Santiago Casilla

Athletics to let matchups determine who handles the ninth

Oakland Athletics relievers Santiago Casilla or Sean Doolittle will be called upon to close "depending on the match-ups," manager Bob Melvin said on Tuesday on MLB Network Radio.

What It Means:

Casilla handled the eighth on Monday, but it was Doolittle who got the call versus a pile of left-handed hitters in the ninth in the 2-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals. They appear to be Oakland's primary closing options, although Ryan Madson and Ryan Dull have also been mentioned. It's not going to be a fun situation for fantasy owners throughout the season.

Monday was Doolittle's first save opportunity of the season and he's now struck out seven (63.6 percent) across 2 2/3 innings. Casilla also has one save in as many opportunities with five punchouts (38.5 percent) over 4 innings.