Helsley allowed two hits and struck out two over a scoreless inning to earn the save in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Reds.
Helsley got the job done despite a bit of a shaky outing. While he lost nearly three months to a forearm injury, Helsley was sharp when healthy. He converted 14 of 19 save chances this year but also maintained a 2.45 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 52:17 K:BB across 36.2 innings while working as the Cardinals' primary closer when available.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Snares 13th save
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Helsley picked up the save in Tuesday's 4-1 victory over the Brewers. He struck out three over a perfect inning.
Helsley was dominant while securing his 13th save of the season, a resurgent effort after he'd walked three batters and blown a save in his last appearance. In September, Helsley owns a 0.84 ERA and a 17:6 K:BB with six saves across 10.2 innings.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Blows save Saturday
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Helsley allowed a run on three walks and struck out two over 1.1 innings, taking a blown save in Saturday's 5-2 extra-innings win over the Padres.
Helsley was called upon for a four-out save opportunity, but he faltered in a wild ninth inning. He threw 15 of 30 pitches for strikes and set a season high with three free passes. Helsley is now 12-for-17 in save chances this season while posting a 2.60 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 47:17 K:BB over 34.2 innings. He had pitched 8.1 scoreless innings and converted five saves since returning from a forearm injury before Saturday's sloppy outing.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Notches save Monday
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Helsley pitched 1.1 perfect innings and struck out two to earn the save in Monday's 1-0 win over the Brewers.
Helsley's last six outings have come in three pairs of back-to-back days. He's gone 8.1 innings without allowing a run since returning from a forearm injury, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out 12 in that span. The closer is up to 12 saves, two holds and four blown saves while pitching to a 2.43 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 45:14 K:BB through 33.1 innings this season.
Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Picks up fourth consecutive save
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Helsley pitched a scoreless ninth while allowing a hit, a walk and striking out two en route to his 11th save of the year.
Helsley pitched himself out of some slight trouble after the Phillies had men on first and second with one out. The 28-year-old has returned to old form since coming off the injured list, allowing just two hits and owning a 10:3 K:BB over seven scoreless frames while picking up four saves over the last eight days.
Helsley picked up the save Wednesday against the Orioles. He allowed one hit while striking out two over a scoreless inning.
After striking out the first two batters in the ninth, Helsley gave up a two-out triple to Gunnar Henderson before getting Aaron Hicks to pop out, preserving a 1-0 shutout victory. Henderson's triple was the first hit surrendered by Helsley since he returned from the IL on Sep. 1. He's been dominant in that span, earning three saves over six scoreless innings while striking out eight. Overall, Helsley improved to 10-for-14 in save opportunities with a 2.61 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 41:13 K:BB across 31 innings this season.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Secures ninth save
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Helsley picked up the save in Tuesday's win over Baltimore, tossing a perfect inning.
Helsley needed just seven pitches to set down the top of Baltimore's lineup in order, securing a 5-2 victory. The 29-year-old flamethrower has successfully converted the Cardinals' last two save opportunities, posting five consecutive scoreless appearances since his return from injury Sept. 1. As of now, Helsley seems to have returned to primary closing duties for the Cardinals.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Nabs save Saturday
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Helsley earned a save against the Reds on Saturday, walking one batter and notching one strikeout over one scoreless inning.
Helsley entered with a one-run lead in the ninth inning and walked the first batter he faced but quickly rebounded to induce a double-play groundout. He then worked a full count to Will Benson before ending the contest with a punchout. This was Helsley's first save opportunity since he returned from an extended stay on the injured list Sept. 1. The right-hander has been excellent since being activated, posting a 6:2 K:BB while allowing just one hit over four scoreless frames.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Activated from injured list
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The Cardinals reinstated Helsley (forearm) from the 60-day injured list Friday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Helsley landed on the injured list in mid-June with a right forearm strain. Given that he has been sidelined for nearly three months and performed poorly (4 ER over 4.1 IP) during his rehab assignment, the Cardinals will likely limit him to a lower-leverage role out of the gate. Brendan Donovan (elbow) was moved to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Eyeing Friday return
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Helsley (forearm) is on track to be activated from the 60-day injured list Friday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Helsley had initially hoped to return Wednesday, but the Cardinals will hold off until rosters expand to make the move. The reliever has had multiple starts and stops as he works his way back from a right forearm strain, but his return is now imminent. It's possible Helsley works his way back into closing situations, although it probably wouldn't happen right away considering he's been sidelined since early June. JoJo Romero has been the primary closer for the Cards of late, with Giovanny Gallegos also in the mix.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Eyeing Wednesday return
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Helsley (forearm) said he's expecting to be activated from the 60-day injured list Wednesday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Helsley was recently pulled off his minor-league assignment for about a week after experiencing pain in his forearm during his Aug. 18 outing with Double-A Springfield, but he rejoined the affiliate over the weekend and made a one-inning appearance Sunday, giving up two earned runs on three hits while striking out a batter. Though he wasn't at his sharpest Sunday, Helsey indicated that so long as he bounces back well from that rehab outing when he's re-evaluated Monday and Tuesday, he'll be on track to rejoin the St. Louis bullpen by the middle of the week. Helsley logged seven saves in 11 chances before landing on the IL in June, but the Cardinals could elect to ease him back into the closer role coming off the lengthy absence.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Resumes rehab assignment
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Helsley (forearm) resumed his rehab assignment with Double-A Springfield on Sunday and allowed two earned runs on three hits while striking out a batter over one inning.
Helsley had to be pulled off his initial rehab assignment just over a week ago due to continued discomfort with his right forearm, but an MRI came back clean and he's been cleared to return to game action. Though reliever gave up a couple runs Sunday, the Cardinals are concerned mainly with how he's feeling. Helsley has been out since early June and could be eased back into the closer's role once he's activated.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: MRI again clean on forearm
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Helsley was cleared of any structural damage in his right forearm Tuesday following another MRI, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Helsley continues to be bothered by lingering pain and tightness in his forearm, but he is scheduled to throw a bullpen session later this week in St. Louis and could then resume his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis. Given the string of recent setbacks, it's hard to guess on a timetable for his return to the Cardinals' bullpen. The 29-year-old has been on the injured list since early June.
Helsley (forearm) "is undergoing another round of tests and evaluation," according to John Denton of MLB.com.
Per the report, Helsley "has experienced pain and tightness between each of his four rehab appearances" this month, so he will be checked out again by the Cardinals' medical staff. Another update on his status figures to be released after the exams are performed.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Cleared to resume rehab assignment
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Helsley (forearm) will resume his rehab assignment Friday with Triple-A Memphis, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
This is a quick turnaround, as Helsley was just pulled off his rehab assignment Wednesday due to renewed discomfort in the forearm he strained back in mid-June. Multiple rounds of imaging scans taken this week showed no structural damage, and he might again be on track to reclaim the closer role in St. Louis before the end of August.
