52 Brad Hand RP

Hand walked two batters but pitched a scoreless ninth inning to record the save Sunday against the Pirates.

Hand entered the game in the ninth inning with a three-run lead and allowed the tying run to reach base. However, he did enough to secure a Padres win for his 14th save in 16 tries this season. He remains secure in his role, but has struggled with his walk rate as he has now allowed 4.81 BB/9 in 22 appearances.

Hand gave up a hit and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 13th save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Pirates.

He's now converted seven straight chances, and Hand's rocky start to the season is well behind him as he now sports an impressive 2.31 ERA and 37:11 K:BB through 23 innings.

Hand earned his 12th save of the season in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Rockies, allowing zero hits and one walk while recording two strikeouts across 1.1 innings.

Hand entered the game in the eighth inning with the tying run on-deck, allowing him to earn the save with the four-run lead. The 28-year-old now has a 2.45 ERA and 1.09 WHIP and is 12-for-14 in save opportunities this season.

Hand picked up his 11th save of the season Sunday against the Cardinals, but not before giving up a home run, walking a pair, hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch. He struck out two.

Fortunately he gave up the home run to Harrison Bader before his other miscues, otherwise it would have been a blown save. It almost was anyway, as he loaded the bases with one out before striking out Carson Kelly and Kolten Wong to end the game. Hand's job is quite secure, but this one was a bit of a circus before he finally picked up his 11th save, which is tied with Jeurys Familia for the second most in the National League.

Hand picked up his 10th save as he struck out two in a scoreless ninth Wednesday against Washington.

Hand has saved four straight games and is now 10-for-12 on the season. He has been on fire of late, with a whopping eight strikeouts in his last three innings. Hand posted mediocre strikeout rates in Miami but has turned into an elite strikeout reliever in San Diego. After striking out 100 batters in consecutive seasons in 2016 and 2017, Hand owns a brilliant 14.8 K/9 in 17.2 innings in 2018.