Bryan

King

Brought in after Bryan Abreu walked two of the three batters he faced in the eighth, King gave up the tying run on an RBI groundout before finishing the inning. He then worked a scoreless ninth to send the game to extras. It was definitely a positive outing for the lefty, but it went as his third blown save anyway. He remains the Astros’ favorite for saves with Josh Hader absent for a little bit longer.

Two saves in two days for King, who did need to throw 21 pitches while giving up one hit today. He and Enyel De Los Santos will probably both be off Sunday, opening the door for Bryan Abreu to potentially get a save chance.

King came in with two on and two out in the eighth and got what he thought was an inning-ending groundout, only for Jeremy Peña to make a throwing error. King, though, retired Nico Hoerner on another grounder afterwards and then pitched a perfect ninth. It’s his fifth save, while both Enyel De Los Santos and Bryan Abreu recorded their third holds. King definitely seems like the Astros reliever worth rostering right now, but Josh Hader is still trending to return at the end of the month.

It took both Enyel De Los Santos and Bryan King to get though the seventh tonight. AJ Blubaugh opened the eighth with two consecutive outs, but he then walked two in a row to get Abreu into the game. Abreu got Justin Foscue to fly out to end the rally and then worked a scoreless ninth while giving up a walk and a single. In all, three of the four outs Abreu recorded came on hard-hit balls. He might earn another save or two before Josh Hader returns, but he hardly seems worth picking up in mixed leagues at this point.

King completely lost his command here while also falling victim to some horrific batted ball luck. Three walks in one inning is completely inexcusable, no doubt about that. At the same time, J.P. Crawford hit a knubber up the first base line that set up the third and final walk which forced in a run. Funny enough, Josh Naylor hit another squeaker up the line that King made a tough play on and beat Naylor by about two inches. Had he been safe, the Astros may not have come back to win it in the 10th inning. These three walks were his first free passes in six outings – which was his last blown save – so this shouldn’t be a problem moving forward.

King gave up a double and a single in the eighth to bring the Dodgers within one run, but the Astros stuck with him in the ninth and he allowed only a one-hit single before closing out the game. He’s now matched Enyel De Los Santos with his third save. Both guys might have a little value until Josh Hader returns.

Enyel De Los Santos, the Astros’ most frequent closer of late, came into this one to begin the sixth and was charged with one run in 1 2/3 innings of an inning (the one run came after he departed with in the seventh with two outs and a runner on first). That left Kai-Wei Teng in a setup role and King to close. The lefty needed just six pitches to put together a one-two-three inning.

De Los Santos hadn’t pitched in four days and the Astros are off tomorrow, so the idea was to get him some work today. Well, he got some, giving up four hits before José Caballero lined out to third to end the game. All seven batters he faced put the ball in play against him, and three of those balls topped 102 mph. De Los Santos and Bryan King, who pitched a scoreless eighth today, are the Astros’ preferred options in the final two innings right now, and this probably helps King’s stock a bit.

De Los Santos struck out Rhys Hoskins with one on to finish the eighth. The ninth should have been quick, but Jose Altuve couldn’t make a play on a grounder to his right. Bo Naylor walked to put the tying run on with two outs, but Brayan Rocchio then flew out to end the game. It’s the third save for De Los Santos, who has been competing with Bryan King for opportunities. As the righty of the two, he’s probably the better bet at the moment, though neither is a particularly appealing fantasy option.

After coming in with a 4-2 lead, De Los Santos gave up two hits and a walk while retiring one batter. King took over and gave up two more hits and two walks (one intentional) before finishing the six-run inning. De Los Santos was charged with the loss, while King got the blown save. The two have been the favorites for saves in the Houston pen of late, but it’s hard to justify rostering either right now. Kai-Wei Teng has been the team’s best reliever, but he’s thriving as a multi-inning guy, having pitched 2 2/3 hitless innings tonight. What the Astros really need is for Bryan Abreu to figure things out.