Kimbrel allowed one run on a walk, a wild pitch and two sacrifices in one inning in Saturday's 4-3 loss to Toronto. Boston's closer has walked six of the last 13 batters faced and has been tagged with losses in two of the last three games.

EDGE Analysis

While Saturday's performance wasn't the kind of meltdown we saw Wednesday in New York, it's a reminder how dangerous a walk, particularly a leadoff walk, can be. Kimbrel's had a fleeting relationship with control all season, posting a 5.0 BB/9 rate while walking a career-high 13.6 percent of the batters faced, up from 9.2 percent last season. And now that problem is rearing itself as the Red Sox prepare to embark on the postseason. With his velocity, Kimbrel doesn't need to be pinpoint with his pitches, but he needs to put the ball over the plate. Red Sox manager John Farrell said he's not considering moving Kimbrel out of the closer spot, but they need to fix this latest flare up of control issues.