ATLANTA (AP) — Detroit manager A.J. Hinch gave Kyle Finnegan the ball in a in the ninth inning instead of closer Kenley Jansen on Thursday against the Atlanta Braves in a move that could signal changes at the back end of the Tigers’ bullpen.
The decision came after Jansen’s third blown save in nine chances in Wednesday night’s to the Braves. Jansen gave up a two-run homer to Matt Olson in the the ninth inning.
Hinch turned to Finnegan one day after the right-hander threw 29 pitches in the eighth inning. Finnegan came through for his first save as he pitched around a one-out single by Mike Yastrzemski in the Tigers’ .
“We’re pretty beat up in the ‘pen,” Hinch said. “We’re going through a couple things. … So, we’ve said we’re going to go different ways. I mean, I’m trying to stay smart with these quick turnarounds.”
Jansen has a 6.14 ERA in 10 games and has given up three homers.
Finnegan has a 0.57 ERA and has allowed only one homer in 15 games. He walked two batters and had one strikeout in a scoreless eighth inning on Wednesday night.
“I thought he threw the ball well last night,” Hinch said of Finnegan. “He probably could have had a punch-out looking back at it instead of a walk.”
Jansen ranks third with 482 saves and was expected to be Detroit’s closer when he signed an in December.
Finnegan, 34, has 112 saves that include 20 or more in three consecutive seasons with Washington from 2023-25. He also had four saves for Detroit last year.
Thursday’s save helped Detroit (16-16) avoid a three-game sweep and regain a share of the AL Central lead.
Drew Anderson threw two scoreless innings as the Tigers rallied from a 2-0 deficit. Left-hander Framber Valdez gave up two hits in six innings and retired his last 10 batters.
“I thought he got better and better as the day went on,” said Hinch of Valdez. “He settled in nicely. The changeup was very good today. He was able to keep him off-balance. He ended up missing some bats.”
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