Fantasy News

• Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Picks up 12th save

  Rotowire May 8, 2024

  Finnegan struck out one batter during a perfect ninth inning to pick up the save Tuesday against Baltimore. Finnegan has been one of the most reliable closers in the big leagues this season, and he now leads the majors after picking up his 12th save Tuesday. The 32-year-old right-hander owns a 1.76 ERA and 0.85 WHIP, and he's struck out 15 batters across 15.1 innings on the year.

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• Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Slams door for 11th save

  Rotowire May 5, 2024

  Finnegan walked one batter during one scoreless inning to pick up the save Sunday against the Blue Jays. Finnegan has not allowed an earned run over his last 13 appearances and converted his 10th straight save opportunity for the surprising Nationals, who moved to .500 on the season with the win. Finnegan now carries a 1.88 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with his 11 total saves, matching Clay Holmes and Ryan Helsley for the major-league lead in that department.

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• Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Strikes out side for 10th save

  Rotowire May 2, 2024

  Finnegan picked up the save over the Rangers on Wednesday, striking out the side in a perfect ninth inning. The right-hander took over in the bottom of the ninth with a 1-0 lead and ran right through the Rangers lineup, retiring all three batters on swinging strikeouts to secure his 10th save of the season, tying him with Ryan Helsley, Robert Suarez and Clay Holmes for the league lead. Finnegan has successfully converted each of his last nine save attempts and hasn't allowed a hit over his last eight appearances (spanning eight innings), posting a 9:1 K:BB over that stretch. Wednesday also marked his first time this season in which he struck out the side.

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• Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Cruises to ninth save

  Rotowire Apr 28, 2024

  Finnegan walked one in a scoreless ninth to pick up the save during Sunday's 12-9 victory over the Marlins. He struck out one. Finnegan needed 21 pitches to finish the game but kept Miami off the scoreboard to match the league lead with his ninth save in 10 opportunities. He lowered his ERA to 2.19 with a 0.97 WHIP and 11 strikeouts over 12.1 innings.

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• Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Picks up eighth save

  Rotowire Apr 27, 2024

  Finnegan struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his eighth save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Marlins. He needed only six pitches, all strikes, to dispatch the middle of Miami's order. Finnegan hasn't allowed an earned run yet in April, converting all seven of his save chances on the month with a 9:4 K:BB through 9.2 innings. Hunter Harvey, who collected his eighth hold Friday with a clean eighth inning, has been more dominant to begin the season and has a 19:2 K:BB through 13 innings. For now, though, Nats manager Dave Martinez is content to let him handle highest-leverage spots while Finnegan takes care of business in the ninth.

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• Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Nabs win in extras Saturday

  Rotowire Apr 20, 2024

  Finnegan (1-2) picked up the win Saturday, working a scoreless 10th inning in a 5-4 victory over the Astros. The right-hander needed only seven pitches (five strikes) to get through the top of the 10th, and he got a little help from his defense as Lane Thomas sprinted to catch a foul ball off Alex Bregman's bat and then threw out Jose Altuve trying to tag up and score. Finnegan carries a 2.89 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 8:5 K:BB through 9.1 innings, and he remains tied with Ryan Helsley for the NL lead in saves with seven.

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• Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Up to seven saves

  Rotowire Apr 17, 2024

  Finnegan earned the save in Wednesday's 2-0 win over the Dodgers, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning. Finnegan's now gone seven straight appearances (6.2 innings) without allowing an earned run. He's up to seven saves on the year, tying Ryan Helsley and Clay Holmes for the league lead. The 32-year-old Finnegan lowered his ERA to 3.24 with a 1.32 WHIP and 8:5 K:BB through his first 8.1 innings this season.

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• Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Nails down another save

  Rotowire Apr 16, 2024

  Finnegan picked up a save against the Dodgers on Monday, striking out one batter in a perfect inning. Finnegan was staked to a two-run lead when he entered in the ninth inning, and he retired all three batters he faced to close out the contest. The right-hander is tied for the league lead with six saves on the campaign, and he's held the opponent without an earned run in all but one of his eight outings. Finnegan came into the season with a shaky hold on the closer role for the Nationals, but he appears to be firmly in control of ninth-inning duties for the time being given his success rate so far.

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• Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Picks up save No. 5

  Rotowire Apr 13, 2024

  Finnegan picked up the save Saturday in Oakland, striking out one in a perfect inning. Finnegan was tasked with protecting a two-run lead and did so without a sweat, requiring just nine pitches to dispose of the Athletics in order. While he has an un-closer-like 4.26 ERA, Finnegan is tied for the National League lead with his five saves. Hunter Harvey -- who pitched a scoreless eighth inning Saturday -- has yet to notch a save.

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• Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Tagged with loss Friday

  Rotowire Apr 13, 2024

  Finnegan (0-2) took the loss Friday, giving up an unearned run on a hit and a walk in the 10th inning against the A's. He struck out one. The right-hander couldn't prevent the phantom runner from crossing the plate, even after intentionally walking Shea Langeliers to lead off the 10th to set up a potential double play. Finnegan has been shaky to start the season, posting a 6.75 ERA and 5:5 K:BB through 5.1 innings, but he's converted four of five save chances and his spot as the Nats' closer doesn't seem to be at risk for now.

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• Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Avoids disaster, earns fourth save

  Rotowire Apr 10, 2024

  Finnegan picked up the save Tuesday against San Francisco, allowing two hits and two walks over 1.1 scoreless innings with no strikeouts. Finnegan got himself in plenty of trouble Tuesday, allowing back-to-back singles and a walk to load the bases with no outs to start the ninth. With just two runs of cushion, it seemed like Finnegan was heading toward his second blown save of the season. However, he was able to get a force out at home on a fielder's choice and then got Matt Chapman to ground out into the game-ending double play. While fantasy managers have had to hold their breath during some of Finnegan's outings, he's received more save chances than expected thus far with the Nationals sitting just one game under .500.

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• Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Nails down third save

  Rotowire Apr 7, 2024

  Finnegan earned the save Sunday against Philadelphia, allowing no hits and one walk over a scoreless inning while striking out one. Finnegan took another step away from his March 31 blown save, registering a second consecutive scoreless and hitless outing en route to his third save of 2024. With the Nationals still in the basement of the National League, Finnegan likely won't have much room to grow from his 28-save total in 2023, but he appears to be locked in as the club's closer in the early part of the campaign.

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• Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Blows save, takes loss

  Rotowire Mar 31, 2024

  Finnegan (0-1) blew the save and took the loss Sunday against the Reds. He allowed three runs on three hits and no walks with no strikeouts over two-thirds of an inning. Finnegan began his outing Sunday by promptly generating two outs via lineouts and looked well on his way to a second save in as many days. However, the Reds lineup had a different idea as the next three batters each produced an extra-base hit. Finnegan yielded a double to Jonathan India, a game-tying homer to Will Benson and a walk-off homer to Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Finnegan didn't have the strongest grip on the Nationals' closer job before this game, so keep an eye on this bullpen, as Hunter Harvey could easily enter the discussion for saves in Washington.

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• Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Managing back issue

  Rotowire Mar 18, 2024

  Finnegan has been unavailable lately due to back tightness but will throw a bullpen session Monday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports. Assuming he comes out of Monday's session with no issues, Finnegan will pitch in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals. The right-hander is at the top of the Nationals' bullpen hierarchy but could face some competition for saves from Hunter Harvey.

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• Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Adds new wrinkle to arsenal

  Rotowire Mar 1, 2024

  Finnegan threw three sweepers at 84-85 mph among his 15 pitches during Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports. The 32-year-old right-hander has gotten solid results in his big-league career with a fastball that averaged 97.3 mph in 2023 along with a a splitter and occasional slider that both sit about 90 mph, but Finnegan worked this offseason to add something slower to his arsenal to give batters a different look. The early results Wednesday with the sweeper were encouraging, as one of them generated an awkward swing on strike three from Ceddanne Rafaela. Finnegan threw his fastball 70 percent of the time last year and that likely isn't going to change, but the sweeper could help boost a strikeout rate that sunk to a career-low 21.9 percent. After recording a career-high 28 saves in 2023, Finnegan will be in the closing mix this season for the Nationals along with Hunter Harvey and potentially Tanner Rainey.

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• Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Records save to end 2023

  Rotowire Oct 1, 2023

  Finnegan picked up his 28th save of the year in a 10-9 win over Atlanta on Sunday. He allowed one run on two hits and struck out one over an inning. Finnegan was spotted a two-run lead after the Nationals were able to climb ahead in the top of the ninth. He allowed a solo home run to Marcell Ozuna, and Michael Harris followed up with a double, though Finnegan was able to retire the next two batters to put a cap on the season with a win. The 31-year-old finishes 2023 with a 3.76 ERA and 63:24 K:BB in 69.1 innings and should be the frontrunner to close again for the Nationals next year as long as he isn't traded.

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• Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Hangs on for 26th save

  Rotowire Sep 20, 2023

  Finnegan picked up the save Tuesday against the White Sox. He allowed one run on two hits and a walk while striking out one over an inning. The White Sox made things interesting in the ninth, cutting the Nats' lead to 4-3, but Finnegan ultimately got Elvis Andrus to fly out, stranding the tying and go-ahead runs on base. It's been a rocky stretch for Finnegan, who's now allowed eight runs over his last six appearances (5.2 innings). Still, the right-hander appears to have a solid grasp on the closing job in Washington as he improved to 26-for-34 in save chances this season. Through 66.1 innings on the campaign, Finnegan sports a 3.66 ERA with a 1.30 WHIP and 61:24 K:BB.

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• Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Escapes with 23rd save

  Rotowire Aug 25, 2023

  Finnegan picked up the save Thursday against the Yankees, allowing one run on three hits while striking out two over 1.1 innings. Finnegan entered the contest with a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth and made things interesting by allowing singles to Oswald Peraza and Gleyber Torres. Peraza would then come around to score on a Giancarlo Stanton two-out single, but Finnegan was able to retire the next batter and escape with his 23rd save of the season. The right-hander has converted his last 12 save opportunities, though he's also allowed a run in three of his last four appearances.

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• Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Collects 18th save

  Rotowire Aug 9, 2023

  Finnegan recorded his 18th save of the season in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Phillies, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning. The right-hander extended his scoreless streak to 11 appearances and 10.2 innings, a stretch in which he's converted seven straight save chances while posting a 12:1 K:BB. Finnegan appears to have a firm hold on the closer job for the Nationals, and even if Hunter Harvey (elbow) is able to return before the end of the season, he might have to settle for setup work.

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• Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Earns 16th save

  Rotowire Aug 5, 2023

  Finnegan picked up the save Friday against the Reds. He struck out two in a perfect 10th inning. After the Nationals took the lead against Alexis Diaz in the top of the 10th, Finnegan closed the door, firing 13 of his 15 pitches for strikes. The right-hander lost the closer job earlier this season, but Hunter Harvey is now on the injured list with an elbow injury and the Nationals have made it clear that they will be cautious with the oft-injured hurler. Finnegan, for his part, has looked a lot more worthy of save chances of late, allowing just two hits over eight straight scoreless appearances.

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