Jacob Latz goes two scoreless for 24th save

Latz shook off his first blown save in nearly two months in his most recent outing to finish this one off. He had some help though, as Christian Franklin laced a double down the line with two outs in the ninth and looked like it would score Leody Taveras from first base until a perfect relay from Brandon Nimmo to Nicky Lopez nailed him at the plate. That finished off his sixth six-out save of the season and he has a phenomenal 1.87 ERA.

Latz was summoned in the ninth inning with a two-run lead against the Giants on Tuesday. Oddly enough, it was the left-handed hitters that got to him. Latz gave up a base hit and walked a batter to put two runners on with one out. A wild pitch would put them in scoring position before Bryce Eldridge knocked a base hit to tie the game. Latz would retire the next two batters to get out of the inning with a tie. The Rangers would walk it off in the ninth, crediting Latz with a win despite his first blown save since May 13.

MLB Network’s Jon Morosi hears the same. Eovaldi has no-trade protection, which can be a big hurdle with deadline deals. If the Rangers sell, they’d be doing so while still possessing a 37 percent chance of reaching the playoffs, according to Fangraphs’ odds. They’re in a virtual tie with the Mariners, 2 1/2 games back of the Astros in the AL West.

Latz had given up runs in his last two appearances, but didn’t allow a hit nor a walk to keep the Rays off the board. The left-hander has been a revelation in the Rangers’ bullpen — and for fantasy managers — as this scoreless frame lowers his ERA to a healthy 1.80, and it’s already the 21st save of the season for the southpaw.

Latz allowed a one-out double to Colt Emerson, but that would be the only baserunner he would allow in the inning. Emerson would eventually come around to score on a wild pitch, giving Latz his first earned run since June 25th, but the lefty still managed to secure the save. He is now a perfect 13-for-13 in save opportunities since June.

Latz entered the game with a man on first and two outs in the eighth inning. He got Drake Baldwin to line out before tossing a perfect ninth inning that included a strikeout of Matt Olson. Latz has 19 saves and a 1.57 ERA this year.

And this was just one day after a two-inning save on Monday. Latz, who faced disappointment after failing to win a spot in the Texas rotation this spring, now seems poised to go to the All-Star Game as a reliever. He’s 18-for-20 saving games, and his ERA stands at 1.71. He’s allowed two runs and struck out 19 in 16 innings this month. Latz will need Wednesday off, so perhaps Jakob Junis will get a save then.

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.