JORGE LÓPEZ NEWS

Orioles Trade Jorge Lopez To Twins - PressBox The Orioles traded All-Star closer Jorge Lopez, who saved 19 games for Baltimore this year, to the Minnesota Twins for four pitching prospec...

AUGUST 2, 2022 • PRESSBOXONLINE.COM

Shipped to Minnesota The Twins acquired Lopez from the Orioles on Tuesday in exchange for left-handers Cade Povich and Juan Rojas and right-handers Yennier Cano and Juan Nunez, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com...

Impact Since dealing Taylor Rogers to the Padres prior to Opening Day, the Twins have taken a committee approach to the closer, but Lopez should step in as the team's clear-cut preferred option in save situations. A first-time All-Star this season, the right-handed Lopez turned in a 1.68 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 54:17 K:BB in 48.1 innings while converting 19 of his 23 save opportunities. With Lopez now in Minnesota, Felix Bautista becomes the top in-house option to take over as the Orioles' closer.

AUGUST 2, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Handed loss Wednesday Lopez (4-6) allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and two walks in one inning, taking the extra-inning loss versus the Rays on Wednesday.

Impact Lopez put the first four batters he faced aboard, and Randy Arozarena had a two-run double during that Rays rally. The Orioles didn't have a second comeback push in them, leading to Lopez taking his first loss since July 2. This was only the fourth time all year the closer has allowed multiple walks in an outing. He has a 1.71 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 52:17 K:BB through 47.1 innings while going 19-for-23 in save chances.

JULY 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Snags 19th save Lopez pitched a scoreless ninth inning, giving up one hit on his way to a save in the Orioles' 5-3 victory over the Rays on Tuesday.

Impact Lopez was called upon to protect a 5-3 lead in the top of the ninth inning, registering three consecutive outs after allowing a leadoff single to Josh Lowe. The save was his 19th of the season and he has now converted six consecutive opportunities after blowing two saves in a row to open July. Overall on the season, Lopez is 19-for-23 on save chances and owns a sparkling 1.55 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with 52 strikeouts over 46.1 innings in 42 appearances. The Orioles' decision to move him to the bullpen in 2022 is paying off greatly.

JULY 27, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Collects 18th save Lopez allowed a hit and struck out one to earn the save in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Yankees.

Impact Lopez had no trouble in protecting a three-run lead to convert his 18th save in 22 chances. He's returned to strong form lately, allowing one unearned run on four hits and two hit batsmen while striking out 10 over his last seven innings, earning five saves and a win in that span. The closer owns a 1.59 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 52:15 K:BB through 45.1 innings, and the Orioles' recent uptick in success has allowed him more opportunities to finish games.

JULY 24, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

MLB All-Star Game 2022: Julio Rodríguez, Ian Happ lead list of 34 first-timers

Jordan Shusterman tracks the journeys of 34 first-time All-Stars, from phenom Julio Rodríguez to anonymous reliever Joe Mantiply.

JULY 19, 2022 • FOX SPORTS

Grabs win Saturday Lopez (4-5) picked up the extra-innings win Saturday over the Rays. He allowed an unearned run on one hit and a hit batsman and struck out three over two innings.

Impact Lopez covered the ninth and 10th innings, though he allowed the Rays to pull even on a Ji-Man Choi single in the 10th. After starting July in shaky form, Lopez has recorded six straight innings without giving up an earned run, and he owns a stellar 9:0 K:BB in that stretch. He's still got excellent season numbers with a 1.62 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 51:15 K:BB in 44.1 innings while converting 17 of 21 save chances.

JULY 17, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Notches 17th save Lopez registered the save during Tuesday's 4-2 win against the Cubs, striking out one in a perfect ninth.

Impact Lopez made quick work of the middle of Chicago's lineup, retiring the side on 12 pitches to extend Baltimore's win streak to nine games. The 29-year-old has logged four saves in five appearances during the streak, surrendering one run while recording eight strikeouts during a combined five innings.

JULY 13, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

What's behind Orioles Magic? Pitchers, power-hitters and pixie dust

With their first eight-game winning streak since 2005, the Orioles are knocking on the door of relevance. Jake Mintz looks at how they've do...

JULY 11, 2022 • FOX SPORTS

Earns save in close game Lopez picked up the save Saturday against the Angels, striking out two and hitting one batter over a scoreless inning.

Impact Lopez earned his 16th save of the year by closing out the one-run game. He needed 16 pitches to get through the ninth inning. After beginning the month with back-to-back blown saves, Lopez has picked up three saves in his last three appearances, reducing his ERA to 1.74 in the process. Things seem to be moving in the right direction for the righty reliever.

JULY 10, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Tallies 15th save Lopez allowed one hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Thursday against the Angels.

Impact Lopez had little trouble holding a three-run lead to record his 15th save of the season. After stumbling through a three-appearance stretch early in July -- he allowed five earned runs across 1.1 innings -- Lopez has now turned in consecutive clean appearances to get back on track. He has been excellent for the majority of the campaign, maintaining a 1.79 ERA and 45:14 K:BB across 40.1 innings.

JULY 8, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Nails down 14th save Lopez gave up a hit and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to record his 14th save of the season in a 2-1 win over the Rangers.

Impact The right-hander fired 11 of 14 pitches for strikes as he snapped a streak of three straight appearances in which he allowed runs, and picked up his first save since June 24. Despite those recent stumbles, Lopez still has a 1.83 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 44:15 K:BB through 39.1 innings on the year, numbers which could make him an attractive trade target for a contender looking to bolster its bullpen.

JULY 7, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Blows save and picks up loss Lopez (3-5) blew the save and took the loss Saturday against the Twins, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out one and walking none over one-third of an inning.

Impact Jorge Lopez allowed a home run to Jorge Polanco to tie the game, followed by a walk-off single to Jose Miranda that scored Alex Kirilloff, giving the reliever a blown save and a loss. Lopez now has a blown save and a loss in back-to-back appearances. Before giving up four earned runs in his last two appearances, the righty had not allowed an earned run since May 19. His ERA now sits at 1.69 after ending June with a .73 ERA.

JULY 3, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Can't protect lead Friday Lopez (3-4) allowed two runs on two hits without recording an out, taking the loss and a blown save in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Twins.

Impact Lopez entered Friday with an 11.1-inning scoreless streak, but that ended with a walkoff two-run home run to Byron Buxton. This was the third time all year Lopez has allowed multiple runs in an appearance. He's been steady as the Orioles' closer with a 1.22 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 39:14 K:BB across 37 innings. Manager Brandon Hyde gave Lopez a vote of confidence by saying a potential save situation Saturday would go to the 29-year-old, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

JULY 2, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

MLB Team of the Week: Shohei Ohtani can't stop making history

Few players in MLB history have had weeks as dominant as the one Shohei Ohtani just had. He joins nine other players in Ben Verlander's MLB...

JUNE 28, 2022 • FOX SPORTS

Converts 13th save Lopez pitched a perfect inning to earn the save in Friday's 4-1 win over the White Sox.

Impact Lopez pitched the sixth and final perfect inning of relief in a signature performance for the Orioles' bullpen Friday. He's converted 10 save chances in a row while allowing two unearned runs, five hits, one walk and two hit batters with 15 strikeouts in that 16-inning span. With a 0.75 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 36:13 K:BB across 36 innings, Lopez has ran with the closer role in Baltimore, and the team's 33-39 record has allowed him more save chances than other relievers have had in the recent past.

JUNE 25, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Collects 12th save Lopez struck out both batters he faced to earn the save in Thursday's 4-0 win over the White Sox.

Impact With a four-run lead entering the bottom of the ninth inning, manager Brandon Hyde left Dillon Tate in the game initially. Tate put two on with one out, and Lopez was summoned to escape the jam, doing so with strikeouts of Tim Anderson and Andrew Vaughn. This extended Lopez's scoreless streak to 9.1 innings in his last eight appearances, and he's given up just one unearned run in June. The closer is 12-for-14 in save chances this year with a 0.77 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 36:13 K:BB through 35 innings overall.

JUNE 24, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Picks up another save Lopez allowed a hit and no walks while failing to strike out a batter in 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the save in Sunday's win over Tampa Bay.

Impact Lopez has been effective while serving as Baltimore's closer this season, and he's converted 11 of his 13 save chances over his first 29 appearances of the year. The right-hander has tossed 15.1 scoreless innings over his last 12 outings and has converted all seven of his save chances during that time. He now has a stellar 0.79 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in 34.1 innings to begin the 2022 campaign.

JUNE 20, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Myriad Orioles Thoughts: Dean Kremer's bounce-back, Jorge Lopez's story Plus more on the Toronto dilemma, a positive from the restricted list designations and some love for Manny Machado.

JUNE 18, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Earns four-out save Lopez allowed one hit over 1.1 scoreless innings Friday, striking out four and securing a save against the Rays.

Impact Lopez coughed up a two-out single to Harold Ramirez in the ninth but he had no issue finishing off the 1-0 victory over Tampa Bay. The 29-year-old is riding a 7.1-inning scoreless streak, lowering his season ERA to 0.82 through 33 frames. Lopez owns a 34:13 K:BB and he's converted 10 of his 12 save chances.

JUNE 18, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Secures ninth save Lopez recorded his ninth save of the season in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Blue Jays, striking out one over 1.2 perfect innings of relief.

Impact After Cionel Perez ran into trouble in the eighth inning and allowed Toronto to get within a run, Lopez got the call to put out the fire and tossed an efficient 17 pitches (11 strikes) to secure the save. The converted starter hasn't given up an earned run in nearly a month, and while Lopez's 0.88 ERA and 0,88 WHIP through 30.2 innings aren't supported by his 23.1 percent strikeout rate and 10.7 percent walk rate, he continues to be very effective as Baltimore's closer.

JUNE 15, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Converts eighth save Lopez allowed a hit in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Saturday's 6-4 win over the Royals.

Impact Lopez now has two saves and 3.1 scoreless innings in his last three appearances after allowing unearned runs in each of his two outings before this stretch. The right-hander had no trouble pitching around a one-out Bobby Witt single in the ninth inning. Lopez has been excellent in a high-leverage role with a 0.93 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 27:13 K:BB across 29 innings, though he hasn't walked a batter in his last eight frames. He's 8-for-10 in save chances while adding a 3-3 record.

JUNE 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Notches seventh save Lopez struck out one and hit a batter with a pitch in 1.1 scoreless innings Saturday to record his seventh save of the season in a 5-4 win over the Guardians.

Impact After giving up unearned runs in each of his last two appearances, Lopez was sharper Saturday over 20 pitches (13 strikes). He's worked more than one inning in each of those games, perhaps signaling manager Brandon Hyde is shifting him into more of a high-leverage role than pure ninth-inning duties, but no other O's reliever has picked up a save since May 12.

JUNE 5, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Takes loss in 10th inning Lopez (3-3) took the loss Thursday versus the Mariners. He allowed an unearned run on one hit and struck out two in 2.1 innings.

Impact Joey Krehbiel's shoulder injury in the sixth inning disrupted the Orioles' bullpen plans for the game, with Lopez being asked to make his longest appearance of the season. He did well, but an Abraham Toro triple in the 10th inning ultimately allowed the Mariners to get the win. Lopez has allowed an unearned run in each of his last two outings, but he hasn't given up multiple runs since May 8. He's pitched to a strong 1.05 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 24:13 K:BB while adding six saves in eight chances across 25.2 innings.

JUNE 3, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Logs save in nightcap Lopez allowed an unearned run on one hit in 1.1 innings, earning the save in a 4-2 win over the Red Sox in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader.

Impact Lopez got the final out of the eighth inning without trouble. He stayed in for the ninth, where two batters got aboard before he ended the threat with a run-scoring fielder's choice and a double play. This was Lopez's second save in his last three appearances after he went a month between successful conversions. The 29-year-old right-hander is 6-for-8 in save opportunities with a 1.16 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 22:13 K:BB across 23.1 innings this season. He's also posted a 3-2 record, and he's yet to give up a home run in 21 outings.

MAY 29, 2022 • ROTOWIRE