McArthur allowed a run on two hits and struck out three without walking a batter over 1.1 innings to earn the save in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Mariners.
McArthur gave up a solo home run to Mitch Haniger in the ninth inning, but he was able to avoid any further damage. The right-hander has surrendered seven runs (six earned) over his last five appearances, and he's been tagged for four homers in that span. He's managed to convert saves in each of his last two outings despite the long balls. McArthur is 10-for-13 in save chances this year while adding a 4.58 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 21:3 K:BB through 19.2 innings. He does not appear to be in danger of losing the closer job yet, but it is concerning to see him give up so much hard contact.
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Royals' James McArthur: Allows run in ninth save
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McArthur allowed a run on one hit and did not walk or strike out a batter over one inning to earn the save in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Angels.
McArthur was tagged for a solo home run by Willie Calhoun in the ninth inning, but the Royals' lead was never in real danger. Over 4.2 innings in May, McArthur has yielded six runs (five earned), with three of the eight hits he's allowed in that span leaving the yard. He's 9-for-12 in save opportunities while adding a hold, a 4.42 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP over 18.1 innings this season. The right-hander's shaky pitching of late hasn't cost him the closer job, but John Schreiber has been an excellent setup man and could take over if McArthur doesn't start locking things down.
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Royals' James McArthur: Steps in to close out game
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McArthur picked up the save Wednesday against the Brewers after a perfect two-thirds of an inning.
The ball was handed to Tyler Duffey for the ninth, but after Duffey walked two batters and gave up a double to Brice Turang, McArthur was forced to step in and close the door. The save snapped McArthur out of a two-game slump in which he allowed five runs (four earned) and was charged with two blown saves and two losses. McArthur now has eight saves on the season, which is tied for the fourth most in the AL.
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Royals' James McArthur: Surrenders go-ahead homer
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McArthur (1-2) took the loss and blew the save Tuesday against Milwaukee, allowing three runs on three hits and a walk over one inning. He didn't log a strikeout.
For a second straight appearance, McArthur took the mound in the ninth with the Royals leading and surrendered a game-altering home run. This time, Willy Adames put the Brewers up 6-5 with a three-run shot that plated William Contreras and Gary Sanchez with two outs. Despite blowing back-to-back saves, fantasy managers shouldn't panic about McArthur, considering he hadn't allowed a run in nine consecutive appearances prior to the stretch.
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Royals' James McArthur: Blown save, loss versus Texas
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McArthur (1-1) blew a save and picked up the loss after he pitched two innings, surrendering two runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out three batters in Sunday's 3-2 extra-inning defeat to the Rangers.
McArthur entered the game with the Royals up 2-1 in the top of the ninth inning and gave up a game-tying solo home run to Jonah Heim with one out in the inning. He later returned for the top of the 10th frame, allowing the inherited runner to score on an RBI single by Nathaniel Lowe. The blown save was McArthur's second in nine total save opportunities this season, and he currently possesses a 2.87 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with 18 strikeouts over 15.2 innings in 13 appearances this season.
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Royals' James McArthur: Up to seven saves
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McArthur picked up the save in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Blue Jays, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.
McArthur improved to 7-for-8 in save chances this season while extending his scoreless-inning streak to 10.2. The 27-year-old right-hander lowered his ERA to 2.63 with a 1.17 WHIP and 15:2 K:BB across 12 appearances (13.2 innings) this year.
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Royals' James McArthur: Tallies sixth save
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McArthur earned the save Wednesday against Toronto, allowing one hit and no walks with two strikeouts over a scoreless inning.
McArthur converted on his sixth consecutive save chance, keeping the Blue Jays off the scoreboard after entering the game with the Royals ahead by one run. He's rebounded from a rocky start to 2024 and hasn't allowed a run since April 3 (eight appearances), with 11 strikeouts over 9.2 innings in that stretch.
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Royals' James McArthur: Secures fifth save
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McArthur allowed one hit and one walk over two scoreless innings to earn a save in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays.
Only two men were able to reach base against McArthur despite the 27-year-old pitching an additional inning Tuesday, though he failed to register a strikeout. The right-hander now has five saves on the young season and seems to have cemented himself as the Royals' primary closer.
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Royals' James McArthur: Earns fourth save
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McArthur earned the save in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the White Sox, allowing one hit while recording a strikeout in a scoreless ninth inning.
After allowing four runs in his first three outings this season, McArthur's rebounded with six consecutive scoreless appearances as he improves to 4-for-5 in save chances with a 3.72 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 12:1 K:BB through his first 9.2 innings this year. While Will Smith could still see the occasional save chance against a string of left-handed batters, the 27-year-old McArthur appears to be the go-to closing option in Kansas City.
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Royals' James McArthur: Notches third save
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McArthur picked up the save Monday against the White Sox. He pitched one shutout inning with two strikeouts.
McArthur loves pitching against the White Sox, as all three of his saves on the season have come against Chicago. After a shaky start to the season, he has now tossed five scoreless outings over 5.2 innings. McArthur looks to have fully supplanted Will Smith from the closer's role, as the veteran lefty had plenty of rest coming into Monday, but Royals manager Matt Quatraro clearly favored McArthur in the save situation.
McArthur (1-0) earned the victory in Tuesday's 4-3 extra-inning win over the Astros, firing two scoreless innings during which he gave up a hit and recorded two strikeouts.
McArthur entered the contest in the top of the ninth inning with the score tied at 3-3, setting the Astros down in order. He returned for the top of the 10th frame, working around a two-out single by Jeremy Pena to keep the game tied while also picking up a pair of strikeouts. The Royals then walked it off with an RBI single by Salvador Perez in the bottom of the frame, giving McArthur his first win of the 2024 campaign. The right-hander now owns a 5.40 ERA with seven strikeouts over 6.2 innings in six appearances with Kansas City this season, going 2-for-3 in save opportunities in the process.
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Royals' James McArthur: Collects another save Sunday
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McArthur secured his second save of the season Sunday against the White Sox. He pitched a scoreless ninth, allowing a walk and a hit while striking out two.
McArthur gave the White Sox a glimpse of hope by allowing the them to bring the winning run to the plate, but he shut the door on the series by striking out Dominic Fletcher. McArthur converted both save chances over the weekend due in part to Will Smith's early struggles this season and should be in line to be the Royals' primary closer going forward while he's getting the job done.
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Royals' James McArthur: Earns first save
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McArthur picked up the save Friday against the White Sox, allowing no runs in two-thirds of an inning with no strikeouts.
McArthur entered with one out in the top of the ninth inning after Will Smith opened the frame and struggled, yielding a double and a walk after striking out Yoan Moncada. McArthur replaced the veteran southpaw and induced Andrew Vaughn to hit into a double play, earning his first save of the season. Smith has pitched poorly to open the season, leaving plenty of room for McArthur to seize the closer job in Kansas City, but Friday was the first time in four appearances that the right-hander hadn't allowed a run.
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Royals' James McArthur: Looking for high-leverage spot
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McArthur has allowed a run on three hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out two over three Cactus League innings.
He had four saves late in 2023, but the offseason addition of Will Smith will obstruct McArthur's path to the ninth inning. McArthur had a 4.63 ERA over 23.1 innings last season, but he also posted a 0.94 WHIP, 23:2 K:BB and 2.78 FIP. While he likely won't be able to keep his control at quite that strong a level, McArthur's an intriguing reliever to keep an eye on, especially on a team that has prioritized improving its pitching staff.
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Royals' James McArthur: Closes out fourth save of season
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McArthur picked up the save in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Yankees. He allowed one hit while striking out four over two scoreless innings.
McArthur has emerged as a closing option for the Royals in the last month as he now leads the team in saves since Sept. 1. Sunday's game marked the longest save of his career so far, with McArthur working two innings without trouble to shut the door. The rookie right-hander has improved his ERA in each month and has not allowed a run in his last 16.1 innings. He concludes his debut season with a 4.63 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 23.1 innings with 23 strikeouts. His impressive performance to end the season will surely improve his chances of starting the year with the big club in 2024.
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Royals' James McArthur: Secures third save
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McArthur picked up the save in Sunday's 6-5 victory over the Astros. He allowed one hit and no walks while striking out one over a scoreless inning.
McArthur appears to be part of a committee for the Royals' closer job, as he and Taylor Clarke split three saves this weekend in a sweep of the Astros (two for McArthur and one for Clarke). They have both earned preference over Carlos Hernandez, who has notched a hold in consecutive games. The 27-year-old McArthur has not allowed a run in 13.1 innings since being recalled Sept. 1. He's an intriguing fantasy pick-up for saves as the Royals finish the season against the Tigers and Yankees.
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Royals' James McArthur: Notches five-out save
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McArthur allowed a hit over 1.2 scoreless frames Friday, striking out two and earning a save against Houston.
McArthur entered a 7-5 game in the eighth inning and had little trouble recording the final five outs. He's picked up his first two career saves over the last week and is currently riding a 12.1-inning scoreless streak. McArthur allowed seven runs in one inning in his MLB debut June 28, but in 18.1 innings since, he's registered a 2.45 ERA with a 17:1 K:BB.
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Royals' James McArthur: Collects first career save
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McArthur picked up the save in Monday's 6-4 victory over the Guardians. He pitched a clean inning and struck out one.
After picking up his first career win Saturday, McArthur added a save to his ledger Monday. With both Taylor Clarke and Carlos Hernandez being unavailable due to throwing in two of the three previous days, McArthur was summoned for the save Monday after the Royals mounted a comeback in the eighth inning. McArthur has allowed just one hit with zero walks and eight strikeouts in 9.2 scoreless innings this month.
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Royals' James McArthur: Notches win over Houston
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McArthur (1-0) struck out two over 1.1 perfect innings to earn the win Saturday over the Astros.
Collin Snider surrendered a game-tying home run to Jose Altuve, but McArthur was able to prevent the Astros from pulling ahead in the seventh inning. The Royals gained the lead in their half of the frame, and McArthur wound up with his first big-league win. While he's had a couple of rough outings this year, the right-hander has allowed just one hit while striking out seven over 8.2 scoreless innings since he was recalled from Triple-A Omaha when rosters expanded at the start of September.
