Finnegan picked up the save in Saturday's 4-2 win over Kansas City, allowing one hit over a scoreless ninth inning. He recorded two strikeouts and didn't issue a walk.
After allowing a one-out single to Nicky Lopez, Finnegan struck out Nick Pratto and Vinnie Pasquantino to end the game. The right-hander is now 11-for-13 in save opportunities this season and appears to have separated himself from Hunter Harvey, who's just 2-for-6 in save chances. Across 11 May appearances, Finnegan has six saves while sporting a 1.64 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 13:5 K:BB, but his overall ERA (4.29) is still marred by a five-run outing versus Tampa Bay on April 4.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Locks down save No. 10
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Finnegan struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Wednesday to record his 10th save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Padres.
The right-hander's numbers on the season remain ugly, but Finnegan has been fairly reliable since a bumpy beginning to 2023. He's been scored upon in only three of his last 17 appearances, posting a 1.62 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 18:7 K:BB through 16.2 innings over that stretch while converting nine of 10 save chances.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Notches ninth save
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Finnegan struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Saturday to record his ninth save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Tigers.
The right-hander fired eight of 10 pitches for strikes as he breezed through the final frame. Finnegan had a rough start to the season, but since getting stung for eight runs in his first three appearances, the 31-year-old has posted a 1.93 ERA and 15:6 K:BB over his last 14 innings -- albeit with a 1.50 WHIP that suggests he's been more lucky than good.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Picks up first win
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Finnegan (1-1) earned the win Thursday against the Cubs after he allowed a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning. He struck out two.
Finnegan entered for the top of the ninth inning with the game tied 3-3 and gave up a walk and a double to Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki, respectively, to start the frame, but the righty retired the next three batters to preserve the tie. Alex Call then led off the bottom of the frame with a walkoff home run. Finnegan pitched each of the past three days -- notching two saves in addition to Thursday's win -- so he may not be available for Friday's series opener against the Diamondbacks. Carl Edwards and Mason Thompson are likely the next men up should a save chance arise Friday, since Hunter Harvey also pitched the past three days.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Secures seventh save
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Finnegan picked up the save in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Cubs, tossing a scoreless ninth in which he gave up two hits. He didn't strike out or walk any batters.
Finnegan allowed back-to-back singles to lead off the ninth, but he was able to secure his seventh save after inducing a double play. It was the second night in a row the right-hander was called upon to shut down the Cubs, and he's now converted six consecutive chances after giving up five runs versus Tampa Bay on April 4. Overall the numbers still don't look pretty (6.00 ERA and 1.58 WHIP), but Finnegan has allowed just one run over his past 10 outings (9.2 innings) and holds a 10:2 K:BB during that stretch.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Collects sixth save
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Finnegan gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his sixth save of the season in a 4-1 win over the Cubs.
The right-hander got rocked early this season, but he's settled down since. Finnegan has converted five straight save chances and been scored upon only once in his last nine appearances, posting a 1.04 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 10:2 K:BB through 8.2 innings over that stretch. His numbers on the year still look shaky, but with the Nats' offense not capable of running up the score on many opponents and likely to produce narrow wins when the team does manage to come out on top, Finnegan's fantasy value could be underrated right now.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Locks up third straight save
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Finnegan picked up the save Friday against the Twins. He didn't allow a run on one hit and one walk in one inning.
Finnegan allowed the first two batters of the inning to reach, but a soft lineout and a double play gave the right-hander his fourth save of the season. Finnegan allowed seven runs in his first three outings of the season but has rebounded by not allowing a run over his last five innings, lowering his ERA to 8.59.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Earns save Sunday
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Finnegan picked up the save Sunday against the Guardians, allowing one hit while recording a strikeout in a scoreless ninth inning.
Finnegan recorded his third save of the season Sunday, allowing just a two-out infield single to Myles Straw before punching out Steven Kwan to end the game. Finnegan has now thrown four consecutive scoreless innings, logging four strikeouts, two hits and one walk in that span. He seems to have a solid grasp on the closer job in Washington, though save opportunities may be hard to come by. The 31-year-old Finnegan lowered his ERA to 9.95 with a 1.89 WHIP through 6.1 innings.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Secures second save
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Finnegan picked up the save in Monday's 6-4 victory over the Angels, striking out one across a perfect ninth inning.
Finnegan came on in the ninth with a two-run lead and retired Jake Lamb and Taylor Ward before striking out Mike Trout to end the game. After allowing five runs in a blown save last week versus Tampa Bay, Finnegan has posted three straight scoreless outings and has a strikeout in each of those appearances.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Blows save in spectacular fashion
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Finnegan (0-1) blew the save and took the loss Tuesday, recording only one out and surrendering five runs on five hits -- including three home runs -- and a walk as the Nationals fell 10-6 to the Rays.
Called upon to protect a 6-5 lead in the top of the ninth inning, Finnegan instead got taken deep by Luke Raley, Josh Lowe and Yandy Diaz to get tagged with his first blown save of the season. Manager Dave Martinez had already suggested this spring Finnegan might not get every save chance for the Nats, but it'll probably take a couple more disasters before he's out of the closer mix for good. Hunter Harvey and Carl Edwards figure to be the most likely alternatives in the ninth.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Notches first save
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Finnegan worked a clean ninth inning to earn a save against Atlanta on Sunday.
Finnegan was given the save opportunity after coughing up two runs in a non-save situation during his first appearance of the season. He needed just eight pitches to quickly finish off the 4-1 victory. The 31-year-old picked up 11 saves in 15 chances last season and looks to be the team's main ninth-inning arm once again.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Struggles in ninth inning Thursday
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Finnegan yielded three runs -- two earned -- in one inning of work Thursday against Atlanta.
Finnegan entered in the top of the ninth with the Nationals trailing 4-2, and he let the final score get to 7-2 after issuing a pair of walks and surrendering a double to Travis d'Arnaud. The 31-year-old right-hander stands out as the best bet for saves in the Washington bullpen, but he figures to offer more frustration than fantasy production on one of the worst teams in the majors.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Inks one-year deal
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Finnegan signed a one-year, $2.325 million contract with the Nationals on Friday to avoid arbitration, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Finnegan collected 11 saves for the Nationals last season, posting a 3.51 ERA and 70:22 K:BB over 66.2 innings along the way. He is the favorite to open 2023 as the club's closer, although his leash wouldn't figure to be a long one.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Throws two innings in win
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Finnegan (6-4) earned the win Wednesday in the extra inning against Atlanta. He allowed no runs on one hit and no walks while striking out one over two innings.
Finnegan entered the ninth inning with the game tied 2-2 and needed just nine pitches to retire the side. He remained in the game to pitch a perfect 10th inning. CJ Abrams then hit a walkoff single to earn Finnegan his sixth win of the season. The 31-year-old has been more involved in high-leverage situations of late, as he now has three saves and a win over his last six appearances.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Collects 11th save
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Finnegan didn't allow a hit or walk and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Wednesday against Atlanta.
Finnegan effectively protected a one-run lead to tally his 11th save of the season. After some significant struggles earlier in September, Finnegan has allowed only one earned run across his last five appearances while maintaining an 8:0 K:BB. Though his success in the role has been inconsistent, Finnegan appears to be locked in as the Nationals' closer.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Picks up save
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Finnegan picked up the save in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Marlins, allowing no runs on no hits while striking out three and walking none over one inning.
Finnegan was lights-out Saturday, tossing nine of 14 pitches for strikes to earn the save. Finnegan now has saves in back-to-back appearances after his prior five appearances resulted in a mix of losses, no-decisions and a hold. Finnegan has not allowed a run or a walk in his last three appearances and has allowed only one hit during that span. His season ERA now sits at 3.77.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Collects ninth save
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Finnegan gave up a hit in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his ninth save of the season in a 5-4 win over the Marlins.
He tossed only seven of 12 pitches for strikes and didn't fan a batter, but three groundballs to the left side of the infield got the job done. Finnegan has had a couple meltdowns recently, but since taking over as Washington's closer after the All-Star break, he has a palatable 3.68 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 15:8 K:BB through 22 innings while converting eight of nine save chances.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Notches eighth save
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Finnegan struck out one batter in a perfect ninth inning and earned a save over the Reds on Sunday.
Finnegan tossed seven of 10 pitches for strikes as he quickly finished off the 3-2 victory. He's now tossed 7.1 consecutive scoreless frames while converting four straight saves since his last blown chance Aug. 9. Finnegan is sporting a 3.12 ERA and a 53:18 K:BB while converting eight saves in 12 chances this season.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Collects fifth win
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Finnegan (5-2) picked up the win in Wednesday's 3-1 victory over the Mariners, giving up a hit and a walk over 1.1 scoreless innings of relief. He struck out one.
Entering a 1-1 game with two outs in the eighth inning, the right-hander got Mitch Haniger to fly out to end the frame then reaped the rewards as the Nationals scored twice in the top of the ninth. Finnegan has a win or a save in six of his last seven appearances, and Washington's closer now sports a 3.18 ERA and 52:18 K:BB through 51 innings on the year.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Collects fifth save
Rotowire
Finnegan recorded his fifth save of the season in Monday's 5-4 victory over the Cubs, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.
The right-hander breezed through the Cubs' 9-1-2 hitters on just nine pitches (seven strikes). Finnegan has two wins, four saves and a hold in eight appearances since the All-Star break, posting a 1.80 ERA and 0.80 WHIP over his last 10 innings despite a poor 4:2 K:BB. While he's not dominant, he does appear to be the Nationals' top high-leverage option.
