87:17 K:BB through 59.1 innings while racking up 18 saves in 22 attempts, six holds and a 9-1 record.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Secures 17th save
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Helsley earned a save against the Brewers on Wednesday, striking out two batters and allowing one hit in a scoreless inning.
Helsley entered for the ninth inning with St. Louis up by three runs and worked around a two-out single to record a scoreless frame. He notched his fifth save in five chances so far in September, though he's given up two runs in five frames over that stretch. Helsley has emerged as the Cardinals' clear No. 1 closer this month -- former co-closer Giovanny Gallegos hasn't picked up a save since Aug. 28.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Earns 16th save
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Helsley picked up the save Sunday in Pittsburgh, allowing a solo homer and striking out one in the ninth inning of a 4-3 win.
Helsley entered the game in the bottom of the ninth after the Cardinals had pieced together a four-run top half of the inning. After retiring the first two batters he faced on four pitches, he allowed a solo homer to Greg Allen before recording the final out. It was Helsley's second straight game in which he allowed a run and recorded a save. After posting a 0.61 ERA through his first 36 outings, the 28-year-old has come back to earth recently and has a 3.46 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and four homers allowed in his last 13 innings across 11 appearances.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Yields run in 15th save
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Helsley allowed a run on two hits to earn the save in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Pirates. He did not strike out or walk a batter.
Helsley gave up an RBI single to Bryan Reynolds in the ninth inning, but the Cardinals' closer was able to diffuse the situation after that. He's given up a run in four of his last 10 appearances, though that may just be some evening out of his numbers after a remarkably strong start to the year. The right-hander owns a 1.12 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and 81:17 K:BB through 56.1 innings overall while converting 15 of 19 save chances and adding six holds in 46 appearances.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Records 14th save
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Helsley picked up the save Tuesday against Washington. He allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one over a scoreless inning.
Helsley found himself in a mini jam Tuesday, as he allowed a leadoff double and later walked a batter, but he came out unscathed to record his 14th save. The 28-year-old has converted the last two save opportunities for St. Louis after Giovanny Gallegos recorded a couple recently. Helsley figures to be the favorite for save opportunities down the stretch given his stellar 0.98 ERA and 0.70 WHIP on the season.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Nabs 13th save
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Helsley walked one and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Sunday's 2-0 win over the Cubs.
Helsley had logged three wins and a blown save over his five previous outings, with Giovanny Gallegos responsible for two saves since Helsley's last successful closing assignment. The 28-year-old issued a one-out walk to Zach McKinstry but got Seiya Suzuki to ground into a double play to end the game. Helsley has permitted three runs (all via solo home runs) in 12 innings since the start of August, accounting for half of the earned runs he's given up all year. He has a 0.99 ERA, 0.68 WHIP and 80:16 K:BB while converting 13 of 17 save chances through 54.1 innings.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Blows save, takes win
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Helsley (9-1) was charged with one run on one hit and struck out three over 1.1 innings, blowing a save but earning the win Sunday versus Atlanta.
Helsley was brought in for a high-leverage chance after Adam Wainwright faded in the seventh inning. Dansby Swanson took Helsley deep for a three-run home run, but the Cardinals rallied ahead again in the eighth after a clean top half of the frame from the righty. While typically the closer, each of Helsley's last three appearances have seen him pick up a win, and his nine victories puts him second among major-league relievers this year behind Toronto's Adam Cimber. Helsley has added 12 saves, four blown saves and six holds while pitching to a 1.04 ERA, 0.65 WHIP and 77:13 K:BB. He's given up at least a run in three of his last six appearances, which has opened the door for Giovanny Gallegos to regain a larger share of the closing duties. Both of the Cardinals' top relievers have three saves in August.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Logs eighth win
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Helsley (8-1) earned the win during Saturday's 6-5 victory over Atlanta, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.
After being sidelined since Aug. 19 due to personal reasons, Helsley was deployed to pitch the ninth inning with a one-run deficit and became the victor when St. Louis walked it off in the bottom of the frame. The 28-year-old wasted no time getting back into the groove by striking out two on just 11 pitches and remains one of the best relievers in the game with a 0.89 ERA and 0.65 WHIP.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Reinstated Friday
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Helsley (personal) was activated from the restricted list Friday.
The 28-year-old has been away from the team for the past week following the birth of his first child, but he's back with the Cardinals ahead of Friday's series opener versus Atlanta. Helsley has converted 12 of 15 save chances with a 0.91 ERA, 0.66 WHIP and 72:13 K:BB across 49.2 innings this year, and he should reclaim the closer role now that he's back on the active roster.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Could return Friday
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Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Helsley (personal) is likely to rejoin the team for Friday's game against Atlanta, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
The right-hander was placed on the paternity list last Friday and was transferred to the restricted list Monday in order to spend additional time with his wife and newborn child. Helsley isn't expected to rejoin the team for Thursday's series finale versus the Cubs in Chicago, but he should be back for Friday's home matchup with Atlanta.
