Kimbrel (7-4) allowed two hits and struck out two over a scoreless inning to earn the win Friday over the Astros.
Kimbrel was brought into a low-leverage spot with the Orioles trailing by three runs in the eighth inning. He danced around some danger and became the pitcher of record when Baltimore rallied for five runs in its half of the frame. This was Kimbrel's sixth scoreless outing in his last 13 appearances, a lengthy run of erratic form that has cost him the closer job, which is now occupied by Seranthony Dominguez. Kimbrel is at a 3.86 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 66:26 K:BB with 23 saves, six blown saves and four holds through 46.2 innings, and given his recent struggles, it's unlikely he get a lot of high-leverage looks in the near future.