Kyle

Finnegan

Finnegan came on to work the ninth inning after the Angels had pushed a run across to tie the game. He issued a leadoff walk but was able to work around it and pitch a scoreless inning. He then came back for the 10th after the Nationals didn’t score in the top half of the frame and he was able to strand the extra runner on second base. The Nats scored three times in the top of the 11th inning and Finnegan stayed on to close it out for himself, retiring the side in order to close it out. He threw 30 pitches (20 strikes) over the three frames, earning his first victory of the season to go along with his 18 saves.

Finnegan was called upon to protect a narrow one-run margin in the final frame and immediately served up a game-tying homer to Hunter Goodman. Things only got worse from there when Mickey Moniak connected for a two-run homer a couple batters later to put the Rockies ahead and saddle him with a loss. It was just the fifth blown save this season for the 33-year-old veteran stopper after converting 18 of 22 save opportunities to open the year.

Finnegan came on with a runner on second and two outs in the eighth and gave up a game-tying single to Pete Alonso, who was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. Finnegan then pitched a flawless ninth with the score tied. The Nationals, though, went on to lose the game in 10 innings. Finnegan threw only 11 pitches tonight, so he’ll be good to go Wednesday.

Finnegan had to work around a CJ Abrams error, but it didn’t prove to be an issue. He’s 3-for-3 saving games since returning from a few days off due to shoulder fatigue.

Passan is just connecting dots here, not reporting on actual discussions, but it makes sense. The Phillies’ bullpen let them down in the postseason last year, and they’ve now lost Jose Alvarado and Jeff Hoffman. There is still talent in their bullpen, but they likely need one more arm with closer experience, and Passan mentions Fairbanks and Kyle Finnegan as the two most likely candidates.

Finnegan gave up a pair of singles before getting Kyle Tucker to ground out to end the game. It’s his first scoreless appearance in his last four outings, though two of those three times he was scored on, the runs were unearned.

Finnegan was handed a three-run cushion, so while the run does inflate his ERA to 2.61, he still is credited with a a save. That gives the 33-year-old veteran 16 on the season, and he’s in no danger of losing his closing gig as long as he remains a member of the Washington bullpen.

Finnegan should close tonight if a save situation arises. He last pitched Thursday, when he gave up an unearned run to take a blown save against the Braves.

The Nationals will do their best to stay away from Finnegan in the coming days as he deals with shoulder fatigue. The 33-year-old veteran stopper was able to play catch on Sunday without any issues and appears likely to avoid a trip to the injured list. Jorge López picked up a save on Saturday night in his absence and is the most likely candidate to fill the void. Jose A. Ferrer is the other high-leverage name to know for fantasy purposes in Washington for those desperately chasing saves.

Finnegan blew the save Thursday night and the 33-year-old wasn’t called on to in a chance for one against the Giants on Saturday. Martinez suggested that Finnegan will be out for a couple of days until he’s feeling stronger. In the meantime, the Nationals could turn to former closer Jorge Lopez until Finnegan is ready, and Lopez was able to convert the save against San Francisco on Saturday.