Manager Andy Green said he would consider using Hand in critical situations of games even if it wasn't a traditional save situation, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hand was brought in to Wednesday's loss in the seventh inning against the heart of the Rockies' lineup. The Padres were down 5-2 at the time and the closer hadn't pitched since last Friday, but Green said that he would have deployed Hand in a similar situation even if they were up 5-2. Managers using their best relievers against the toughest part of the opponent's lineup in a close game is a growing trend in baseball that started with Andrew Miller in Cleveland a couple years ago. While this strategy makes sense from a real baseball standpoint, this development with Hand could see him lose out on a handful of save chances if Green holds true to his word the rest of the season.