Duran allowed a hit and a walk over 1.2 scoreless innings Friday, striking out three and earning a save over the Guardians.
Duran's walk was an intentional one and he didn't face much resistance while closing out a 1-0 victory. He picked up his first save since May 5 and has now converted eight of his nine chances on the year. While Minnesota hasn't provided him with consistent save opportunities, Duran has gone 12.2 straight innings without allowing an earned run, lowering his season ERA to 1.17.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Reaches 104 mph with fastball
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Duran allowed a hit while striking out two over two-thirds of a scoreless ninth inning in Wednesday's 7-1 win over the Giants. He threw 104.6 mph and 104.4 mph fastballs, which are new Twins records, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.
Duran was getting work in a blowout win as he hadn't pitched in four days. With the Twins off Thursday, Duran should be available for Friday's game against Toronto.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Secures seventh save
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Duran picked up the save in Friday's 2-0 win over the Guardians, tossing a scoreless ninth in which he allowed one walk and zero hits while striking out two.
Duran continues to struggle with walks (seven over his past five outings), but he hasn't blown a save since April 11. The closer is 7-for-8 in save opportunities on the year and currently sports a 2.13 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 16:9 K:BB through 12.2 innings.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Records one-out save
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Duran picked up his sixth save of the season Sunday in an 8-4 win over the Royals after he came in to record the final out of the game.
Duran was not expected to be used Sunday after throwing 25 pitches while struggling with his control in Saturday's loss to the Royals. The Twins went into the ninth Sunday with a comfortable 8-2 lead; however, things became tighter than anticipated after Josh Winder allowed two runs. Duran was then called upon to close with runners on second and third and got Edward Olivares to fly out to end the game. The 25-year-old is now tied for fourth in baseball with six saves and should be ready if needed Tuesday with the Twins off Monday.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Takes loss Saturday
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Duran (0-1) took the loss Saturday against Kansas City after allowing a run on no hits and three walks during the ninth inning. He had one strikeout.
Duran was unavailable Friday while attending to some immigration matters, but he was back with the club for Saturday's contest and entered for the ninth inning with the game tied 2-2. The right-hander struggled with his command but wasn't hit hard as a sacrifice bunt and wild pitch factored into the run allowed. He's converted five of six save chances and has a 2.61 ERA and 14:6 K:BB in 10.1 innings this year.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Could miss more time
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Duran, who left Minneapolis early Friday morning to attend to immigration matters, has an uncertain return date, manager Rocco Baldelli told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
It's not clear if Duran's absence will last a day or several days. Jorge Lopez converted a save chance Friday and is likely the top option to close in Duran's absence.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Could miss Friday's game
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Duran may not be available for Friday's game against Kansas City due to an immigration-related appointment that requires travel, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports. Duran threw a scoreless ninth inning in Thursday's 7-1 win over Kansas City with two strikeouts.
Duran was used in the ninth inning in a non-save situation since he seems likely to miss Friday's game. It sounds like he's not expected to miss more than one game, however. Duran has a 1.93 ERA with five saves and 13 strikeouts across 9.1 innings.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Locks down save No. 5
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Duran struck out one and did not give up a hit in a scoreless ninth Sunday against the Nationals to secure his fifth save of the season.
Duran sent all three batters down in 12 pitches in what was his first save since April 14. The 25-year-old flamethrower has held opponents scoreless in six of his eight outings, and now sits at a 2.45 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and a 10:2 K:BB over 7.1 innings.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Back on track with fourth save
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Duran gave up one hit in a scoreless ninth inning Friday against the Yankees to pick up the save.
He didn't strike out any batters, but he logged his fourth save of the season and got back on track after giving up a run in each of his last two outings. Jorge Lopez has arguably been the Twins' best reliever in the early going, but Duran has 80 percent of the saves.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Allows home run, earns third save
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Duran gave up two hits including a home run Wednedsay against the White Sox, but held on to record his third save of the season.
Duran entered the game with a 3-0 lead in the ninth, but gave the White Sox a glimmer of hope after allowing a solo homer to Lenyn Sosa. The 25-year-old closer now improves to 3-for-4 in save chances this season, but he has also allowed two home runs in as many days.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Picks up second save
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Duran picked up the save in Saturday's 9-6 win over the Astros. He struck out the only batter he faced.
After the Twins scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth to extend the lead to 9-4, Jovani Moran gave two back in the top of the ninth to turn it back into a save situation for Minnesota. Duran got the call and was up to the task, striking out Yainer Diaz on three pitches. Jorge Lopez pitched the seventh inning Saturday as the first arm out of the bullpen in relief of starter Joe Ryan. Duran now has two saves this season to Lopez's one.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Gets first save chance
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Duran pitched a scoreless ninth inning while walking one and striking out one to earn the save Thursday against the Royals.
Duran was called upon to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning. He allowed a one-out walk, though the lead never felt in danger and he collected his first save of the new campaign. Notably, Jorge Lopez recorded the final two outs of the seventh frame and does not currently appear to pose true competition to Duran for the closer role.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Set to pitch Thursday
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Duran (leg) is scheduled to pitch in Thursday's spring training game against Toronto, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.
Duran took a line drive to the leg Sunday but walked away with nothing more than a bruise. There never was much concern over his injury to begin with, and Duran himself said his leg is fine. The 25-year-old reliever was dominant last season while recording eight saves alongside a 1.86 ERA and 0.98 WHIP through 67.2 innings, and he appears in line to have a similar 2023 campaign.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Suffers leg contusion
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Duran sustained a leg contusion after being struck by a line drive during a backfield game Sunday, and manager Rocco Baldelli said the right-hander was "moving pretty well," Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
There doesn't seem to be much concern regarding the incident, so it appears Duran escaped with only a minor injury. The 25-year-old may be held out for a couple days but should return to the mound relatively quickly. Duran had eight saves and 18 holds with a 1.86 ERA over 67.2 innings as a rookie last season, and he may not see consistent saves this year since Baldelli prioritizes late-inning matchups over the usage of a traditional closer.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Having strong spring
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Duran has thrown five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and two walks this spring. He reached 101.1 mph with his fastball in his last outing Thursday.
Duran has already been in mid-season form with his velocity and looks ready for the regular season. He'll be a primary weapon in the Minnesota bullpen, but manager Rocco Baldelli hasn't tipped his hand about his plan for the closer role this spring. While Duran may be the best reliever, Baldelli usually runs his bullpen with disregard to the save statistic. Duran may be used in high-leverage matchups with Jorge Lopez pitching the ninth inning, for example. However, Duran's elite velocity and prior success are traits that could lead Baldelli to break with tradition and use him as the primary closer if he opts to abandon the committee approach.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Throwing live BP
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Duran (hamstring) threw live batting practice Sunday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Duran pulled out of consideration for the World Baseball Classic after he suffered a mild hamstring injury in January, but he's recently been throwing bullpen sessions and is now facing live batters. The 24-year-old was dominant as a rookie last year and recorded eight saves and 18 holds with a 1.86 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 89:16 K:BB over 67.2 innings. Duran is likely the Twins' best reliever, but he could open the season splitting save chances with Jorge Lopez.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Out for WBC due to hamstring
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Duran bowed out of the World Baseball Classic because of a mild hamstring injury, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Duran is all good now -- he's been throwing regular bullpen sessions at Twins camp -- but he decided to remove himself from consideration for the Dominican Republic's bullpen when he experienced a bit of hamstring tightness last month. The 25-year-old burst onto the MLB scene in 2022 and is expected to have a share of the closer role in Minnesota this season. Jorge Lopez looks like the primary frontrunner for saves.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Picks up eighth save
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Duran earned the save Sunday in Cleveland, striking out two and walking one in the ninth inning of a 3-0 victory.
Facing the heart of the Guardians' lineup, Duran navigated a walk and kept Cleveland off the board to earn the save. It was his second save in the last four days, and he's now 8-for-8 in save chances on the season. The rookie has a 0.76 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 36:8 K:BB in 23.2 innings since the All-Star break. With Jorge Lopez's recent struggles, Duran may get more save chances over the final couple of weeks.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Notches seventh save
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Duran earned a save against Kansas City on Thursday, allowing two hits and striking out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning.
With the Twins up one run heading into the ninth inning, manager Rocco Baldelli called upon Duran to notch the tough save. The right-hander allowed consecutive singles to start the frame but retired the next three batters -- the final two by strikeout -- to slam the door. Regular closer Jorge Lopez has struggled of late, giving up four runs over his past 4.1 innings. Given Duran's dominance this season (he holds a 1.70 ERA and 84:14 K:BB over 63.2 innings), it wouldn't be surprising to see him get more opportunities to close down the stretch.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Records 15th hold with clean inning
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Duran struck out two in a perfect inning Monday against the Royals to secure the hold.
The rookie reliever set down the Royals in order in the eighth inning to earn his fifth hold since the beginning of August and his 15th on the season. With a fastball that routinely hits triple digits and a curveball and changeup that he can call on at any time, Jhoan has been one of the most effective relievers this season. His 2.32 xFIP is good for second among all pitchers who have thrown at least 50 innings this season.
