Royals' Scott Barlow: Could use two-seamer this season
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Barlow is working on a two-seam fastball to add to his pitch mix, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Barlow enters the year as the Royals' expected closer, though the offseason addition of Aroldis Chapman could create a committee. Rogers reports Barlow's two-seamer has been applauded by Royals hitters during camp, so the 30-year-old righty will likely continue to develop it as a fourth pitch to go with his four-seamer, slider and curveball. Barlow went 24-for-28 in saves with a 2.18 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 77:22 K:BB across 74.1 innings in 2022.
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Royals' Scott Barlow: Avoids arbitration with Kansas City
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Barlow agreed to a one-year, $5.3 million contract with the Royals on Friday to avoid arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
Barlow has worked as Kansas City's closer for the past season and a half, and he was effective in 2022 with a 2.18 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 77:22 K:BB over 74.1 innings. He went 24-for-28 in save chances and should enter 2023 with a firm grip on the closer role, though it's possible new manager Matt Quatraro opts for a more committee-oriented approach.
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Royals' Scott Barlow: Picks up seventh win
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Barlow (7-4) earned the win Monday over the Guardians. He struck out one in a perfect inning.
Barlow kept the game tied at 2-2 in the ninth inning, and the Royals took the lead on a Drew Waters home run in the 10th. Over his last 12.1 innings, Barlow hasn't been charged with a run, yielding just four hits and six walks while striking out 15. The Royals' closer lowered his ERA to 2.18 and WHIP to 1.00, and he's added a 77:22 K:BB with 24 saves and six holds in 74.1 innings this year.
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Royals' Scott Barlow: Earns save Sunday
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Barlow struck out one in a perfect ninth inning to earn the save in Sunday's win over the Mariners.
Barlow pitched in a non-save situation Friday against Seattle, but he picked up his third save in his last four appearances during Sunday's series finale. The right-hander has yet to allow a run over nine innings in September, converting four of five save chances while striking out 11 in 9.1 scoreless innings.
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Royals' Scott Barlow: Records 23rd save
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Barlow picked up the save in Wednesday's 5-2 victory over the Twins, allowing one hit while striking out one over one inning.
Barlow has kept the opponent off the board in nine of his last 10 appearances and has not allowed an extra-base hit over 7.1 innings during his last seven outings. The righty has been stellar at home with a 1.57 ERA over 40 innings compared to a 3.38 ERA over 29.1 innings away from Kansas City.
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Royals' Scott Barlow: Registers five-out save
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Barlow struck out three without allowing a baserunner over 1.2 innings to earn the save in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Twins.
Jose Cuas began the eighth inning but plunked two of the three batters he faced. Barlow was able to escape the two-on, one-out situation unscathed and then added a perfect ninth inning for the save, his 22nd of the year. He's given up two hits and three walks while striking out eight over 6.1 scoreless innings in September, though he took one blown save for allowing an inherited runner to score. Barlow now has a 2.37 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 70:19 K:BB through 68.1 innings this year.
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Royals' Scott Barlow: Charged with blown save
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Barlow allowed two inherited runners to score on a hit and two walks while striking out two in two-thirds of an inning, taking a blown save Friday versus the Red Sox.
Dylan Coleman made a mess of things in the eighth inning and Barlow wasn't able to escape the jam. He walked in a run with the bases loaded and allowed an RBI single to J.D. Martinez. Barlow hadn't seen a save chance since Sept. 4, as the Royals went just 2-7 in their previous nine games. Barlow hasn't been charged with a run in September, covering 4.2 innings in five appearances this month. He owns a 2.43 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 67:19 K:BB through 66.2 innings this season. He's added 21 saves, four blown saves, six holds and a 6-4 record.
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Royals' Scott Barlow: Snags win over Guardians
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Barlow (6-4) pitched a perfect inning and earned the win Wednesday over the Guardians.
Barlow kept the deficit at one run in the top of the ninth inning, and he didn't issue a walk or record a strikeout. The Royals then rallied for two runs to make him the winning pitcher. Barlow has allowed five runs in 17.1 innings since the start of August, though he's kept runs off the board in his last three appearances. The 29-year-old right-hander has posted a 2.49 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 65:17 K:BB through 65 innings while adding 21 saves and six holds as the Royals' primary closer this year.
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Royals' Scott Barlow: Picks up 21st save
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Barlow earned the save Sunday, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning of a 5-2 win in Detroit.
Barlow had no trouble with the bottom three hitters in Detroit's lineup Sunday and retired the side in order on 11 pitches. It was his 21st save of the season and first since Aug. 22. The 29-year-old has been used sparingly recently as Sunday's outing was his first appearance in the last five days. For the season, he has a 2.57 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 63:16 K:BB in 63 innings and will continue to close out games for the Royals.
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Royals' Scott Barlow: Secures 20th save
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Barlow allowed one hit in a scoreless inning during Monday's win over the White Sox. He struck out one and earned a save.
Jose Abreu punched a leadoff single to begin the ninth inning but Barlow quickly worked through it to finish off the victory. He's now converted 20 of his 23 save chances this season, including all four opportunities this month. The 29-year-old righty lowered his ERA to 2.15 with a 59:15 K:BB through 53 appearances. Barlow has given up just one run across 11 innings in August.
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Royals' Scott Barlow: Earns win Friday
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Barlow (5-4) allowed a hit and struck out two over two scoreless innings to earn the extra-inning win Friday over the Rays.
Barlow's lone hit allowed came in the ninth inning, as Taylor Walls singled but was thrown out trying to advance to second. In the 10th, Barlow got more help from his defense, as initial runner Roman Quinn was caught attempting to steal third base. The tidy outing was Barlow's seventh scoreless one in August -- he's allowed just one run with a 12:2 K:BB through 10 innings this month. The Royals' closer has a 2.18 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 58:15 K:BB while adding 19 saves and five holds through 57.2 innings.
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Royals' Scott Barlow: Picks up 19th save
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Barlow earned the save Sunday over the Dodgers, striking out three in 1.1 innings in a 4-0 victory.
Barlow entered the game in the eighth inning with runners on first and third and two outs and fanned Max Muncy to end the threat. In the ninth, he struck out the first two batters he faced and got Chris Taylor to pop out in foul ground to end the game. It was his 19th save in 22 chances and third save this month. The 29-year-old has been very good in August, allowing one run in eight innings while striking out 10.
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Royals' Scott Barlow: Nails down 18th save
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Barlow allowed an earned run on a hit and no walks while striking out two to earn the save Thursday against the White Sox.
Barlow allowed a leadoff homer in the ninth inning, but he managed to maintain the remaining two-run lead to earn his 18th save of the season. He's now allowed at least one earned run in three of his last eight appearances while also taking two losses and blowing a save in that span. However, Barlow has otherwise been consistently excellent this season and still has a 2.32 ERA with a 53:15 K:BB across 52.1 frames.
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Royals' Scott Barlow: Completes two-inning save
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Barlow allowed two hits and struck out two over two scoreless innings to earn the save in Monday's 2-1 win over the White Sox.
Barlow needed this one -- he allowed seven runs (three earns) across two appearances spanning one inning versus the Yankees in the Royals' previous series. The right-hander was able to finish off the multi-inning save on 27 pitches (20 strikes). He's now 17-for-20 in save chances with a 2.36 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 48:13 K:BB across 49.2 innings this year. Barlow's closer role should be considered safe for now, especially if he can string together a few scoreless outings.
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Royals' Scott Barlow: Losses in consecutive outings
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Barlow (4-4) allowed six runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk with one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning, taking the loss Friday versus the Yankees.
Barlow was brought in for a high-leverage assignment in the eighth inning, but he left it responsible for six of the Yankees' eight runs in a massive rally. With seven runs (three earned) allowed in his last two outings, Barlow is unlikely to be available for a save chance if one arises Saturday. He owns a 2.45 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 46:13 K:BB across 47.2 innings, though his 3.83 FIP is a career high, which suggests more regression may be on the way. If Barlow's struggles continue much longer, Josh Staumont or Taylor Clarke could be the next men up for closing duties.
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Royals' Scott Barlow: Takes loss Thursday
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Barlow (4-3) allowed a solo home run in one-third of an inning to take the loss in Thursday's 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Yankees.
The Yankees had only four baserunners all game, but the last one was a home run trot for Aaron Judge when he took Barlow deep in the ninth inning. Entering Thursday, Barlow hadn't allowed a run in his last 10 innings. Since the game was tied when he began his appearance, he'll avoid a blown save -- the Royals' closer is 16-for-18 in save chances this year. He's added a 2.11 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 45:12 K:BB through 47 innings overall as a reliable part of an otherwise shaky bullpen group that ranks fourth-worst in the majors with a 4.53 ERA.
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Royals' Scott Barlow: Snags win Saturday
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Barlow (4-2) earned the win Saturday versus the Rays. He allowed three hits in two scoreless innings.
Barlow didn't strike out or walk a batter. He kept the game tied, and stayed in the game after the Royals pulled ahead in the bottom of the eighth inning. Barlow's scoreless streak is up to nine innings over his last eight appearances, and he's picked up four saves and two wins in that span. The closer has a 1.97 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 44:12 K:BB through 45.2 innings. This was his 12th appearance longer than one inning this season, so he's no stranger to handling a heavier workload than a traditional closer.
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Royals' Scott Barlow: Picks up 16th save
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Barlow earned the save Thursday in Toronto, striking out one and allowing a hit in the ninth inning of a 3-1 victory. He also didn't walk a batter.
After giving up a single to begin the ninth, Barlow recorded a strikeout and got Cavan Biggio to ground into a game-ending double play. The righty is now 16-for-18 in save opportunities and has converted his last eight chances. Over his last 12 appearances, the 29-year-old has a 1.55 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 14:2 K:BB in 11.2 innings.
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Royals' Scott Barlow: Nails down 15th save
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Barlow struck out two without allowing a baserunner in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Wednesday against the Tigers.
Barlow protected a three-run lead to earn his 15th save of the season. He's rebounded from a shaky stretch spanning late June and early July -- Wednesday's outing marked his fifth consecutive scoreless appearance, a span in which he's picked up three saves while maintaining a 6:0 K:BB. Overall, Barlow has maintained a 2.16 ERA and 42:12 K:BB across 41.2 innings for the season.
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Royals' Scott Barlow: Notches 14th save
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Barlow tossed a perfect inning and earned a save in Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader against Detroit.
Barlow needed just six pitches to roll through the Tigers and finish off the 3-1 victory. He's now converted six straight save chances since coughing up three runs and blowing an opportunity against the Angels on June 21. On the year, the 29-year-old is 14-of-16 in save chances with a 2.27 ERA over 39.2 frames.
