Karinchak (1-4) retired the only batter he faced to earn the win Sunday over the Angels.
The Angels tied the game at 1-1 in the eighth inning when Gio Urshela hit into a fielder's choice against Tanner Bibee. Karinchak then stepped in and got Mike Trout to fly out as a pinch hitter to end the inning before Cleveland pulled ahead for good on Josh Naylor's three-run home run in the bottom half of the frame. Karinchak has strung together five scoreless appearances spanning 3.1 innings. It's been a rocky start to 2023 for the right-handed reliever, who has a 4.82 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 25:12 K:BB with nine holds and a blown save over 18.2 innings.
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Guardians' James Karinchak: Handed fourth loss
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Karinchak (0-4) allowed a run on two hits and a walk with one strikeout in 1.1 innings, taking the loss and a blown save Tuesday versus the Yankees.
Karinchak relieved starter Tanner Bibee with one out in the sixth inning and promptly allowed an inherited runner to score on Anthony Rizzo's single. Willie Calhoun added a one-out solo home run in the seventh, putting the Yankees ahead and saddling Karinchak with his fourth loss in 16 appearances. The right-handed reliever has given up six runs over 7.1 innings in his last seven appearances, and he now has a poor 5.87 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 19:7 K:BB through 15.1 innings overall. To make matters worse, Karinchak's got a 6.89 FIP and .212 BABIP, which suggests that he's not a victim of bad luck here. He may be at risk of losing a high-leverage role once Sam Hentges (shoulder) is ready to return.
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Guardians' James Karinchak: Takes third loss
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Karinchak (0-3) allowed a run on one hit over one inning, taking the loss in Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader versus the Tigers.
Karinchak got the last out of the eighth inning and two more outs in the ninth before giving up a walkoff solo shot to Kerry Carpenter. Prior to Tuesday, Karinchak had a five-inning scoreless streak that made it seem like he'd gotten his earlier struggles out of the way. He has a 5.00 ERA and 1.11 WHIP through nine innings, though his 15:3 K:BB is an encouraging component of an otherwise lackluster line.
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Guardians' James Karinchak: Takes second loss
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Karinchak (0-2) allowed a run on a hit and a walk with one strikeout over two-thirds of an inning, taking the loss against the Athletics on Tuesday.
It's been a less-than-stellar start to the season for Karinchak, who has racked up two losses and two holds through four appearances. He walked the leadoff batter in the ninth inning Tuesday, then allowed a walkoff single to Tony Kemp after getting two outs. Karinchak has had some issues with walks, posting a 5:3 K:BB over three innings so far. The Guardians' bullpen has been a strength dating back to last season, so Karinchak could move down the hierarchy if he can't get his early struggles under control quickly.
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Guardians' James Karinchak: Clean outing Tuesday
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Karinchak struck out one over 1.1 scoreless innings in Tuesday's Cactus League loss to the Dodgers.
Karinchak has covered 7.1 innings this spring, though he's allowed five home runs, five hits and five walks with nine strikeouts. There shouldn't be too much concern for his performance this spring, as long as he can leave his uneven pitching in Arizona when the Guardians begin the campaign. Karinchak should serve in a high-leverage role as a setup man to Emmanuel Clase.
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Guardians' James Karinchak: Roughed up in first spring game
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Karinchak allowed two runs on two hits and a walk with two strikeouts over one inning in Sunday's Cactus League loss to the Rangers.
Karinchak enters 2023 after a sharp second half of the 2022 season. After recovering from a shoulder injury, the right-hander logged a 2.08 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, three saves, eight holds and 62 strikeouts over 39 innings. He is poised to again serve as a setup man to closer Emmanuel Clase, though Karinchak will need to clean up his early spring struggles to avoid losing his grip on a high-leverage role.
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Guardians' James Karinchak: Earns win Wednesday
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Karinchak (2-0) struck out the side to earn the extra-inning win over the Rays on Wednesday.
Karinchak needed 15 pitches (10 strikes) to keep the game tied at 1-1 in the 10th inning, and Amed Rosario delivered a walkoff single in the bottom half of the frame. Over his last six innings, Karinchak has a 9:1 K:BB and has allowed only two hits without surrendering a run. The righty owns a 1.45 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 59:19 K:BB with three saves, eight holds and a blown save through 37.1 innings this year.
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Guardians' James Karinchak: Tallies third save
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Karinchak allowed one hit and struck out one across a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Wednesday against the Angels.
Karinchak was called upon to protect a two-run lead and did so successfully to earn his third save of the season. He won't see save opportunities regularly going forward, but Emmanuel Clase had worked two consecutive days and was likely unavailable. Karinchak owns an impressive 1.47 ERA and 49:18 K:BB across 30.2 innings for the season.
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Guardians' James Karinchak: Earns second save
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Karinchak picked up the save in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Twins. He struck out three in one scoreless inning with two walks and no hits allowed.
With Emmanuel Clase unavailable after recording the save in each of the previous two games, Karinchak stepped in and shut the door for his second save. The 26-year-old allowed two runners to reach base via the walk, but he struck out the other three batters he faced, giving him 47 punchouts in just 28.2 innings. Karinchak owns a strong 1.57 ERA to go along with a 1.15 WHIP on the season.
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Guardians' James Karinchak: Posts first save
Rotowire
Karinchak struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Royals.
Regular closer Emmanuel Clase had pitched three straight days, so he was presumably unavailable Tuesday. Karinchak stepped up and needed just 12 pitches (eight strikes) to deliver his first save of the season. He had a rough return to the majors with three runs allowed in his first two appearances, but Karinchak has since rattled off a 24-inning scoreless streak with a save, four holds and a win in his last 22 outings. For the year, he has a 1.04 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 43:13 K:BB through 26 innings while reclaiming a setup role in a strong Guardians bullpen.
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Guardians' James Karinchak: Placed on restricted list
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Karinchak was placed on the restricted list Friday.
Karinchak is unvaccinated and will be unable to travel with the Guardians for their weekend series in Toronto. The right-hander should rejoin the team ahead of Monday's series opener against the Tigers, while Peyton Battenfield's contract was selected to provide additional bullpen depth this weekend.
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Guardians' James Karinchak: Settling in at major-league level
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Karinchak struck out four in 1.2 perfect innings during Monday's 3-1 loss to the Red Sox.
Karinchak gave up three runs in his first two innings this season, but he's since settled down with 6.2 consecutive scoreless frames. Overall, he's pitched to a 3.12 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 16:4 K:BB in 8.2 innings, though he's pitched in a low-leverage role. The dominance of Emmanuel Clase essentially rules out any chance of closing duties, but continued success could earn Karinchak more of a look as a setup man later in the year.
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Guardians' James Karinchak: Returns to big leagues
Rotowire
Karinchak was recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Sunday.
A few short years ago, Karinchak was one of the hottest young relievers in the game. He fell apart in 2021, with Karinchak's downward trajectory coinciding with MLB's sticky-stuff crackdown. The hard-throwing righty has not pitched well at all with Columbus this year (5.73 ERA, 1.91 WHIP), but the Guardians need a fresh arm, so they will give Karinchak a look in the majors for the first time this season.
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Guardians' James Karinchak: Reinstated, sent down Saturday
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Karinchak (shoulder) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Saturday.
Karinchak has been dealing with a shoulder strain since spring training but has been pitching in Columbus over the last month. He posted a 5.73 ERA and 1.91 WHIP in 11 innings over 12 relief appearances during his rehab assignment and will remain in the minors now that he's deemed fully healthy. If he joins the Guardians at some point, he should be in the mix for setup duties.
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Guardians' James Karinchak: Begins rehab assignment
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Karinchak (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
Karinchak dealt with arm stiffness late in spring training and was shut down from throwing to begin the regular season after being diagnosed with a shoulder strain. The right-hander isn't eligible to return until next week since he's on the 60-day injured list, but his rehab assignment should be the final step in his recovery process. Karinchak converted 11 of 16 save chances last year but will likely work in a setup role for the Guardians once he's healthy since Emmanuel Clase has performed well as the team's closer in 2022.
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Guardians' James Karinchak: Transferred to 60-day IL
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Karinchak (shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Monday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
Karnichak has been out all year with a strained shoulder. He remains without a clear timetable but will now be ineligible to return before early June. The move clears a 40-man roster spot for Yohan Ramirez, who was acquired in a trade with the Mariners on Monday.
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Guardians' James Karinchak: Shut down from throwing
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Karinchak (shoulder) is likely to start the season on the injured list, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
Karinchak was reportedly dealing with arm stiffness to begin spring training, though the injury has since been clarified as a right teres muscle strain. Regardless, he has now been shut down from throwing for an additional 7-to-10 days. Karinchak's status should only further cement Emmanuel Clase's role as Cleveland's closer.
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Guardians' James Karinchak: Tending to arm stiffness
Rotowire
Karinchak was scratched from his scheduled relief appearance in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Padres after experiencing arm stiffness in his throwing session earlier in the day, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
The Guardians are describing Karinchak's removal from the pitching schedule as precautionary, so he could be ready to return to game action within the next few days if the stiffness subsides. After dominating in the first three months of last season and working himself into a closer timeshare with Emmanuel Clase, Karinchak faded badly from July 1 onward, delivering a 6.53 ERA and 1.55 WHIP over his final 20.2 innings in the majors. He may need a healthy, productive spring to avoid a demotion to Triple-A Columbus once the Guardians head north for the regular season.
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Indians' James Karinchak: Back in big leagues
Rotowire
Karinchak was recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Friday.
Karinchak has saved 11 games this season but pitched himself out of a high-leverage relief job in late August after struggling to a 9.75 ERA over his last 12 innings of work. He's been good in seven Triple-A appearances, giving up two runs on three hits in six innings of work while striking out nine batters and walking three. It's not impossible that he could see a save chance or two in the final series of the season, but the team doesn't seem to have a lot of faith in him given his demotion.
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Indians' James Karinchak: Demoted to minors
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Karinchak was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Saturday.
The righty allowed three runs without recording an out Friday and has posted a 9.75 ERA In 12 innings dating back to July 22. The demotion is shocking after Karinchak pitched to a 2.67 ERA and 53:16 K:BB in 2020, establishing himself as one of baseball's more dynamic setup relievers. He could find himself back with Cleveland soon enough, assuming he can resolve his command issues and regain some confidence at Triple-A. Bobby Bradley (knee) was activated from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move.
