Kuhl gave up a hit and struck out two over 1.2 scoreless innings Friday to record his first save of the season in a 12-10 win over the Royals.

EDGE Analysis

With Kyle Finnegan and Hunter Harvey each having pitched the last two days, and Carl Edwards picking up his 10th hold earlier in the game, Nationals manager Dave Martinez rolled the dice on Kuhl to close out the game. The 30-year-old right-hander got the job done to collect his first career save. It's only his 18th career relief appearance compared to 116 starts, but he appears set to remain in the bullpen for now while the rebuilding club takes a longer look at Jake Irvin in the rotation. Kuhl's 8.06 ERA, 1.79 WHIP and 22:17 K:BB through 25.2 innings don't suggest he'll see consistent high-leverage usage, but if he continues to have success in a relief role, he could work his way up the ladder quickly.