Yennier

Cano

Canó did tell reporters, however, that he was available for Tuesday’s game against the Giants. That game ended in a 10-0 shellacking, so there was no point in using the 30-year-old. Canó hasn’t pitched in a week, but seems likely to get in a game in the coming days, if not Wednesday.

Very nondescript, but either way, Canó didn’t work in the 4-2 win against the Tigers with the Orioles going with Seranthony Dominguez and Cionel Perez instead. It remains to be seen whether Canó can go for Sunday’s finale against the Tigers, but Hyde was hopeful that the reliever would be available.

Domínguez was called upon in a tie ballgame in the bottom of the ninth inning at Citi Field and served up a walk-off homer for the second time in the three-game series when he coughed up a game-winning blast to pinch-hitter Jesse Winker with one out in the frame. Not great. It’s unclear whether Orioles manager Brandon Hyde will consider alternatives in high-leverage spots moving forward, but it would be surprising to see veteran Craig Kimbrel get another look. It’s possible Yennier Cano, Cionel Pérez or Gregory Soto could factor into the mix if Domínguez’s struggles persist. We’ll see.

Craig Kimbrel threw 18 pitches on Friday and has not been used in back-to-back outings in over a week, so it’s likely that the Orioles are still being cautious with their erstwhile closer after a poor stretch a few weeks ago. Canó now has five saves on the season and could be looked at as a part of a committee with Kimbrel, but he’s not taking over the closer’s role. At least not yet.

This is not a changing of the guard at closer despite Craig Kimbrel’s rough recent stretch. Orioles’ manager Brandon Hyde said he wanted to give Kimbrel “a weekend breather,” so Cano got the save chance today. He allowed three hits and an earned run in one inning; although, two of those hits were infield singles. Still, he should not be viewed as a potential closer for the Orioles moving forward.

Things got hairy in the ninth inning for Baltimore as a walk and two errors loaded the bases and forced Brandon Hyde to go to Cano with the tying run on deck. He struck out Edmundo Sosa to end the game and earned his third save of the season working in mostly a set-up role while Craig Kimbrel still soaks up the majority of saves.

It’s no surprise after Kimbrel picked up a clean save Sunday, but confirmation is always nice. MASN’s Steve Melewski quoted Hyde as saying: “Well yeah, I think so. Probably. I’m going to see how he feels today. … He looked great yesterday that was awesome. Really happy.” Yennier Cano can be dropped in shallow mixed leagues for now.

Kimbrel pitched the seventh inning on Friday against the Diamondbacks and it certainly appears that the Orioles are set on giving him some lower-leverage situations to get back on track before they consider putting him back in the ninth inning role. For now, it seems like Yennier Cano will handle any save chances that arise, while Danny Coulombe and Jacob Webb could also be in the mix.

The Orioles are giving Craig Kimbrel a break, so Cano is the clear favorite for saves in the pen for the short term. If Kimbrel has any meltdowns in the near future, Cano might take on the closer’s role permanently.

Cano got the call to record the final two outs of Saturday’s low-scoring win at Great American Ball Park after veteran Craig Kimbrel gave up a one-out RBI single to Spencer Steer that put the potential tying run at third base. Cano wound up walking Tyler Stephenson before striking out Christian Encarnacion-Strand and getting Jeimer Candelario to fly out to end the contest. It’s clear that Kimbrel isn’t in a good place right now, and could still be battling a lingering back issue, which opens the door for Cano to keep picking up save chances moving forward.