Manager Andy Green said he would consider using Hand in critical game situations even if it wasn't a traditional save opportunity, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Hand was brought into Wednesday's loss in the seventh inning against the heart of the Rockies' lineup. The Padres were down 5-2 at the time and the closer hadn't pitched since last Friday, but Green said that he would have deployed Hand in a similar situation even if they were up 5-2. Managers using their best relievers against the toughest part of the opponent's lineup in a close game is a growing trend in baseball that started with Andrew Miller in Cleveland a couple years ago. While this strategy makes sense from a real baseball standpoint, this development with Hand could see him lose out on a handful of save chances if Green holds true to his word the rest of the season.