Assad completed five innings against Cincinnati in a no-decision Saturday, allowing two runs on seven hits and no walks while striking out four batters.
It wasn't the most dominant of performances by Assad, as he served up two homers among seven total hits. However, both long balls were of the solo variety, and the the right-hander otherwise dodged damage in the scoring column -- in part due to throwing an efficient 54 of 82 pitches for strikes and issuing zero free passes. Since re-entering the rotation July 5, Assad has held his own, allowing two runs over 9.2 frames with a 6:2 K:BB. However, Jameson Taillon (hamstring) is slated to return shortly after the All-Star break, and Edward Cabrera (hamstring) may not be far behind, so it's up in the air whether Assad will remain in the rotation beyond late July.