Diekman struck out two in a perfect seventh inning to record his first save of the season in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Twins.

EDGE Analysis

Lou Trivino was called in with one out and one on in the sixth inning of a 1-0 game and struck out both batters he faced, leaving closing duties to Diekman in the seventh. The lefty did have a bit of a nervous outing thanks to an Elvis Andrus error and a Willians Astudillo rocket that died at the wall in left field for the final out of the ballgame, but Diekman still came away with his first save since he was a Ranger in 2018. He's got a 3.24 ERA and 11:3 K:BB through 8.1 innings, but Trivino still seems to be Oakland's top option in the bullpen and should receive most of the closing opportunities.

Diekman was credited with his second hold in a win over the Tigers on Friday, firing a perfect eighth inning in which he struck out the side.

EDGE Analysis

Diekman was in vintage 2020 form for arguably the first time this season Friday, mowing through a trio of Tigers on 17 pitches. The veteran left-hander has now put together three straight scoreless efforts, lowering his ERA from 10.13 to 4.26 in the process while recording his first two holds of the campaign.

Diekman was credited with his first hold of the season in a win over the Diamondbacks on Monday, firing 1.1 perfect innings during which he recorded a strikeout.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran left-hander worked the eighth inning and lowered his still-bloated ERA to 5.06 with his second straight scoreless effort. Diekman has been more hittable overall than he was during his career-best 2020 -- he's already allowed four runs (three earned) over two appearances -- but three of those crossed the plate during a rough first outing of the season back on April 2.

Diekman is likely to remain in his customary setup role during the prolonged absence of closer Trevor Rosenthal following surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. "It's not ideal to use Jake in the ninth inning," manager Bob Melvin said. "A lot of times, his spot comes up before that in the eighth."

EDGE Analysis

Diekman proved nearly unhittable last season while primarily logging eighth-inning work, securing 13 holds while posting an 0.42 ERA and 0.94 WHIP across 21.1 innings (21 appearances). The veteran left-hander's extensive body of work in high-leverage/non-closing scenarios is one reason Melvin seems intent on using him earlier than the ninth inning. When addressing how he'll handle the closer role for the time being, the Athletics skipper expressed a preference for Lou Trivino to get the first chance at ninth-inning duties.

Diekman gave up three runs (two earned) on three hits and one walk while striking out two for his only outs in Friday's game against the Astros.

EDGE Analysis

He came in for the ninth inning with the A's trailing 6-5, so this was not a save situation, but it was a high-leverage spot nonetheless. Sergio Romo, who is Diekman's perceived top competition for saves while Trevor Rosenthal (shoulder) is out, logged a scoreless eighth inning.

Diekman is a primary candidate to see save opportunities in the wake of Trevor Rosenthal's (shoulder) placement on the 10-day injured list Thursday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran southpaw enjoyed a dominant spring that was essentially a microcosm of his stellar 2020 campaign, with Diekman sporting an unblemished ERA and issuing just one walk across six otherwise clean innings (six appearances) in Cactus League play. Diekman failed to convert the only save opportunity he logged last season, but he posted 13 holds with a 0.42 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 31 strikeouts across 21.1 innings.

Diekman has been credited with two holds in as many Cactus League appearances, a pair of one-inning scoreless efforts during which he's allowed no hits, one walk and recorded four strikeouts.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran southpaw's second outing came Wednesday against the Brewers, when he followed starter Chris Bassitt in the fourth inning. Diekman was outstanding as a setup option last season while racking up a 36.8 percent strikeout rate and recording a minuscule 0.42 ERA over 21 innings, and he seems to be on his way to serving as one of manager Bob Melvin's most reliable bullpen options once again in 2021.

Diekman, who was previously projected to serve as the Athletics' primary closer to open the season, is now likely to remain in the set-up role he frequently filled in 2020 with Trevor Rosenthal agreeing to terms with the Athletics on Thursday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Rosenthal is unsurprisingly now expected to get the majority of save opportunities after agreeing to a one-year, $11 million pact with Oakland, following a dominant 2020 with the Royals and Padres during which he recorded 11 saves in 12 chances and generated a 1.90 ERA and 0.85 WHIP. Rosenthal also has a pair of 40-plus save seasons on his resume, while Diekman, highly impressive in his own right a year ago, has largely made his living at the big-league level as a solid seventh- and eighth-inning option. Gallegos notes the left-handed sidearmer's elite velocity could still earn him some ninth-inning chances when Rosenthal is unavailable or a particular matchup calls for it, but for the moment, it appears Diekman will revert to having optimal value in fantasy formats that factor in holds.

Diekman remains the likeliest choice for primary closer in 2021, but manager Bob Melvin has noted he may sometimes utilize the left-hander prior to the ninth inning, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

The departed Liam Hendriks was the unquestioned closer in 2020, but Diekman certainly put on a pretty convincing impression by allowing just one earned run across 21 innings while posting an 0.94 WHIP, 36.8 percent strikeout rate and 96.8 percent strand rate as a seventh- and eighth-inning option. Melvin's recent comments about not always limiting his use of the veteran southpaw to the ninth inning lends some ambiguity to the situation as spring training begins, however, and with other experienced candidates such as Sergio Romo, J.B. Wendelken and Burch Smith (forearm) also available, Diekman may be in line to eventually share some save opportunities.

Athletics general manager David Forst said Wednesday that Diekman is the top internal candidate to close for the team in 2021, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

"Internal" is the operative word here, as the Athletics are still expected to look outside the organization for late-inning help this offseason with incumbent closer Liam Hendriks unlikely to re-sign with the team. That being said, the Athletics historically haven't been willing to dole out big-money contracts to relievers, so any bullpen reinforcements they bring in likely won't have a clear path to the closer's role. Diekman should at least be given a chance to compete for the ninth-inning job after he delivered a career-best season in 2020, finishing with a 0.42 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 31:12 K:BB across 21.1 innings.