Orioles' Yennier Cano: Up to five scoreless frames in 2025
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Cano picked up his second hold of the season Saturday against the Blue Jays after giving up one hit in a scoreless seventh inning.
Cano threw six of his nine pitches Saturday for strikes without registering a punchout, and Toronto was able to scratch an inherited runner across via a Bo Bichette groundout. Although Cano has no save opportunities so far this season, the right-hander has yielded just two hits and zero walks while fanning six across five shutout frames. Cano should remain one of Baltimore's primary setup men ahead of closer Felix Bautista going forward, although that role likely won't translate to much fantasy appeal outside of leagues that record holds.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Steady results to begin spring
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Cano picked up a hold in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays, allowing one walk in a scoreless inning.
The 31-year-old right-hander is off a solid start this spring, carrying a 3.00 ERA and 0.67 WHIP with one strikeout over three frames. Closer Felix Bautista (elbow) will have his workload managed to begin the season, which could lead to the occasional save chance for Cano in the early going. However, Cano has converted just 13 of his 22 career save opportunities, so it wouldn't be surprising to see manager Brandon Hyde turn to Seranthony Dominguez more frequently for ninth-inning work on days where Bautista is unavailable.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Takes loss Saturday
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Cano (4-3) allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and struck out two in one inning, taking the extra-inning loss versus the Tigers on Saturday.
Cano faltered in the 10th inning, allowing a run on a single and another on a sacrifice fly. He had not given up multiple runs in any appearance since June 25. The setup man now has a 2.84 ERA, though his 1.26 WHIP and 63:21 K:BB over 57 innings are not as strong. He's also collected five saves, three blown saves and 33 holds across 66 appearances this season.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Moves past forearm tightness
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Cano said Wednesday that he had been dealing with right forearm tightness but is now available to pitch, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Cano hasn't pitched in a week, but the reliever said he would have been available out of the bullpen for Tuesday's 10-0 loss to the Giants, had he been needed. The setup man has collected a 2.78 ERA and 59:21 K:BB across 55 relief innings for the Orioles in 2024.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Dealing with general soreness
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Manager Brandon Hyde said Saturday after Baltimore's 4-2 win over Detroit that Cano has been unavailable to pitch due to soreness, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Cano made his last appearance Wednesday against the Red Sox, when he faced one batter in the eighth inning. Hyde relayed that he's hopeful that Cano will be available for Sunday's series finale against the Tigers. Since the All-Star break, Cano has posted a 2.76 ERA and 1.16 WHIP across 16.1 innings.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Nabs fifth save
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Cano earned a save against the Guardians on Saturday, striking out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning.
Cano made things look easy in protecting a three-run lead in the ninth inning, needing just eight pitches to retire the side in order. The righty reliever has picked up a save in two of his past three appearances and has given up just one run across his past 10 outings. Cano's save chance may have been tied to primary closer Craig Kimbrel pitching two of the previous three days, but Kimbrel has also struggled of late and blown his past two save opportunities, so it wouldn't be shocking if Cano gets more ninth-inning opportunities moving forward.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Collects fourth save
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Cano picked up his fourth save of the season Sunday against the Padres, allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out zero batters in one inning.
With Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel yielding five runs (three earned) and throwing 49 pitches across two appearances Thursday and Friday, Cano slotted in for the save opportunity Sunday. Cano was shaky, allowing the bases to be loaded with just one out, but a pair of groundouts ended the game, giving Cano his first save since June 16. Kimbrel remains the presumptive closer, but the 30-year-old Cano has pitched well this season and would be the top replacement option if Kimbrel's struggles continue. Cano owns a 2.88 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 40:19 K:BB with 24 holds in 40.2 innings.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Nabs fourth win
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Cano (4-2) struck out the only batter he faced and earned the extra-inning win Thursday over the Marlins.
Cano was able to prevent the Marlins from walking it off in the ninth inning after an implosion from Craig Kimbrel. The Orioles then pulled ahead for good in the 10th, with Cano collecting his first win since May 24. The right-hander has an active six-inning scoreless streak, a span in which he has a 7:2 K:BB. For the year, the setup man has a 2.72 ERA despite a 1.31 WHIP and 40:19 K:BB over 39.2 innings, and he's added three saves, 24 holds and three blown saves.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Earns one-out save
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Cano struck out the only batter he faced Sunday to earn the save against the Phillies.
Cano was called upon to clean up a bases-loaded situation with the tying run on deck and two outs in the ninth, earning his third save in the process. Cano earned the opportunity with usual closer Craig Kimbrel being rested after having pitched in each of the first two games of the series. While Cano maintains a prominent role in the Orioles' bullpen, Kimbrel has not allowed an earned run in over a month and maintains a strong hold on the closer role.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Collects third win
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Cano (3-2) allowed a run on one hit and struck out two over one inning Friday, blowing a save but earning the win over the White Sox.
Cano gave up a game-tying solo home run to Andrew Vaughn in the seventh inning, but the Orioles retook the lead in the eighth. Cano's allowed four runs over 3.2 innings across his last six appearances, adding two blown saves and two holds in that span. He has a 3.18 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 21:9 K:BB over 22.2 innings while picking up two saves, 11 holds and three blown saves. He's still part of the high-leverage mix, but his recent inconsistency may force manager Brandon Hyde to turn to another reliever for save chances if Craig Kimbrel is unavailable at any point.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Stuck with loss Saturday
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Cano (2-2) allowed two runs on two hits in one-third of an inning to take the loss Saturday versus the Mariners.
Cano allowed the first two batters to reach base in the eighth inning, giving up one run in the process. Cionel Perez also allowed an inherited runner to score, and the Orioles couldn't overcome the deficit. This is the first time Cano has given up multiple earned runs in an appearance all season, and just the second time he's given up more than one run of any kind. He's now at a 2.95 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 18:9 K:BB while adding two saves and 10 holds over 21.1 innings. The late-inning mix in Baltimore remains in flux, and Cano isn't doing himself any favors with three runs allowed over his last 1.1 innings across three appearances.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Earns first save of 2024
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Cano allowed one walk but retired the final two batters of Saturday's game against the Reds to earn his first save of the season.
Craig Kimbrel was pulled from the game after allowing two hits and a walk in the bottom of the ninth. Cano entered and walked the first batter he faced to load the bases, but the 30-year-old ultimately worked his way out of it with a strikeout and a flyout. Kimbrel earned the save in Friday's game but had back-to-back blown saves to end April and has been nursing a back issue recently. If Kimbrel needs some time to get right, Cano would presumably step into the closer's role after he recorded eight saves and 31 holds a season ago.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Grabs second win
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Cano (2-1) allowed a run on two hits and struck out one over 1.1 innings without walking a batter to earn the win over the Brewers on Sunday.
Cano gave up a seventh-inning solo shot to Blake Perkins that briefly put the Brewers ahead. The Orioles rallied for two runs in their half of the frame and held the lead from there to get Cano his second win in seven outings. The setup man has added a hold, a blown save and a loss, but he's generally been solid so far. He's also at a 6:2 K:BB over 6.2 innings this season. Craig Kimbrel remains the Orioles' closer, but Cano is very near the top of the leverage ladder for times when Kimbrel is unavailable.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Blows save, suffers first loss
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Cano (1-1) suffered the loss against Pittsburgh on Sunday, allowing one earned run on two hits and one walk over 0.2 innings. He did not record a strikeout.
Cano entered the game in the ninth with a one-run lead, earning the save chance in place of a resting Craig Kimbrel, who had pitched in each of the previous two contests. Cano allowed the first three batters to reach base but then induced Rowdy Tellez into a fielder's choice. A groundball by the next batter, Edward Olivares, looked like it might result in a game-ending double play, but the throw from second by Gunnar Henderson was wide, allowing two runs to score and saddling Cano with his first loss. Prior to Sunday's outing, Cano had allowed four baserunners and recorded five strikeouts over 4.1 scoreless innings.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Taking it slow in spring
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Cano has yet to make his Grapefruit League debut, but the Orioles are taking a slow approach with the right-hander, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Cano has done side sessions and will continue to do so for a few more days. Manager Brandon Hyde explained that Cano's heavy workload last season -- 72.2 innings -- has played a part in taking it slow with the reliever. Craig Kimbrel is expected to close games for the Orioles in 2024, but Cano is the next man up in the bullpen should Kimbrel get hurt or pitch poorly.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Overpowering in eighth save
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Cano picked up the save in Tuesday's 1-0 victory over Washington. He struck out three in a perfect ninth inning.
The 29-year-old was called upon to protect the slimmest of margins Tuesday and did so in dominant fashion, getting Lane Thomas, Keibert Ruiz and Joey Meneses to strike out swinging on just 13 pitches. Since Baltimore closer Felix Bautista (elbow) landed on the injured list Aug. 26, Cano has surrendered six of the 17 earned runs he's given up all year, seeing his season-long ERA increase from 1.60 to 2.13 across 10.2 innings. The right-hander has, however, converted four of his five save opportunities and notched two holds in that span.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Blows save Friday
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Cano (1-4) blew his sixth save of the season and took the loss Friday as the Orioles fell 9-8 to the Guardians, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk in one-third of an inning.
Both hits went for doubles, with David Fry's drive off the wall in left-center field walking it off for Cleveland. Since Felix Bautista (elbow) landed on the IL in late August, Cano has struggled as the main man in the Baltimore bullpen -- while Friday's blown save was his first in four opportunities as closer, he has a 6.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and poor 2:3 K:BB through nine innings, and he's given up a run in five of his 11 appearances during that stretch.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Notches seventh save
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Cano earned the save Monday, striking out his lone batter faced in an 8-7 win over the Astros.
Cionel Perez got the first two outs in the ninth before the Orioles turned to Cano. The 29-year-old right-hander would strike out Chas McCormick to close out a one-run victory and earn his seventh save of the year. It's Cano's third save since Felix Bautista (elbow) landed on the IL on Aug. 26. While Perez could continue to see high-leverage work against left-handed batters, Cano should remain Baltimore's top ninth-inning option. His ERA is down to 1.96 with a 0.97 WHIP and 59:11 K:BB across 69 innings this season.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Nabs save Monday
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Cano earned a save against the Angels on Monday with a perfect ninth inning.
Cano came on in the ninth with a three-run cushion. He didn't need much time to close out the contest, retiring the side in order on just eight pitches. Since Felix Bautista landed on the injured list Aug. 26 with a UCL injury, Cano has notched both of Baltimore's saves. He's allowed just one earned run over 4.1 frames since Bautista went down and will likely continue to work as the team's top ninth-inning option for the foreseeable future.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Possible waiver wire pickups
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If you're going to lose a closer, let it be one on a team with a ready-made replacement. The succession plan couldn't have been any clearer in the Orioles case, with Cano having emerged as an All-Star setup man. It was no surprise, then, to see him handle the ninth inning Saturday and Sunday after Felix Bautista suffered a UCL injury Friday. Cano actually took the loss Sunday, entering to preserve a tie rather than the lead, but the run he allowed was unearned. He still has yet to allow an earned run this month, bringing his ERA down to 1.57. Rather than being the big bat-misser Bautista is, he's more in the Emmanuel Clase mold, inducing ground balls with his sinker. But like Bautista, he should see no shortage of save chances with a first-place club.
