Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Alex Lange pitched a scoreless and hitless ninth inning while walking none and striking out one in the team's 3-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday to earn his first save of the season. The Tigers are just 3-9 in the early going, so Lange hasn't had any many opportunities to shut the door, and he's already blown one save chance as well. The 27-year-old right-hander entered the day with a 3.86 ERA while giving up two runs on four hits while walking three and striking out two in 4 2/3 relief innings. Lange will remain Detroit's primary closer, but he's unlikely to see nearly as many save chances as some of the high-end fantasy closers around the league on much better teams.

Detroit Tigers reliever Alex Lange came on in the ninth inning, trying to preserve a 5-4 lead against the Houston Astros on Monday. The Astros lineup was too much to handle, though, as he blew his first save chance of the season, allowing a run on two hits while walking one. The Tigers eventually won in extras, with Garrett Hill earning the save. Lange had an impressive 2022 season, compiling a 3.41 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and 30.3% strikeout rate with 21 holds over 63.1 innings. The Tigers bullpen doesn't have much firepower, so fantasy managers should expect the right-hander to continue getting most of the save chances while every other arm is mostly irrelevant.

Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Alex Lange got roughed up in his Grapefruit League outing on Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox, but he has looked really sharp at other points this spring. His curveball is one of the best swing-and-miss pitches in baseball and he has everything you want in a closer's demeanor. Trey Wingenter and potentially Trevor Rosenthal could be other candidates to close out games for Detroit, but Lange is likely to open the year as the team's primary closer. Manager A.J. Hinch is unlikely to name Lange his closer anytime soon, but for fantasy purposes, Lange is the one to target in Detroit's bullpen in 2023.

Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Alex Lange pitched a perfect ninth inning in the team's 4-3 win over the Chicago White Sox. He allowed no hits or walks in a scoreless inning and earned his first save of the year. The 25-year-old right-hander has pitched well out of the bullpen this month. He's made nine appearances and has only surrendered a run on one occasion. He has a 1.86 ERA and 10 strikeouts over 9.2 innings in September. The Tigers have won three straight games and three different relievers have earned saves in those three games with Michael Fulmer and Kyle Funkhouser earning saves on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The Tigers may be going with a committee approach the rest of the way now that Gregory Soto (finger) is out for the season. Fulmer has 10 saves on the year and is the most likely option for saves, but we could get more clarity on the situation next time a save opportunity pops up.