Hicks struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to record his fifth save of the season in a 4-2 win over the Astros.
The right-hander topped out at 99.5 mph with his final pitch as he caught Jeremy Pena looking. Hicks has converted saves in five straight appearances since taking over the closer role from Ryan Helsley (forearm), relegating Giovanny Gallegos to setup duties. The notoriously wild Hicks, who has a 13.5 percent walk rate for his career, also hasn't issued a free pass in six straight games, and over the last month he sports a 2.84 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 19:4 K:BB through 12.2 innings. If he can maintain that kind of control, he might well hang onto ninth-inning duties the rest of the year.