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Altavilla (1-1), who took the loss in a 3-2 defeat in extra innings at the hands of the Athletics on Saturday, is nevertheless a pitcher manager Scott Servais plans to rely on frequently during the late innings, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. "He'll continue to get the ball late in games," Servais said. "Some days, it might be the ninth inning, other days, it might be the eighth, depending where we're at in their lineup and what matchup is best for him and for us."
Altavilla's stumble Saturday came even as he was exceedingly sharp, as he threw 11 of his 15 pitches for strikes. However, he allowed a ground-rule double to the pinch-hitting Robbie Grossman, which scored Tony Kemp from second in the 10th inning with what turned out to be the winning run. Altavilla's high-90s fastball and a slider he consistently hits 90-92 mph with is what makes him a good fit for high-leverage opportunities, and with Yoshihisa Hirano (illness) still working his way back into shape and Austin Adams (knee) not yet available either, the hard-throwing right-hander should continue seeing some late-inning work for the time being.
