RYAN PRESSLY NEWS

Overcomes back injury Pressly (back) was credited with his fifth hold of the season and gave up one earned run on one hit and one walk across 0.2 innings in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Yankees.

Impact Astros manager Joe Espada disclosed Wednesday that Pressly was managing lower-back issue, but the reliever's appearance one day later suggests that Houston isn't overly concerned about the injury. Pressly has continued to make bats miss with 22 strikeouts over 14.1 innings, but he headed into Sunday's series finale in Detroit with a 5.65 ERA and 1.74 WHIP over his 16 appearances out of the Houston bullpen.

MAY 12 • ROTOWIRE

Nursing back issue Astros manager Joe Espada said Wednesday that Pressly is managing lower-back soreness but that it's "nothing worrisome right now," Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Impact The 35-year-old hasn't pitched since Friday due to the injury, and it's unclear if he'll be available for Wednesday's matchup with the Yankees. Pressly was able to play catch, so it doesn't appear as though he's in danger of needing a trip to the injured list.

MAY 8 • ROTOWIRE

Altuve drives in go-ahead run, steals 300th base to lead Astros over Mariners 5-3

Jose Altuve hit a go-ahead bunt RBI single and collected his 300th career stolen base in Houston’s four-run seventh inning to lead the Astros to a 5-3 win over the Seattle Mariners

MAY 4 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Blows save chance Pressly allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and no walks while striking out one across one inning to blow the save Saturday against the Nationals.

Impact Josh Hader threw 30 pitches to convert a save Friday, likely leaving him unavailable Saturday. Pressly was called upon to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning as a result, though he failed to do so through a combination of bad luck and poor pitching. The leadoff man reached base on catcher's interference, but Pressly then proceeded to surrender a double and single that resulted in two runs crossing the plate. Pressly had pitched fairly well recently, but he's now allowed at least one earned run in five of 10 games this season with an overall ERA of 8.31.

APRIL 21 • ROTOWIRE

Joey Meneses hits an RBI single in the 10th inning to lead Nationals past Astros 5-4

Joey Meneses hit an RBI single in the 10th inning after Ryan Pressly blew the save in the ninth for Houston and the Washington Nationals came back to defeat the Astros 5-4

APRIL 20 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

No no-no this time for Blanco, keeping Vander Meer alone. Astros starter still has historic start

Houston Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco started this season with the most no-hit innings for any pitcher in baseball's modern era since 1961

APRIL 8 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Blanco follows no-hitter with six 1-hit innings as Astros beat Rangers 3-1

Houston right-hander Ronel Blanco followed his no-hitter with one-hit ball over six scoreless innings, and the Astros beat the Texas Rangers 3-1

APRIL 8 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Seager helps break open game with RBI single after 2-run error as Rangers beat Astros 7-2

Corey Seager helped break open a close game with an RBI single after the star shortstop’s two-run error gave Houston an early lead, and the Texas Rangers beat the Astros 7-2

APRIL 7 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Pitching Ninja's filthiest pitches (so far) of 2023 MLB posteason

The MLB playoffs have delivered a bunch of filthy pitching — and here are some of Pitching Ninja's favorites.

OCTOBER 18, 2023

Secures 31st save Pressly allowed an unearned run on one hit and struck out one over one inning to earn the save in Friday's 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

Impact Pressly danced with danger after Alek Thomas reached on an error and Gabriel Moreno sent him home with an RBI double. Pressly was still able to get the job done, earning his first save since Sept. 9. The closer is up to 31 saves in 37 chances this season while logging a 3.58 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 74:16 K:BB through 65.1 innings overall.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Picks up fourth win Pressly (4-5) did not allow a baserunner across one inning to earn the win Wednesday against the Orioles.

Impact Pressly entered the game in the ninth inning with the score tied at 1-1 and needed only nine pitches to retire the side. It was an important outing given that Pressly has struggled of late, allowing five earned runs combined across his previous two appearances. Those struggles have extended further, as he's posted just a 5.41 ERA and 1.41 WHIP -- albeit with a 29:5 K:BB -- across 22.2 innings since the All-Star break. There's no indication that Pressly is in line to lose his job as the closer, but he has become a liability for the Astros as they make their push to the postseason.

SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Stumbles vs. Orioles Pressly (3-5) blew the save and took the loss Monday against the Orioles. He allowed three runs on three hits and a walk while striking out three over one inning.

Impact Tasked with protecting a two-run lead in the ninth, Pressly surrendered a pair of one-out singles before Cedric Mullins launched a three-run homer, sticking Pressly with his sixth blown save and the eventual loss. The right-hander's now given up five runs in his last two appearances after holding opponents scoreless in 11 of his previous 12 outings. Overall, Pressly has 30 saves on the year with a 3.84 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 71:13 K:BB across 61 innings.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Struggles in non-save situation Pressly allowed two earned runs on two hits and a walk while striking out one Wednesday against the Athletics.

Impact Pressly was called upon to pitch in the ninth inning with a six-run lead, as he had not taken the mound since Saturday. After retiring the first batter he faced, he allowed three straight batters to reach base which ultimately accounted for the two earned runs surrendered. Pressly has a 5.23 ERA and 1.35 WHIP since the All-Star break while allowing at least one earned run in six of his 21 appearances, but there's no indication that his role as closer is in jeopardy.

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Strikes out three in save Pressly earned a save against the Padres on Saturday, allowing a hit and issuing a walk while striking out three batters in one inning.

Impact Pressly got the ball in the ninth inning with the Astros up two runs. The Padres sandwiched a walk and a single around a Fernando Tatis strikeout to put the tying run on base, but Pressly rebounded by striking out Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts to escape the danger. The veteran closer thus earned his 30th save of the season, marking the second time in his career that he's reached that mark. Pressly tallied a career-best 33 saves last season.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Nails down 29th save Pressly gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to record his 29th save of the season in a 7-4 win over the Red Sox.

Impact It didn't look like the right-hander would be needed as Houston raced out to a 7-0 lead through four innings, but Pressly was ready when he got the call. The 34-year-old hadn't pitched in four days after blowing his last save chance, but with the Astros in a three-way dogfight for the AL West title, he may not be afforded too many more chances to rest down the stretch. In 17.2 innings since the All-Star break, Pressly's stumbled to a 5.09 ERA and 1.30 WHIP despite a 21:2 K:BB.

AUGUST 31, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Suffers ugly blown save Pressly allowed four runs on four hits over two-thirds of an inning to take a blown save in Friday's 4-1 loss to the Tigers.

Impact Pressly struck out the first two batters of the ninth inning as he looked to preserve a one-run lead. It wasn't meant to be, as he gave up three consecutive singles, the third one being a broken-bat single from Javier Baez which plated the tying run. Then came the nail in the coffin in the form of a Parker Meadows walk-off, three run home run. Pressly finished out July in a rut but had been unscored upon in his first seven appearances in August before this bump in the road.

AUGUST 26, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Snags 28th save Pressly picked up the save in Tuesday's 6-5 victory over the Marlins. He allowed one hit while striking out two in a scoreless inning.

Impact Pressly extended his scoreless inning streak to five as he improved to 28-for-32 in save chances this year. He's allowed just two hits over his last five appearances while striking out six in that span. Pressly lowered his ERA to 2.92 with a 0.92 WHIP and 56:10 K:BB across 52.1 innings this season.

AUGUST 16, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Earns save No. 27 Pressly (undisclosed) picked up the save in Tuesday's 7-6 win over Baltimore. He struck out one over a perfect inning.

Impact After getting the day off Sunday, Pressly was back in action Tuesday and tossed a perfect inning for his 27th save of the campaign. After allowing one or more runs in four of his previous seven appearances, Pressly has rattled off four consecutive shutout frames. Despite the rest day, fantasy managers should expect Pressly to be fully healthy moving forward while he currently boasts the sixth-most saves in baseball and dons a 2.98 ERA through 51.1 innings of work.

AUGUST 9, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Unavailable Sunday Manager Dusty Baker said Pressly was unavailable for Sunday's win over the Yankees due to soreness, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Impact Baker specified that Pressly is healthy, but the day off will provide some extra rest in conjunction with Monday's team off day. Bryan Abreu fired 1.1 scoreless frames to earn the save in Sunday's 9-7 victory. Pressly should be considered day-to-day heading into Tuesday's series opener in Baltimore.

AUGUST 6, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Notches 26th save Pressly picked up the save Wednesday against the Guardians, striking out two in a scoreless inning.

Impact Pressly now has saves in two of Houston's last three outings. He's delivered a pair of perfect innings after struggling to a 7.71 ERA in his previous seven innings. The 34-year-old right-hander is now 26-for-30 in save chances this season with a 3.10 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 53:9 K:BB across 49.1 innings.

AUGUST 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Picks up 25th save Pressly earned a save against the Guardians on Monday, striking out one batter in a perfect inning of work.

Impact Entering the ninth frame, it looked like Pressly's services might not be needed, as Houston held a comfortable 7-2 lead. However, Ryan Stanek allowed Cleveland to load the bases without recording an out, resulting in Pressly's entrance. The veteran closer quelled the threat, allowing an inherited runner to score on a sacrifice fly but otherwise shutting the Guardians down. Though Pressly's 3.17 ERA and 9.5 K/9 are slightly less impressive than what he's registered over the past several seasons, he continues to be among the game's best closers, recording 25 saves in 29 chances on the campaign.

AUGUST 1, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Allows go-ahead run Friday Pressly (3-3) took the loss in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Rays. He allowed one run on two hits without a walk or a strikeout over one inning.

Impact Astros manager Dusty Baker turned to his closer in the ninth inning with the game tied 3-3, and Pressly proceeded to put the tying in scoring position right away on a Jose Siri double. Pressly couldn't strand him and was ultimately stuck with the loss. He's in a bit of a rough patch right now, but provided there is no injury behind his recent struggles, Pressly should remain the top endgamer in Houston.

JULY 29, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Shaky in 24th save Pressly recorded the save Tuesday against the Rangers after he allowed two runs on two hits during the ninth inning. He did not strike out or walk a batter.

Impact The right-hander took the mound in the ninth inning with a 4-1 advantage, and Mitch Garver attempted to spark a comeback with a two-run homer. It's the 24th save of the season in 28 tries for Pressly, though he's given up six runs (five earned) across his past six outings. The 34-year-old's status as Houston's closer should be safe given his 3.11 ERA for the year, but manager Dusty Baker could try to avoid using him for Wednesday's series finale since Pressly has pitched the past two days. If that's the case, Bryan Abreu or Hector Neris would likely be called upon in a save chance.

JULY 26, 2023 • ROTOWIRE