Andrew Kittredge notches save against Blue Jays

Garcia got the call to protect a one-run lead in the final frame after Pete Alonso’s go-ahead homer and needed just 17 pitches to slam the door. He’ll continue splitting the closing duties with Andrew Kittredge, and possibly Félix Bautista now that he’s back in the mix, over the final week of the season.

With the game in extra innings and Rico Garcia already having pitched, the Orioles turned to Kittredge for the save. He escaped the 11th inning and earned his 10th save. Kittredge might not see many more save opportunities given how well Garcia has pitched and with Ryan Helsley (elbow) close to returning.

Helsley’s impending return would provide a massive lift for the Orioles during the final two weeks as they sit just three games out of the final playoff spot in the American League. Craig Albernaz has been rolling with a multi-pronged closer-by-committee approach that includes Rico Garcia, Andrew Kittredge, Yennier Cano and Josh Walker for the past couple weeks. They also have former stopper Félix Bautista on the verge of returning from the injured list. Helsley, who has been out with elbow discomfort since early July, figures to step into the closer role once he’s activated.

This ninth inning got hairy for Alex Hoppe and the Orioles after four hits and two runs turned this game into a save situation. With Alejandro Kirk coming up as the tying run, they called on Garcia to get them out of the jam and he did so with six straight breaking balls before eventually forcing a ground ball out. That’s now back-to-back days where Garcia has earned a save after Andrew Kittredge let up four runs in his last two outings.

The rally was ruled in part by Rece Hinds losing José Ramírez’s fly to right in the sun, giving him a single. Nathaniel Lowe hit the homer with one out in the ninth, making it a 6-4 game. Kittredge stayed in initially afterwards and got Angel Genao to ground out. It seemed like he could have finished the game at that point, but the Orioles brought in Josh Walker to face Patrick Bailey. Another fly to right followed, but while Hinds again struggled with the sun, he did manage to catch this one. It gave Walker his first save in 50 relief appearances since his debuted in 2023. Kittredge remains a top candidate for saves in the Orioles pen for now.

This ought to have been a blown save and a loss for Kittredge, but Colton Cowser saved him by robbing a two-run homer to end the game. It’s Kittredge’s fifth save of August, but he still might find himself taking a back seat in September with Félix Bautista and maybe Ryan Helsley due back.

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.