Andrew Kittredge saved by defense in earning save

Kittredge allowed two hits in the ninth inning and the tying run moved into scoring position after a double steal. The 36-year-old right-hander promptly got Tommy White to ground out to end the game. It was his fourth save in August. Kittredge remains in the closer mix with fellow Orioles reliever Yennier Cano.

It’s Kittredge’s first save since Aug. 11, as he blew his previous chance on Aug. 15. It’s possible he’ll wind up with more saves, but with Yennier Cano also in the mix and Félix Bautista potentially returning next month, his value is pretty limited right now.

Kittredge blew a save against his former team in the bottom of the ninth but then got a win after Rays closer Bryan Baker allowed the automatic runner to score in the 10th, resulting in a loss to his former team. Cam Sanders worked the bottom of the 10th and ended up with his second save in two days for the Orioles, though he’s still probably behind at least Yennier Cano and Kittredge on Baltimore’s closing depth chart. Cano had this one off after throwing 24 pitches last night.

Kittredge now has six saves on the season, and the scoreless outing lowers his ERA to 3.57. Yennier Cano worked the eighth inning of this one and also fired a scoreless inning. It’s tough to say who the closer of the Orioles is right now, but Kittredge has gotten the last two save chances.

Kittredge tossed a perfect ninth inning. It’s his fourth save since the beginning of July. Despite Kittredge handling the eighth inning in Tuesday’s game while Yennier Cano worked the ninth and recorded the save, their roles were reversed on Wednesday. It looks like the two relievers are sharing the job for the time being, though Cano’s ERA is much lower this year.

Cano was the choice to close over Andrew Kittredge with Tyler Wells gone to Tampa Bay, and he pitched the better of the two, as Kittredge gave up the Angels’ lone run of the game in the eighth. It looks like Cano, who just signed a two-year extensin on Friday, will be the better pickup in mixed leagues.

The Orioles are unclear about whether they truly want to trade away players at the deadline because, despite being three games under .500, they are just 2.5 games out of a playoff spot. The expiring contracts include Taylor Ward, Trevor Rogers and Andrew Kittredge, but the Orioles are also listening to offers for Adley Rutschman, who is under team control for one more season. While it remains unclear what the Orioles will do, Rosenthal believes that “Ward and Rogers, even as rentals, could fetch sizable returns,” so they remain the two most likely to be moved. If anybody moves at all.

The Orioles are up to nine saves in July, three of which belong to Kittredge. Tyler Wells also has three, and he pitched two scoreless innings in Wednesday’s thriller. The other three saves are spread across three different relievers, so this looks like a true committee led by Wells and Kittredge. That makes it difficult to roster either of them in standard mixed leagues, but perhaps more clarity will arrive after Monday’s trade deadline.

Garcia got the call to protect a three-run lead in the final frame after Andrew Kittredge worked a scoreless eighth inning. He needed just 17 pitches (10 strikes) to dispatch the Tigers and preserve the win. He struck out Matt Vierling and Kevin McGonigle before getting Dillon Dingler to pop out in foul territory to end it. Garcia should continue factoring into Baltimore’s late-inning mix along with Kittredge and Tyler Wells while Ryan Helsley (elbow) is on the injured list.

That’s relatively good news. Helsley will keep resting for now and then aim for a return down the stretch. One imagines he’ll be down for at least another month, and since the Orioles might get Félix Bautista back in September, it probably doesn’t make a lot of sense to hold on to Helsley in shallow leagues. Andrew Kittredge seems to have supplanted Tyler Wells as the favorite for saves in Baltimore’s pen for now. The team could trade for another option before the deadline.