ATLANTA — The Houston Astros ditched Pat Neshek in November, handing him to the Phillies for practically nothing. He was used last season as a middle reliever, pitched in innings that lacked leverage, and mostly against righthanded hitters. He yearned for a bigger challenge. The Phillies gave it to him, and Neshek has run with it.
Neshek recorded the final two outs of Tuesday night’s win to record his first save since May 19, 2015. He has allowed just two runs this season in 22 innings, and 23 of his 24 outings have been scoreless. Neshek, 36, is in the mix to be an All-Star, joining Cesar Hernandez and Aaron Altherr as likely candidates to be the Phillies’ lone representative.