Orioles' Yennier Cano: Overpowering in eighth save
Rotowire
Cano picked up the save in Tuesday's 1-0 victory over Washington. He struck out three in a perfect ninth inning.
The 29-year-old was called upon to protect the slimmest of margins Tuesday and did so in dominant fashion, getting Lane Thomas, Keibert Ruiz and Joey Meneses to strike out swinging on just 13 pitches. Since Baltimore closer Felix Bautista (elbow) landed on the injured list Aug. 26, Cano has surrendered six of the 17 earned runs he's given up all year, seeing his season-long ERA increase from 1.60 to 2.13 across 10.2 innings. The right-hander has, however, converted four of his five save opportunities and notched two holds in that span.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Blows save Friday
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Cano (1-4) blew his sixth save of the season and took the loss Friday as the Orioles fell 9-8 to the Guardians, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk in one-third of an inning.
Both hits went for doubles, with David Fry's drive off the wall in left-center field walking it off for Cleveland. Since Felix Bautista (elbow) landed on the IL in late August, Cano has struggled as the main man in the Baltimore bullpen -- while Friday's blown save was his first in four opportunities as closer, he has a 6.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and poor 2:3 K:BB through nine innings, and he's given up a run in five of his 11 appearances during that stretch.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Notches seventh save
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Cano earned the save Monday, striking out his lone batter faced in an 8-7 win over the Astros.
Cionel Perez got the first two outs in the ninth before the Orioles turned to Cano. The 29-year-old right-hander would strike out Chas McCormick to close out a one-run victory and earn his seventh save of the year. It's Cano's third save since Felix Bautista (elbow) landed on the IL on Aug. 26. While Perez could continue to see high-leverage work against left-handed batters, Cano should remain Baltimore's top ninth-inning option. His ERA is down to 1.96 with a 0.97 WHIP and 59:11 K:BB across 69 innings this season.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Nabs save Monday
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Cano earned a save against the Angels on Monday with a perfect ninth inning.
Cano came on in the ninth with a three-run cushion. He didn't need much time to close out the contest, retiring the side in order on just eight pitches. Since Felix Bautista landed on the injured list Aug. 26 with a UCL injury, Cano has notched both of Baltimore's saves. He's allowed just one earned run over 4.1 frames since Bautista went down and will likely continue to work as the team's top ninth-inning option for the foreseeable future.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Possible waiver wire pickups
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If you're going to lose a closer, let it be one on a team with a ready-made replacement. The succession plan couldn't have been any clearer in the Orioles case, with Cano having emerged as an All-Star setup man. It was no surprise, then, to see him handle the ninth inning Saturday and Sunday after Felix Bautista suffered a UCL injury Friday. Cano actually took the loss Sunday, entering to preserve a tie rather than the lead, but the run he allowed was unearned. He still has yet to allow an earned run this month, bringing his ERA down to 1.57. Rather than being the big bat-misser Bautista is, he's more in the Emmanuel Clase mold, inducing ground balls with his sinker. But like Bautista, he should see no shortage of save chances with a first-place club.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Handed tough-luck loss
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Cano (1-3) allowed an unearned run on one hit and struck out one over one inning to take the loss Sunday versus the Rockies.
Cano hadn't given up a run over 10.2 innings in August, logging three holds and a save prior to an unlucky loss Sunday. The right-hander has received the first look at ninth-inning assignments since Felix Bautista (elbow) was injured Friday. Cano has a 1.57 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 58:10 K:BB with five saves and 28 holds over 63 innings this year. Those numbers aren't as dominant as Bautista's, but it's still likely Cano can handle closing duties for as long as necessary. Lefties DL Hall or Danny Coulombe may also be in the mix for save chances if manager Brandon Hyde shifts to a matchup-based approach.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Gets first chance at closing duty
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Cano picked up the save while tossing a perfect inning in Saturday's 5-4 win over Colorado. He didn't record a strikeout.
With Felix Bautista (elbow) being placed on the 15-day injured list after suffering a UCL injury during Friday's game, Cano stepped into the closer's role a day later and got the job done. Cano has five saves this season and appears to be the clear favorite to claim Bautista's vacated closing duties.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Takes blown save, loss
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Cano (1-2) allowed two runs on four hits and struck out one over two-thirds of an inning, taking the loss and a blown save in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Phillies.
Felix Bautista recently pitched four times in five days, which may explain why he was given a second consecutive day off in favor of Cano. Over his last 12 appearances, Cano has started to falter, allowing six runs and 16 hits over 11.1 innings. This was his second loss and third blown save in that span. His recent struggles may be regression to the mean after a stellar first half of the season, which has helped him keep his season ratios at a 1.82 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 43:6 K:BB through 49.1 innings. Cano has added four saves and 24 holds in a setup role.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Charged with loss
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Cano (1-1) allowed a run on one hit over two-thirds of an inning, taking the loss Monday versus the Yankees.
Fresh off of being named to the American League's All-Star roster, Cano took his first loss of the campaign. He allowed an inherited runner to score the tying run in the seventh inning, and then he put the go-ahead run on base in the eighth before Danny Coulombe gave up a three-run home run. Cano has been scored on in two of his last three outings, but he remains one of the Orioles' most effective relievers. He's at a 1.32 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 37:6 K:BB through 41 innings while racking up four saves, 18 holds and three blown saves this season.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Notches fourth save
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Cano earned a save against the Yankees on Thursday, allowing one run on one hit and one walk while striking out one batter over one inning.
Felix Bautista was presumably unavailable after pitching each of the previous two days, so Cano was called upon to close out the contest with Baltimore up 3-0 in the ninth. The right-hander uncharacteristically allowed a run to score but nonetheless managed to finish off the win. The run was just the second Cano has allowed over 26.2 innings on the campaign, and he also issued his first free pass of the season, so this was one of the few times he's looked mortal in what has been a dominant effort thus far. Bautista has been outstanding as well as the Orioles' closer, thus Cano's save chances will likely continue to be limited to instances when Bautista is unavailable.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Picks up win Thursday
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Cano (1-0) earned the win Thursday over the Royals, allowing one hit and striking out three over two innings.
Cano allowed an inherited runner to score in the seventh inning, but the Orioles took the lead for good in the eighth. The right-hander has quickly ascended to a setup role, as he's yet to be charged with a run in 14 innings while allowing just two hits and a hit batsman. He's also struck out 16 while racking up two saves and five holds. Cano appears to be the top option for ancillary saves when Felix Bautista is unavailable, at least while Mychal Givens (knee) and Dillon Tate (forearm) are out of the high-leverage mix.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Adds to perfect run with first save
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Cano struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Monday to record his first career save in a 5-4 win over the Red Sox.
With Felix Bautista having already logged 11 appearances in the O's first 21 games, manager Brandon Hyde elected to reward Cano for his incredible performance so far and give him his first career save opportunity. The 29-year-old didn't disappoint, and he's now retired the first 21 batters he's faced in 2023 -- the second-longest such streak to begin a season in franchise history. With Bautista entrenched as closer, Cano may have to be content with a setup role, but more high-leverage looks should be coming his way -- he has three holds and a save in six appearances, to go along with his unblemished ERA and WHIP and a 9:0 K:BB through seven innings.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Added to big-league bullpen
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Cano was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Cano made his big-league debut in 2022 but struggled to an 11.50 ERA and 2.33 WHIP across 18 innings split between the Twins and Orioles. He failed to secure a spot in the big-league bullpen to begin 2023, but he'll have at least a short-term opportunity in Baltimore with Keegan Akin (personal) sidelined.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Demoted to minors
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The Orioles optioned Cano to Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Cano bagged two saves and struck out 10 over seven innings in Grapefruit League play this spring, but the Orioles presumably want him to gain more seasoning at Triple-A before giving him another look in the majors. The 29-year-old right-hander was lit up in his first taste of the big leagues in 2022, logging an 11.50 ERA and 2.33 WHIP in 18 innings between Baltimore and Minnesota.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Clean inning Friday
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Cano struck out on in a perfect inning in Friday's Grapefruit League win over the Twins.
Cano has had an uneven spring, allowing four earned runs on five hits over 2.2 innings across four appearances. The Orioles still have a lot of trimming down to do with the pitching staff, and it's unclear if Cano will fit into the Opening Day plans. He had an 11.50 ERA, 2.33 WHIP and 21:16 K:BB across 18 innings between the Orioles and the Twins in 2022, which was his first taste of action in the big leagues.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Takes loss in finale
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Cano (1-1) allowed a run on one hit and struck out three over two innings, taking the loss in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader versus the Blue Jays.
Cano made three appearances with the Orioles after he was flipped from the Twins at the trade deadline. In those outings, he yielded nine runs on nine hits and five walks over 5.1 innings. Cano served as a low-leverage reliever in his time with both teams, so the 28-year-old may have to settle for a minor-league contract this offseason after posting an 11.50 ERA in 18 major-league innings.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Rejoins big-league bullpen
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The Oriolesn="Baltimore Orioles" data-type="SPORTS_OBJECT_TEAM" data-league-abbreviation="MLB" data-team-abbreviation="BAL">Orioles recalled Cano from Triple-A Norfolk on Monday.
He'll be rejoining the Baltimore bullpen as a replacement for closer Felix Bautista (knee), who was placed on the 15-day injured list. Dillon Tate is likely the leading candidate to get the first crack at any save chances the Orioles get over the final three games of the season, while Cano is expected to be ticketed for a low-leverage relief role.
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Orioles' Yennier Cano: Dealt to Baltimore
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The Oriolesn="Baltimore Orioles" data-type="SPORTS_OBJECT_TEAM" data-league-abbreviation="MLB" data-team-abbreviation="BAL">Orioles acquired Cano, right-hander Juan Nunez and left-handers Cade Povich and Juan Rojas from the Twins on Tuesday in exchange for right-hander Jorge Lopez, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Povich is the top prize in the deal for the Orioles, while Cano is the most MLB-ready of the four prospects that Baltimore received in return for its closer. The 28-year-old Cano made 10 relief appearances for Minnesota this season before being optioned Monday to Triple-A St. Paul, with whom he's produced a 1.90 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 23.2 innings. He could join the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk to begin his tenure with his new organization, but expect the right-hander to get another look in the big-league bullpen at some point in August or September.
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Twins' Yennier Cano: Sent back to minors
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The Twinsn="Minnesota Twins" data-type="SPORTS_OBJECT_TEAM" data-league-abbreviation="MLB" data-team-abbreviation="MIN">Twins optioned Cano to Triple-A St. Paul on Monday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.
Cano was sent back to the minors to clear a spot on the 26-man active roster for third baseman Gio Urshela (personal), who was reinstated from the paternity list. The 28-year-old right-hander was up with the big club for just over a week and gave up two earned runs over his lone two-inning appearance out of the bullpen.
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Twins' Yennier Cano: Sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
Cano was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday.
Cano was called up earlier in the month, but he will head back to St. Paul for the time being. He has already been recalled and optioned twice this season, so chances are he will rejoin the big club at some point.
