Barlow struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Padres.
Barlow's pitched 9.2 consecutive scoreless innings, and he hasn't allowed a baserunner in his last three outings. Saves remain hard to come by -- he hadn't converted one since April 29, though the Royals hadn't produced a save opportunity in that span. The right-hander's recent work should keep him in place as the primary closer. He's bounced back from a rough start to the year to get his ERA down to 3.86 with a 1.22 WHIP, 23:8 K:BB and five saves in 16 appearances (16.1 innings) this season.