KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It was May 7, in a quiet moment before a day game in Minnesota, and the question was about whether the Boston Red Sox would ever consider following the Cleveland Indians-Andrew Miller model and pitch closer Craig Kimbrel in the highest-leverage situation of a game even if it came up before the ninth inning.
"Well," Red Sox manager John Farrell said, the gears turning in his brain, "Andrew Miller's got the flexibility of having a closer similar to Craig Kimbrel behind him. Get us another Craig Kimbrel, and we'll certainly do that.