Melancon picked up an easy save Wednesday against the Cardinals, as he was asked to get just one out and he did so cleanly in four pitches.
It was one of those tying-run-on-deck saves, as the Pirates were leading 5-1 while the Cardinals had two on and two out in the ninth when Melancon was called upon to retire Kolten Wong. Of course, his fantasy owners certainly won't complain about Pirates manager Clint Hurdle playing to the save rule. Melancon's now appeared in all three games so far this year, a luxury permitted by the many off days in the first week of the season. It's nice to see him get off to a good start this time around after last year's early struggles, though he only has one strikeout to show for 2.1 innings so far.