Kimbrel allowed one run on two hits and two walks while striking out two in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Yankees.
It was a non-save situation for Kimbrel, who ceded one run and loaded the bases before getting out of the jam. Aside from his lights-out 2017 season, non-save assignments have been problematic for Kimbrel since he joined the Red Sox in 2016. The closer has a 3.72 ERA (four earned runs, 9.2 innings) in such splits in 2018 and a 1.98 ERA (eight earned runs, 36.1 innings) when a save is on the line. There was some discussion following the game about bringing Kimbrel in after starter Nathan Eovaldi was so efficient over eight scoreless innings (93 pitches), but it comes down to the fact Kimbrel hadn't pitched in five days and needed the work.