Hand is planning to introduce a cutter to his arsenal this season, Jack Magruder of MLB.com reports.
Hand signed with the Rockies on Saturday and should immediately fill a high-leverage role out of the bullpen. He's relied on a combination of his fastball and slider for the last several seasons, though he's now prepared to add a third pitch to that mix. Hand reportedly worked on the cutter in bullpen sessions during the 2022 campaign, but he did not throw any in game action.
The Rockies signed Hand to a one-year, $2 million contract Saturday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Hand, coming off a 45-inning, 2.80-ERA campaign with the Phillies, finally has a home for the 2023 season. The Rockies don't project to win many games, but the left-hander could have some opportunities for holds and/or saves. It's unclear how built-up Hand is, or whether he'll be ready for Opening Day. The contract includes a $7 million club option for 2024.
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Phillies' Brad Hand: Ready for playoffs
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Hand (elbow) was activated from the 15-day injured list Friday and is on the Phillies' roster for the NL Wild Card Series against the Cardinals, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
The veteran left-hander landed on the shelf with elbow tendinitis Sept. 22, but he's back with the team for the wild-card round. Hand finished the regular season with 13 holds, five saves and a 2.80 ERA over 45 innings.
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Phillies' Brad Hand: Aiming for playoffs return
Rotowire
Hand (elbow) thew a 25-pitch bullpen session Monday and is scheduled to face live hitters Wednesday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
It is beginning to look more and more like Hand will rejoin the Phillies for their wild-card series, assuming they maintain their position in the standings. Hand hasn't pitched since Sept. 20, when he gave up three earned runs over just one-third of an inning against Toronto.
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Phillies' Brad Hand: Out with elbow issue
Rotowire
Hand was placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Sept. 22, with left elbow tendinitis.
Hand hasn't pitched since he surrendered four runs (three earned) over one-third of an inning Sept. 20 versus Toronto, and he'll now be unavailable for the next couple weeks. The veteran left-hander will miss the rest of the regular season but will be eligible to return early in the playoffs, should the Phillies qualify.
Hand struck out one in a perfect inning and earned a save over the Pirates on Friday.
After giving up two runs and blowing a save in his last outing, Hand bounced back to pick up his first save since July 8. He lowered his ERA to 1.86 alongside a 32:20 K:BB through 47 appearances this season. Hand has been tagged with just one earned run over his last 12.2 frames.
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Phillies' Brad Hand: Blows save, wins
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Hand (3-1) picked up the victory Tuesday after blowing the save, allowing two unearned runs on two hits while striking out one in the ninth inning of a 7-6 win over Cincinnati.
After Hand retired the first batter of the ninth, Nick Senzel reached after Edmundo Sosa committed a throwing error. Hand then allowed a single and retired a batter before TJ Friedl tripled home both runners to give Cincinnati the lead. It was Hand's first save opportunity since July 8. He's given up just one earned run in his last 11.2 innings but has a concerning 6:7 K:BB in that span. David Robertson and Seranthony Dominguez (triceps) have received the most save chances since the trade deadline, but Hand and Andrew Bellatti have also been given an opportunity.
Hand allowed a hit and no walks while striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning during Sunday's loss to the Mets.
Hand picked up a save July 8 and recorded a hold July 15 but has been used mainly in lower-leverage situations recently. He also got increased competition for closing duties since the Phillies acquired David Robertson ahead of the trade deadline. Although Hand hasn't been used in save situations recently, he's been effective since the All-Star break, posting a 1.59 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 5.2 innings over six appearances to begin the second half of the year.
Hand pitched a perfect ninth innings with no strikeouts to earn the save in a 2-0 win over the Cardinals on Friday.
Hand only needed eight pitches to retire the side and earn his fourth save of the campaign. The 32-year-old veteran arm has now tallied three saves since Corey Knebel was pulled out of the closer role due to control issues in mid-June. Hand finds himself in a closer committee with Seranthony Dominguez, who earned the save in Thursday's game.
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Phillies' Brad Hand: Nails down third save
Rotowire
Hand struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his third save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Cardinals.
Seranthony Dominguez worked the eighth inning against the heart of the St. Louis order, while Hand got the ninth against the Cards' 7-8-9 hitters. Since Corey Knebel was removed from the closer role in mid-June, Hand and Dominguez have two saves each, and they'll likely continue to share the job as long as both of them remain effective.
Hand picked up his second save of the year in the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the Nationals, striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning while allowing one hit and one walk.
The Phillies announced their intention to drop Corey Knebel from the closer role in favor of a committee Wednesday, and it's Hand who got the first opportunity in the new arrangement. Despite his 1.86 ERA, he's been outpitched by Seranthony Dominguez this year judging by the pair's underlying numbers, but Hand nevertheless got the ninth inning here while Dominguez got the eighth. It's worth noting that Dominguez faced the heart of the order while Hand came in to handle the Nats' 7-8-9 hitters, so their respective usage in this game doesn't guarantee that it will be Hand who gets the next save chance. The veteran lefty was also somewhat shaky Friday, allowing the tying run to reach base with one out before shutting the door on the 5-3 win.
