Giants manager Bruce Bochy said after Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Marlins that Dyson would serve as the team's primary closer following Hunter Strickland's (hand) placement on the 10-day disabled list, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
EDGE Analysis
Bochy's pronouncement came after Dyson picked up his second save of the season in Tuesday's contest after entering with one out and a runner on in the top of the ninth and recording an inning-ending double play. Prior to the game, Bochy had revealed that he had two pitchers in mind to fill in for Strickland as closer, with one of the two receiving "the lion's share" of the save chances, according to Martin Oppegaard of MLB.com. It's now been established that Dyson will be the Giants' go-to man in the ninth inning, with Bochy also identifying Tony Watson as a left-handed option that could see occasional save chances. After a disastrous 2017 campaign that saw him lose out on the closer's role in Texas before being dealt to San Francisco, Dyson has bounced back well with a 2.45 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 33 innings, but a 7.1 K/9 and .221 BABIP hint that regression could be coming for the right-hander. If Dyson does endure some turbulence at the back end of the bullpen, Watson, who boasts similar splits against both right- and left-handed hitters this season, would likely get the next shot at collecting the bulk of the saves while Strickland is sidelined for the next 6-to-8 weeks.