Finnegan picked up a save against the Dodgers on Monday, striking out one batter in a perfect inning.
Finnegan was staked to a two-run lead when he entered in the ninth inning, and he retired all three batters he faced to close out the contest. The right-hander is tied for the league lead with six saves on the campaign, and he's held the opponent without an earned run in all but one of his eight outings. Finnegan came into the season with a shaky hold on the closer role for the Nationals, but he appears to be firmly in control of ninth-inning duties for the time being given his success rate so far.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Tagged with loss Friday
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Finnegan (0-2) took the loss Friday, giving up an unearned run on a hit and a walk in the 10th inning against the A's. He struck out one.
The right-hander couldn't prevent the phantom runner from crossing the plate, even after intentionally walking Shea Langeliers to lead off the 10th to set up a potential double play. Finnegan has been shaky to start the season, posting a 6.75 ERA and 5:5 K:BB through 5.1 innings, but he's converted four of five save chances and his spot as the Nats' closer doesn't seem to be at risk for now.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Picks up save No. 5
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Finnegan picked up the save Saturday in Oakland, striking out one in a perfect inning.
Finnegan was tasked with protecting a two-run lead and did so without a sweat, requiring just nine pitches to dispose of the Athletics in order. While he has an un-closer-like 4.26 ERA, Finnegan is tied for the National League lead with his five saves. Hunter Harvey -- who pitched a scoreless eighth inning Saturday -- has yet to notch a save.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Avoids disaster, earns fourth save
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Finnegan picked up the save Tuesday against San Francisco, allowing two hits and two walks over 1.1 scoreless innings with no strikeouts.
Finnegan got himself in plenty of trouble Tuesday, allowing back-to-back singles and a walk to load the bases with no outs to start the ninth. With just two runs of cushion, it seemed like Finnegan was heading toward his second blown save of the season. However, he was able to get a force out at home on a fielder's choice and then got Matt Chapman to ground out into the game-ending double play. While fantasy managers have had to hold their breath during some of Finnegan's outings, he's received more save chances than expected thus far with the Nationals sitting just one game under .500.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Nails down third save
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Finnegan earned the save Sunday against Philadelphia, allowing no hits and one walk over a scoreless inning while striking out one.
Finnegan took another step away from his March 31 blown save, registering a second consecutive scoreless and hitless outing en route to his third save of 2024. With the Nationals still in the basement of the National League, Finnegan likely won't have much room to grow from his 28-save total in 2023, but he appears to be locked in as the club's closer in the early part of the campaign.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Clean inning for save No. 2
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Finnegan picked up the save during Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Pirates. He didn't allow a hit or a walk during one inning while striking out two.
Finnegan bounced back from a three-run, two-homer blown save March 31 to deliver the Nationals their second win of the season and nail down his second save. The rebound performance likely adds a little length back to Finnegan's hypothetical leash, with Hunter Harvey sitting behind him as a solid replacement arm if the Nats don't feel Finnegan is up to par.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Blows save, takes loss
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Finnegan (0-1) blew the save and took the loss Sunday against the Reds. He allowed three runs on three hits and no walks with no strikeouts over two-thirds of an inning.
Finnegan began his outing Sunday by promptly generating two outs via lineouts and looked well on his way to a second save in as many days. However, the Reds lineup had a different idea as the next three batters each produced an extra-base hit. Finnegan yielded a double to Jonathan India, a game-tying homer to Will Benson and a walk-off homer to Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Finnegan didn't have the strongest grip on the Nationals' closer job before this game, so keep an eye on this bullpen, as Hunter Harvey could easily enter the discussion for saves in Washington.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Picks up first save of 2024
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Finnegan allowed one walk and struck out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning against the Reds on Saturday en route to his first save of the season.
Finnegan faced a late challenge to his Opening Day availability in the form of back tightness, and he just so happened to take a comebacker off his ankle in his return to Grapefruit League action March 21. Despite those setbacks, Finnegan managed to start the season on time, and he now has his first save of the new campaign. Hunter Harvey allowed two runs in the eighth inning but was credited with the win after Alexis Diaz squandered the lead for Cincinnati in the top of the ninth.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Returns to action
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Finnegan (back) allowed one earned run on three hits with one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins. He was struck on his right foot by a comebacker in the top of the seventh inning but quickly waved off the training staff and insisted he was fine, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
The right-hander was fortunate that the comebacker struck the padded portion of the heel of his right shoe, absorbing the impact. Finnegan had been sidelined for over a week due to lower-back tightness, but he said after Thursday's appearance that he felt "great" physically. While he has Hunter Harvey breathing down his neck for save chances, Finnegan appears in line to open the season as the primary closer in Washington. He's expected to make one more appearance this spring to prepare for Opening Day.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Managing back issue
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Finnegan has been unavailable lately due to back tightness but will throw a bullpen session Monday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Assuming he comes out of Monday's session with no issues, Finnegan will pitch in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals. The right-hander is at the top of the Nationals' bullpen hierarchy but could face some competition for saves from Hunter Harvey.
Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Adds new wrinkle to arsenal
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Finnegan threw three sweepers at 84-85 mph among his 15 pitches during Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.
The 32-year-old right-hander has gotten solid results in his big-league career with a fastball that averaged 97.3 mph in 2023 along with a a splitter and occasional slider that both sit about 90 mph, but Finnegan worked this offseason to add something slower to his arsenal to give batters a different look. The early results Wednesday with the sweeper were encouraging, as one of them generated an awkward swing on strike three from Ceddanne Rafaela. Finnegan threw his fastball 70 percent of the time last year and that likely isn't going to change, but the sweeper could help boost a strikeout rate that sunk to a career-low 21.9 percent. After recording a career-high 28 saves in 2023, Finnegan will be in the closing mix this season for the Nationals along with Hunter Harvey and potentially Tanner Rainey.
Finnegan agreed to a one-year contract with the Nationals on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Finnegan served as the Nationals' primary closer in 2023, recording 28 saves. He had an uneven performance overall, however, posting a 3.76 ERA and 1.30 WHIP to go along with a 63:24 K:BB across 69.1 innings. He'll likely begin the 2024 campaign in the ninth-inning role, but Hunter Harvey could overtake him fairly quickly.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Records save to end 2023
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Finnegan picked up his 28th save of the year in a 10-9 win over Atlanta on Sunday. He allowed one run on two hits and struck out one over an inning.
Finnegan was spotted a two-run lead after the Nationals were able to climb ahead in the top of the ninth. He allowed a solo home run to Marcell Ozuna, and Michael Harris followed up with a double, though Finnegan was able to retire the next two batters to put a cap on the season with a win. The 31-year-old finishes 2023 with a 3.76 ERA and 63:24 K:BB in 69.1 innings and should be the frontrunner to close again for the Nationals next year as long as he isn't traded.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Earns save in Game 1
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Finnegan allowed a run on one hit over one inning and earned the save in a 3-2 win over Atlanta in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader.
Finnegan added a little drama by allowing a solo home run to Sean Murphy, but he was able to preserve the Nationals' lead. This was Finnegan's second save in a row, and he's allowed 10 runs (nine earned) over 8.2 innings in a shaky September. He's at a 3.74 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 61:24 K:BB through 67.1 innings while adding 27 saves, eight holds and eight blown saves this season.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Hangs on for 26th save
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Finnegan picked up the save Tuesday against the White Sox. He allowed one run on two hits and a walk while striking out one over an inning.
The White Sox made things interesting in the ninth, cutting the Nats' lead to 4-3, but Finnegan ultimately got Elvis Andrus to fly out, stranding the tying and go-ahead runs on base. It's been a rocky stretch for Finnegan, who's now allowed eight runs over his last six appearances (5.2 innings). Still, the right-hander appears to have a solid grasp on the closing job in Washington as he improved to 26-for-34 in save chances this season. Through 66.1 innings on the campaign, Finnegan sports a 3.66 ERA with a 1.30 WHIP and 61:24 K:BB.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Blows eighth save
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Finnegan gave up a run on a hit and two walks in the ninth inning Saturday to blow the save in an eventual 7-6 win for the Nationals. He struck out one.
Called upon to protect a 5-4 lead, Finnegan and batterymate Keibert Ruiz instead found themselves helpless to stop the Dodgers' running game. The three baserunners the right-hander put aboard swiped four bags between them, and it took a great defensive effort by Luis Garcia to escape the inning without further damage. Finnegan's had a rocky last few weeks, getting tagged for runs in six of his last 10 appearances, but while he's now blown eight of his 33 save chances on the season, this was his first since July 14. Hunter Harvey also coughed up two runs in the eighth, but he's been the more effective reliever of late and could reclaim his spot as the Nats' primary closer down the stretch.
