Dodgers RHP earned his first major league save, eight days after recording his first major league win
Wednesday was a reset day for the Dodgers bullpen, thanks to Landon Knack and Matt Sauer, the two pitchers who were called up in separate transactions ahead of the series finale against the Marlins.
Alex Vesia, Anthony Banda, and Luis García all pitched three times in the previous four days, and Tanner Scott pitched both Monday and Tuesday, making them highly unlikely to be used on Wednesday. That left only Kirby Yates and Jack Dreyer among the already in-house relievers, especially with Evan Phillips getting placed on the injured list.
Knack and Sauer each did exactly what the Dodgers needed. Knack pitched into the sixth inning and was pulled after allowing the first two batters to reach base in what was then a 1-0 game. In came Sauer, who escaped that jam with the help of a double play, then pretty much cruised the rest of the way, with the Dodgers adding a whopping nine runs over the final three innings.
For Sauer, it marked a second career milestone against the Marlins in nine days. On April 29 at Dodger Stadium, he pitched five innings of bulk relief to earn his first major league win.
On Wednesday, he allowed only an unearned run in the ninth inning, earning his first major league save.
“It’s awesome. It’s a blessing,” Sauer told David Vassegh on AM 570 after the game. “I mean, the offense puts up a ton of runs when I’m out there to throw, so just pound the zone and let’s put up zeroes and get the win.”
Sauer on April 23 with Triple-A Oklahoma City got a three-inning save. On Wednesday, he got a four-inning save, the 50th save at least that long by a Dodger since saves became an official statistic in 1969. Knack, who started on Wednesday, had a four-inning save last August 13 in Milwaukee.
Wednesday was the second save of three innings or longer by a Dodgers pitcher this season. Yoendrys Gómez, who was designated for assignment on Tuesday, picked up a three-inning save on April 27 against the Pirates in his Dodgers debut.
Sauer had the 14th major league save of three ore more innings this season. Only three have been of the four-inning variety, with Sauer joining Steven Matz of the Cardinals on March 30 and Pirates right-hander Tom Harrington on April 7.