DIVISIONAL OUTLOOK: AL East—Uehara tightens grip on closer role

Boston Red Sox

When Junichi Tazawa (RHP, BOS) was previously tapped to fill in as the Red Sox closer, the team bypassed  Koji Uehara (RHP, BOS), saying they had to manage his workload. If the Red Sox ever harbored such concerns (and an “F” health grade suggests they should), they appear to be over them, as Uehara notched saves on three straight days June 26-28 in impressive fashion. In each outing, Uehara struck out two without walking a batter or allowing a hit.

Meanwhile, former closer Andrew Bailey (RHP, BOS) has entered games with one-run leads in his last two outings and promptly surrendered those leads, most recently on a solo HR by Edwin Encarnacion (TOR, DH).

One has to figure that the stark contrast cannot help but increase the...

Almost!

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