Cruz earned the save Tuesday against Cleveland, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings with four strikeouts and a walk as New York held on for a 3-2 win.
With David Bednar having worked the previous two nights, Cruz was summoned in the eighth inning with one out and two runners aboard after Jake Bird ran into trouble -- Cruz immediately extinguished the threat by retiring the next two hitters. The right-hander returned for the ninth, and after issuing a leadoff walk, settled in by striking out the next three batters to secure the win. The outing was a reflection of the season Cruz has put together, as he has now held opponents scoreless in 13 of his last 14 appearances and sports a 1.84 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 37:15 K:BB across 29.1 innings. Cruz has earned additional save chances whenever Bednar is unavailable.