Moll (2-3) allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two over two scoreless innings to earn the win over Cleveland on Tuesday.
Moll and others in the bullpen combined for six scoreless innings, giving the offense a chance to overcome a disastrous outing from starter Hunter Greene. Moll has not allowed a run over his last 19 appearances (18 innings) and sports a shiny 0.76 ERA across 23.2 innings since being acquired by the Reds at the trade deadline.
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Reds' Sam Moll: Traded to Cincy
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The Athletics traded Moll to Cincinnati on Monday in exchange for Joe Boyle, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Moll has taken a notable step back this season from his 2022 campaign, putting up a 4.54 ERA and 1.41 WHIP across 37.2 innings. Moll's high strikeout rate could buy him a few high-leverage appearances with Cincinnati, but the 31-year-old lefty will likely work primarily in low-to-mid-leverage situations.
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Athletics' Sam Moll: Earns first career save
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Moll allowed two hits and struck out two without walking a batter in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Yankees.
Moll wasn't exactly sharp, but he was able to navigate the traffic on the basepaths to earn his first career save. He's filled a high-leverage role at times this year with five holds through 34 appearances, but Trevor May has handled most of the Athletics' closing chances in June. Moll has a 3.99 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 35:15 K:BB over 29.1 innings, though the lack of leads to protect limits his appeal in most fantasy formats despite the strong strikeout numbers.
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Athletics' Sam Moll: To serve as opener Friday
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Moll will serve as the Athletics' opening pitcher Friday against the Brewers, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Luis Medina had been the listed starter for Oakland, but he'll instead operate in bulk relief. Moll owns a 4.57 ERA through 21.2 innings this year, working exclusively out of the bullpen.
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Athletics' Sam Moll: Takes third loss Monday
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Moll (0-3) took the loss against the Pirates on Monday, allowing an earned run on two hits over one inning. He struck out one.
Entrusted with preserving a 4-4 tie upon entering in the eighth, Moll wasn't quite up to the task, ultimately allowing an Andrew McCutchen sacrifice fly that would prove to be the difference in the game. The left-hander saw a five-appearance scoreless streak snapped with Monday's stumble, and although he does boast a career-high 10.0 K/9 at the moment and has yet to allow a home run through 21.2 innings, he's also carrying a career-worst 5.4 BB/9.
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Athletics' Sam Moll: Takes loss Sunday
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Moll (0-2) took the loss in extra innings against the Mets on Sunday, allowing an unearned run in 1.1 innings while also recording a strikeout.
Moll was a prototypical tough-luck loser in the one-run defeat, especially considering his outing began with an inning-ending double play he induced from Eduardo Escobar with the bases loaded in the ninth to preserve a 3-3 tie. However, a Francisco Alvarez sacrifice fly that moved Escobar, the inning-opening runner, to third base in the 10th ended up costing Moll, as a Zach Jackson wild pitch eventually allowed the Mets' third baseman to cross the plate with what proved to be the winning run. The 31-year-old southpaw hasn't allowed an earned run in seven of his eight appearances, making him a trusted relief asset early.
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Athletics' Sam Moll: Uneven through five spring outings
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Moll owns a 5.68 ERA and 2.05 WHIP across 6.1 innings in five Cactus League appearances.
The southpaw has allowed four earned runs on nine hits, four walks and a hit batsman in that sample, underscoring the fact his location isn't yet near regular-season readiness. Moll has found a way around his control issues during his first two seasons with the Athletics, however, as he's garnered 16 holds while posting a 3.02 ERA in 53.2 innings over that span despite also issuing 27 walks.
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Athletics' Sam Moll: Seemingly healthy for spring
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Moll (shoulder) is listed as an available option out of the Oakland bullpen for Monday's Cactus League game against the Rockies, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Moll appears to be healthy enough to make his spring debut Monday after a left shoulder strain kept him sidelined for the final three weeks of the 2022 campaign. Before picking up the injury, the southpaw compiled a 2.91 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 46:22 K:BB across 43.1 innings for Oakland while collecting two wins and 16 holds. He'll likely settle into a middle-relief or setup role in the Athletics bullpen to begin the 2023 season.
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Athletics' Sam Moll: Will miss rest of season
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Moll (shoulder) will not return in 2022, the Associated Press reports.
The book is therefore closed on a very encouraging campaign for the 30-year-old, who mostly toiled in the minor leagues for eight-plus seasons before finally sticking on the big-league roster in 2021. Moll came into his own this season, producing a 2.91 ERA and 9.6 K/9 with two wins and 16 holds across 53 appearances. Under full team control through 2024, Moll should be healthy well in advance of spring training and slot into a key middle-relief role in 2023.
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Athletics' Sam Moll: Out with shoulder strain
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Moll hit the injured list with a left shoulder strain Friday.
Moll will technically be eligible to return for the final six days of the season, but it's quite possible he's done for the year. Jared Koenig was recalled to take his place on the roster.
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Athletics' Sam Moll: Falls apart in first loss
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Moll (2-1) took the loss against the Astros on Friday, allowing four earned runs on three hits and a walk without recording an out.
Moll's meltdown was highly atypical, considering he'd come into the night with a 2.02 ERA and had allowed more than one earned run just once in 43 appearances. However, the left-hander simply couldn't find his groove Friday after entering with Yuli Gurriel on first, putting Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman on via a single and a walk, respectively, before conceding a grand slam to Kyle Tucker. Moll's significant stumble aside, he's been a viable fantasy asset in formats that count holds, having garnered 12 of them alongside his pair of wins and a 10.1 K/9.
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Athletics' Sam Moll: Adds to scoreless streak Friday
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Moll fired two scoreless innings in a loss to the Astros on Friday, allowing two hits and recording a strikeout.
Moll got through his pair of frames on a relatively efficient 20 pitches, authoring his fourth straight scoreless appearance in the process. The left-hander has been one of manager Mark Kotsay's most reliable bullpen assets all season, recording a pair of victories and six holds while even logging a trio of outings of more than one inning.
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Athletics' Sam Moll: Activated by Oakland
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Moll (undisclosed) was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list Thursday.
Moll played catch on the field prior to Thursday's game against the Mariners, and he'll be available out of the bullpen after spending a few days away from the team due to the league's health and safety protocols. The southpaw has been dominant for the Athletics this year, picking up six holds while posting a 1.27 ERA, 29:13 K:BB and 1.27 WHIP in 21.1 innings over 26 relief appearances.
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Athletics' Sam Moll: Rejoins team
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Moll (undisclosed) played catch on the field prior to Thursday's game against the Mariners, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Moll was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday but has been cleared to rejoin the team following a brief period of isolation. While the southpaw hasn't yet been activated, he seems to be close to a return.
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Athletics' Sam Moll: Lands on COVID-19 injured list
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Moll was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The Athletics didn't announce whether Moll had tested positive for the virus himself, so it's unclear when he's expected back. Domingo Tapia was called up to take Moll's place in the bullpen.
Moll allowed an earned run on two hits and two intentional walks over two-thirds of an inning in a loss to the Red Sox on Friday. He struck out one.
Moll stumbled in the ninth inning after the Athletics had closed to within two runs in the eighth on Jed Lowrie's timely double. The left-hander has typically been much more reliable than he demonstrated Friday, but despite the hiccup, he still boasts an impressive 1.50 ERA and 1.11 WHIP to go along with a pair of victories and five holds.
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Athletics' Sam Moll: Records second win
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Moll (2-0) recorded the win in a victory over the Mariners on Tuesday, firing 1.1 scoreless innings during which he allowed a hit and recorded three strikeouts.
Moll continues to roll along as the Athletics' most effective reliever not named Dany Jimenez, as he's allowed just a single run across 17 appearances. The southpaw is working on a four-appearance scoreless streak during which he's posted an 8:1 K:BB over four innings.
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Athletics' Sam Moll: Gets first win Friday
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Moll (1-0) recorded the win in a victory over the Angels on Friday, firing a scoreless frame during which he issued a walk and recorded three strikeouts.
The left-hander put together yet another impressive outing in what has been a stellar first month-plus of the season, lowering his ERA and WHIP to 0.73 and 1.05, respectively. Moll has yielded just a single earned run across 12.1 innings, and the 30-year-old has also contributed five holds in addition to Friday's victory.
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Athletics' Sam Moll: Records third hold
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Moll was credited with his third hold in a win over the Orioles on Thursday, firing a scoreless two-thirds of an inning during which he issued a walk and recorded a strikeout.
The left-hander extended his season-opening scoreless streak to six appearances and surrendered only his second hit of the season. Moll's early success and workload have given his early-season value a nice boost in formats that count holds, and he should continue to be relied on consistently as a trusted left-handed bullpen asset.
