50 Keone Kela RP

Kela struck out a batter and recorded a perfect ninth for his 16th save Monday against Kansas City.

Kela now has 31 strikeouts in 25.1 innings to go with 16 saves in as many chances, and this appearance brought his ERA down to 3.91. He has had a couple of rough outings -- April 20 against Seattle (0.1 IP, 3 ER) and May 1 against Cleveland (1 IP, 4 ER) -- that account for the majority of his earned runs in 2018. Kela owns a 2.35 ERA since May 5, a stretch that includes his last 15 appearances.

Kela walked one and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 15th save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Rockies.

He remains perfect in save chances on the year, but Kela's 4.07 ERA -- and 4.70 ERA since the beginning of May -- has kept him out of the top tier of fantasy closers despite a strong 30:10 K:BB in 24.1 innings.

Kela (3-3) took the loss Sunday when he walked two, struck out two and eventually balked in the game-winning run in an 8-7 loss to the Astros.

Kela attempted to quick-pitch from the stretch and failed to come to a complete stop before delivering the ball. The balk came with a bit of controversy, as the umpires didn't initially call it a balk until after Houston manager A.J. Hinch came out to complain. "I think it caught everybody off guard, including the umpiring crew," Hinch told Gerry Fraley of MLB.com. "Kela does that all the time with a runner at third.''

Kela recorded his 14th save Tuesday, striking out the side in a scoreless ninth inning against the Athletics.

Kela needed 21 pitches, but ultimately got through all three batters he faced without incident. Though he carries a 4.03 ERA, the 25-year-old is a perfect 14-for-14 in save opportunities and has struck out 27 over 22.1 innings (10.9 K/9).

Kela struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Saturday to record his 13th save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Angels.

The Rangers' closer remains a perfect 13-for-13 in save chances on the year, and Kela's posted a strong 1.74 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 11:3 K:BB over his last 10 appearances and 10.1 innings. The 25-year-old isn't among the league's elite ninth-inning options, but at the moment he's pitching as well as anyone in the second tier.