Jacob Latz perfect in earning 18th save

Latz entered in the bottom of the eighth inning with a one-run lead. He needed only eight pitches to post a scoreless inning. The Rangers scored twice in the top of the ninth inning and Latz closed out the Guardians in the bottom half of the inning for his 17th save. He has a 1.76 ERA and should find himself in next month’s All-Star game.

Latz made this one more interesting than he needed to by walking Brandon Valenzuela to lead-off the inning in a one-run game, but still managed to get the job down in under 15 total pitches. Oddly enough, in one of the strangest single inning anomalies you’ll ever see, all three of the following outs he recorded were caught in foul territory. That’s baseball, Suzyn. As for Latz, he’s in the midst of an All-Star caliber season with a 1.85 ERA and 0.67 WHIP through 39 innings.

Latz came on with a three-run lead to protect against the Blue Jays and made things much more interesting by allowing a two-run blast to Kazuma Okamoto. He then rallied to retire Alejandro Kirk on a comebacker and Brandon Valenzuela on strikes to end it. Latz has been terrific in the closer’s role for the Rangers this season, posting a 1.89 ERA, 0.66 WHIP and a 40/8 K/BB ratio over 38 innings while converting 15 of his first 17 save chances.

Latz got the call to put out an eighth-inning fire and managed to wriggle out of a bases-loaded jam with the lead intact by coaxing a harmless ground ball from Jakob Marsee. He came back out to guard a one-run lead in the final frame and managed to retire the side in order. This one took a herculean effort as Latz needed a whopping 31 pitches to get the final four outs, which likely leaves him unavailable for Tuesday’s contest.

Latz shut the door on the Padres in a high-scoring affair. The lefty allowed a single to Samad Taylor with one out in the ninth, but was able to induce a ground ball to Jackson Merrill, followed by a pop-up to Manny Machado to end any hopes of a comeback by the Padres. Latz is a perfect 6-for-6 in save opportunities this month and hasn’t allowed a run since May 26th.

Latz was originally credited with a win against the Royals when he tossed two scoreless innings last Thursday. That has since been changed to a two-inning save with rookie Robby Ahlstrom picking up his first career win in the process. The 30-year-old has converted 12 of his 14 save opportunities this season as the Rangers’ primary closer.

Latz struck out two while also getting a weak groundout and a foul popup. In five appearances in June, he’s pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings with two hits allowed and 11 strikeouts, picking up four saves and a win in the process.

Latz actually came on with a 4-2 lead to protect in the eighth inning and looked poised to earn a six-out save. He was absolutely dominant, retiring all six hitters that he faced in order — three of them on strikeouts — while throwing 14 of his 15 pitches for strikes. It was so good, in fact, that the official scorer awarded him with the victory in the game instead of the save. Latz now holds a brilliant 1.69 ERA and 0.63 WHIP over 32 innings on the season while converting 10 of his first 12 save chances.

Even with a two-run lead, it’s always scary to go for a save with the ghost runner looming on second base. After a lead-off single by Jac Caglianone, Latz tightened up and saved the game for his squad. He now has a sparkling 1.80 ERA as one of the more underrated closers over the first half.

After working a perfect eighth inning, Latz made it interesting in the ninth by issuing a one-out walk to Stuart Fairchild and allowing a two-out single to Austin Hedges, but he rallied to retire Brayan Rocchio on strikes to end it. The 30-year-old hurler needed 35 pitches to get the job done in this one, so he may not be available if a save situation arises on Saturday. He holds a terrific 1.86 ERA on the season while converting nine saves.