Lange allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth inning to secure the save in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Guardians. He struck out two.
Lange finished his 2023 campaign on a high note, recording his 26th save in 32 chances to go with a 3.68 ERA. The righty endured some rough patches in his first season as Detroit's closer, particularly when his command eluded him, though he exhibited dominant stuff with 79 strikeouts across 66 innings. Lange also looked sharper down the stretch, posting a 2.70 ERA with 14 strikeouts across 13.1 innings in September and October. For the moment, he looks like the favorite to close out games for the Tigers again in 2024.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Earns four-out save
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Lange allowed a hit in 1.1 scoreless innings Sunday. He struck out two and picked up a save over the Athletics.
Lange allowed a leadoff double to Shea Langeliers in the ninth inning but needed just 16 pitches to record four outs and close out the 2-0 win. Lange blew two of his previous three save chances entering Sunday's game. He now has 25 in 31 opportunities alongside a 3.84 ERA and a 76:44 K:BB this season.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Falters again Tuesday
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Lange (7-5) took the loss and a blown save in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Dodgers, allowing one run on three hits, a walk and a hit batsman over one inning.
Lange entered in the eighth inning and allowed a runner inherited from Jason Foley to score the tying run. In the ninth, Lange gave up a walk-off single to Max Muncy to complete the collapse. Lange has blown saves in two of his last three appearances. He's now at a 3.92 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 74:44 K:BB through 62 innings this season while going 24-for-30 in save chances.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Bounces back for 24th save
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Lange struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Angels.
Lange melted down Saturday, allowing three runs in one inning, but ended up with the win in that appearance. He was back to a sharper level of performance Sunday, needing 12 pitches (nine strikes) to retire the bottom of the Angels' lineup in order for the save, his 24th in 29 chances this season. Lange is at a 3.84 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 74:43 K:BB through 61 innings while continuing to hold an edge over Jason Foley for the closer role.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Blows save, backs into win
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Lange (7-4) allowed three runs on three hits and struck out two over one inning, taking a blown save but earning the extra-inning win over the Angels on Saturday.
Lange served up a two-run home run to Jared Walsh and a solo shot to Brett Phillips, squandering a three-run lead in the ninth inning. The Tigers pulled ahead again in the 10th, and Lange ended up with the win when Will Vest closed out the contest. Lange has surrendered multiple runs just twice in 24 appearances in the second half, giving up 11 runs (nine earned) over 23.1 innings in that span. He's posted a 3.90 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 73:43 K:BB while going 23-for-28 in save chances and adding five holds over 60 innings this season.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Secures 22nd save Saturday
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Lange tossed 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the save in Saturday's 3-1 win over the White Sox. He struck out two.
Lange has had a few hiccups here and there this season, though he now has 22 saves in 26 chances to go along with a decent 3.63 ERA. The righty has been scored upon only once in his last 12 appearances, and he has a 2.25 ERA during the stretch. Lange should remain locked in as Detroit's closer during the final weeks of the year.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Records another save Sunday
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Lange pitched a clean ninth inning with two strikeouts to record the save in Sunday's 3-2 win over the White Sox.
For the second day in a row, Lange shut down Chicago in short order to record a save. The righty now has 23 saves this season, with four of them coming this month. Lange hit a rough patch when he struggled with control earlier this year, but he has seemingly righted the ship, and he could be poised for a strong finish to the season given his recent form.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Earns 21st save
Rotowire
Lange worked around a hit and a walk to record a scoreless inning and earn the save in Sunday's 3-2 win over the White Sox.
Lange allowed a leadoff single and a one-out walk, but a double play grounder got him out of trouble. The righty has been shaky at times this season, though he's been Detroit's preferred ninth-inning option, and he now has 21 saves in 25 chances. Walks have plagued Lange, as he's recorded 42 of them in just 54.2 innings, but he's been able to offset that to some degree with 66 strikeouts. He should remain the closer moving forward, at least if he can limit the free passes.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Notches 20th save
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Lange allowed a hit in a scoreless inning to earn the save against the White Sox on Friday. He struck out one.
Lange worked around a leadoff single and needed just nine pitches to close out the 4-2 victory. It was a strong rebound after he coughed up three runs and blew a save against the Yankees on Thursday, which ended a stretch of seven straight scoreless outings. He's now 20 for 24 in save chances while registering a 3.86 ERA across 53.2 frames.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Blows save Thursday
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Lange blew a save opportunity against the Yankees on Thursday, allowing three runs on three hits while striking out one batter over one inning.
Coming into the ninth frame, New York had managed just two hits while falling behind by three runs. The Yankees were able to erase that deficit against Lange when Anthony Volpe blasted a two-out, three-run homer to right field. This was the first blown save in seven attempts since the All-Star break for Lange, who had been surviving with a 1.80 ERA over 15 second-half innings despite a 1.53 ERA and 17:18 K:BB. He and Jason Foley have been sharing closer duties, though Foley worked a perfect seventh and notched a hold in Thursday's contest.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Earns win Friday
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Lange (6-3) worked around a walk to pitch a scoreless ninth inning and earn the win Friday against the Astros.
Lange worked the ninth in a 1-1 tie and managed to not let a walk hurt him. The righty then earned the win when Parker Meadows smashed a walk-off home run in the bottom half of the frame. After some control issues led to a rough patch earlier in the month, Lange has been better lately, tossing 5.2 scoreless innings over his last six appearances with only three walks. He also appears to have regained the ninth-inning role in Detroit, with two saves and a win in his last three outings.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Secures another save Tuesday
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Lange worked around a hit to pitch a scoreless ninth inning and record the save in Monday's 8-6 win over the Cubs. He struck out one.
After command issues seemingly bumped him from the closer role recently, it appears that Lange may be back in the saddle, as he's now recorded the team's last two saves. That gives the righty 19 saves for the season in 22 chances. Jason Foley worked the eighth inning Monday, but he could still some opportunities. However, Lange has the more overpowering stuff, and it seems like the Tigers want to see him stick in the role as long as he's throwing strikes.
Lange pitched a clean ninth to pick up the save in Sunday's 4-1 victory over the Guardians.
Entering with a three-run cushion, Lange needed just 12 pitches to finish off the Guardians for his 18th save. This was the sixth consecutive appearance for Lange in which he didn't allow a hit, but more notable is that he also didn't allow a free pass after having walked 11 batters in his previous five innings. He now holds a 3.70 ERA to go along with a 1.36 WHIP and 62 strikeouts in 48.2 innings.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Skipped again for save chance
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Lange was not used in a save opportunity Friday against the Guardians and seems to have ceded the job to Jason Foley.
Foley allowed a run but still managed to convert the save in a 4-2 win over Cleveland in the first game of Friday's doubleheader. He's recorded Detroit's last two saves, and it seems like that's pushed Lange out of the closer role for now. The latter's demotion is warranted, as Lange has struggled with control this month, walking 10 batters in just 4.1 innings. If Lange can limit the free passes moving forward, it's possible he re-emerges as the team's closer.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Bypassed in save opportunity
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Lange was not used in a save opportunity during Saturday's win over the Red Sox, with the save instead going to Jason Foley.
The Tigers led 6-1 in the eighth inning, but when that dropped to 6-2 and Boston put two runners on, Detroit turned to Jason Foley to record five outs. Lange hasn't pitched since Monday and his last save came back on July 23. Since then, the righty has walked 10 batters in just 4.1 innings, and those control issues could be costing him his grip on the closer role.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Struggles continue Monday
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Lange allowed one run on three walks and a hit batter across an inning of work in Monday's 9-3 loss to the Twins.
After getting pulled from a save opportunity Saturday due to walking three batters, Lange struggled with his command again Monday. He's actually walked three batters in each of his last three games, bringing the righty to 37 free passes this year in just 45 innings. Lange has good raw stuff, but the Tigers may need to go in a different direction in the closer role at some point if the wildness keeps up.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Can't complete save
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Lange recorded two outs but also walked three batters and was pulled from a save opportunity in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Rays.
Lange was called on for the top of the ninth inning but couldn't complete the frame, as he needed 20 pitches to retire two batters before he was replaced by Beau Brieske. When Lange struggles, it's often the free passes that catch up with him, and he now has a whopping 34 walks in 44 innings this season. He should still have some job security as Detroit's closer, but the team may decide to go in a different direction if Lange can't limit the walks moving forward.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Continues solid play
Rotowire
Lange tossed a scoreless inning of relief in Saturday's 5-0 win over the Marlins. He struck out one.
It wasn't a save situation, but the Tigers still used Lange, who hadn't pitched since Tuesday. The righty has now logged five straight appearances without allowing an earned run. He had allowed five earned runs over his five prior games, so this recent stretch is a step in the right direction. Lange should remain locked in as Detroit's closer, especially if he can keep up his recent level of performance.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Suffers third loss
Rotowire
Lange (5-3) allowed an unearned run to take the loss in Tuesday's extra-inning contest with the Angels. He gave up a hit and a walk, while also striking out one.
Lange worked the 10th inning of a 6-6 game and allowed his inherited runner to score on a one-out Mickey Moniak double. The righty also walked Hunter Renfroe and uncorked a wild pitch, so it wasn't his sharpest outing even if he didn't allow any earned runs. Lange continues to mow batters down, as he now has 53 strikeouts in 41.2 innings, though he's also walked 28. He'll need to exhibit better control if he wants to avoid rough outings moving forward.
