Closer Monkey | 2026
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Monkey Bytes: May 25
Friday night’s slate featured José Alvarado suffering his first blown save and a meltdown in New York by Reed Garrett, fueling another late-inning comeback win for the Giants. For the good news, Jason Foley recorded a one-out save in Toronto, prompting an adjustment of his team’s bullpen hierarchy. Josh Hader turned in a third consecutive…
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Friday’s Five: High-Leverage Situations of Interest
This column will focus on paring down What to Watch For into five relievers or situations worth tracking in this weekend’s high-leverage events. Can Jhoan Durán fix his recent spike in home runs allowed? When will Edwin Díaz regain his closer role? Who emerges as the bridge reliever or more in the Cubs bullpen? Will…
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Monkey Bytes, May 24: A Wild Walk-off in Oakland, A Game-ending Interference Call, Game Recaps, and more
Size does not always matter, as illustrated by Thursday’s eight-game slate, which yielded plenty of high-leverage events of interest. There were five saves, a walk-off walk in Oakland, and an extra-inning contest in Cincinnati. All are covered in our condensed and full-game recaps. Closer CliffsNotes American League (RP | BAL): With two runners on and…
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Monkey Bytes, May 23: Helsley nails down his 15th save, Durán’s home run struggles persist, Game Recaps, and more
Two relievers earned their first major league saves on Wednesday, and the Cardinals completed a sweep. Ryan Helsley now leads the National League with his 15th save, while Jhoan Durán secured his fourth save despite giving up another home run. Our condensed and full game recaps cover these events and those of interest. Closer CliffsNotes…
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Monkey Bytes, May 22: Miller dominates during his ninth save, Clase closes out his MLB-leading 15th, Recaps, and more
Throughout the preseason, the narratives regarding Mason Miller centered on whether he would eventually be built up for starts by the end of the season or whether his value would be capped by his team’s projected win total. To this point, he’s arguably been the best reliever in baseball. He was handed a one-run lead…
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