Yates picked up the save Saturday against the Marlins. He registered one strikeout over a clean 16-pitch inning.
Brad Hand had already tossed a lockdown inning, so the Padres turned to Yates to finish things off after taking the lead in the eighth on a Travis Jankowski RBI single. Yates has allowed just three earned runs over his last 20 outings (20.1 IP) while notching 24 strikeouts over that span. The Padres will sometimes deploy Hand in non-closer duties if tough left-handed hitters come up before the ninth -- as was the case Saturday with Miami's Justin Bour -- and Yates might grab more than the occasional closing chance should the odds fall in his favor . A similar situation allowed Yates to save last Sunday's victory. Deep-league fantasy players could try to scrounge for such opportunities from Yates. Hand also could be trade fodder for San Diego around this year's deadline, which might open up the closer job for Yates should he hang around.