ATLANTA - The Houston Astros ditched Pat Neshek in November, handing him to the Phillies for practically nothing. He was used last season as a middle reliever, pitched in innings that lacked leverage, and faced mostly righthanded hitters. He yearned for a bigger challenge. The Phillies gave it to him, and Neshek ran with it.
Neshek recorded the final two outs of Tuesday night's win in Atlanta to post his first save since May 19, 2015. Manager Pete Mackanin said before Wednesday's game that Neshek would be the closer, as the team wants Hector Neris to work on his recent struggles with the splitter.