Papelbon Pitches 5 Outs To A Rocky Save

Look for Saito to close for the Red Sox if they have a save chance against the Yankees. Papelbon threw 32 pitches to get five hard earned outs for the Red Sox.

The save was rocky, but not as bad as it looks. The 8th was fine, but in cold weather he had a 20+ minute wait for the 9th. After giving up a single to Brett Gardner that the shortstop would have thrown out most runners, he then hit Derek Jeter. He then struck out Mark Texeria, walked Swisher, and then struck out Cano.

Overall it was a great performance for Papelbon, and from a fantasy perspective it was huge. However, it will cost Papelbon owners the next day for Paps.

Expect Takashi Saito to get a save opportunity. this is not official, but I know how Francona handles Papelbon and he will not pitch if the Red Sox lead in the 9th tomorrow. That is probably obvious to anyone.

So if you have Saito on your bench, put him in.

Saito Comes In And Saves The Red Sox Game

Takashi Saito came in to save the game for the Red Sox. Terry Francona stuck to his rules of not pitching Papelbon three game sin a row.

He faced the middle of the Orioles lineup and gave up hits against Markakis and Huff before getting the next three out. He did give up a run and recorded one strikeout.

If your league offers holds, Saito is extremely valuable. He will get the call for saves whenever Papelbon has pitched two games in a row, so have him on hold for that as well.