Melancon issued a walk over a scoreless inning while picking up his fourth hold in Tuesday's 6-3 victory over the Marlins.
Manager Bruce Bochy said that Sam Dyson and Tony Watson would be the primary options to close out games following Hunter Strickland's (hand) placement on the DL, and he stuck to his word by giving Dyson the save while using Melancon in the seventh inning. The former closer has yet to pitch in back-to-back games following his return from an elbow injury earlier this month, which is probably why he wasn't considered as a replacement closing option. Strickland is expected to be sidelined for 6-to-8 weeks, so there is plenty of time for this situation to shake itself out. That said, it appears that Melancon will continue to be used in a limited role in middle relief for the time being.