Ryan Helsley Blows First Save Opportunity Of 2023
Ryan Helsley had a tough outing to open his season, blowing a save opportunity and taking the loss against the Toronto Blue Jays. Helsley allowed two runs on two hits and a walk, and he didn't strike out a batter. Helsley's command wasn't up to par in this one, as he was frequently missing his spots. That was a bit of a concern with Helsley, who, outside of last season, has had some control issues in the past. Regardless, it will take more than one bad outing for him to lose the closer role that he grabbed a hold of during his breakout 2022 campaign.
Source: MLB.com
St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Source: MLB.com
Ryan Helsley Picks Up Fifth Save Of The Season
Ryan Helsley closed the door on the Mets in Sunday's 6-5 victory in Game 1 of their doubleheader, notching his fifth save of the season in the process. The righty did allow and hit and threw a wild pitch that made things interesting, but New York was unable to push across a run to tie the game. Helsley was the league leader in saves in 2024 with 49, along with a 2.04 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 21.1 percent K-BB%, but things haven't gone quite so well in 2025. The 30-year-old owns a 3.75 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, and a 5.7 percent K-BB%. It's still early, but the Cardinals may not win as many games as they did last year, leaving fewer save chances, and with good-but-not-great numbers, it doesn't appear Helsley will be as strong a contributor for fantasy as he was last season. That being said, he's still in one of the better situations in the league as the unquestioned closer for his team, and hopefully he can improve his strikeout and walk ratios as the season progresses.
Source: ESPN
St. Louis Cardinals closer Source: ESPN
Ryan Helsley Closes Out Cardinals Victory
Ryan Helsley held on to the Cardinals' 4-1 lead in their series finale win over the Astros on Wednesday to earn his third save of the season. He did issue a walk but stranded Isaac Paredes at first base after retiring Christian Walker and Yainer Diaz to end the game. Helsley hasn't been completely clean with either a walk or a hit allowed in all but one of his seven games. However, he has only given up a run in one of those outings and converted three of his four save opportunities on the season. After getting back to .500 with their win on Wednesday, the Cardinals head to New York for a four-game set with the Mets starting on Thursday night.
Source: ESPN.com
St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Source: ESPN.com
Ryan Helsley Blows A Save On Sunday
Ryan Helsley had a blown save on Sunday in Game 1 of their doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox. Helsley entered the ninth inning with a two-run lead and allowed two runs on one hit while walking four batters and striking out two. The Cardinals would eventually fall to the Red Sox 5-4 in the 10th inning. The four walks were unlike him, as he had an 8.6 percent walk rate in 2024, and these were the first free passes he has allowed in his four innings of work thus far in 2025. Look for Helsley and the Cardinals to get back on track as they start a series on Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Source: ESPN
St. Louis Cardinals closer Source: ESPN
Ryan Helsley Earns Save On Opening Day
Ryan Helsley tossed a shutout inning en route to earning the save on Opening Day in their victory against the Minnesota Twins. Helsley struck out the first two batters he saw before allowing a two-out double to outfielder Harrison Bader. However, Helsley returned to form and struck out Matt Wallner to get the final out. Last season, Helsley was one of the most valuable relief pitchers in fantasy as he tallied 49 saves, the most in the National League. Across 66 1/3 innings, he posted a 2.04 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP. He tallied 79 punchouts but held a modest 8.6 percent walk rate. Helsley also generated an elite 3.7 percent barrel rate and a 36,1 percent whiff rate. Even though the Cardinals may not be competing for the NL Central title this season, Helsley should see every save opportunity in St. Louis and remains a must-start option in all formats.
Source: MLB.com
St. Louis Cardinals right-handed pitcher Source: MLB.com
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