Karinchak recorded the final out of the eighth inning Tuesday against the Reds via strikeout before giving way to Brad Hand for the save chance.

EDGE Analysis

After Karinchak earned his first career save last week, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com speculated that Karinchak was "not going to be giving up that spot anytime soon." It now appears that manager Terry Francona still has faith in Hand, at least more than some believed, but Hand was shaky early on and Karinchak has some of the nastiest stuff in baseball. It's clear that the lefty Hand is on notice in the closer role.