Kimbrel

Craig Kimbrel (7-3) earned the win after pitching a scoreless top of the ninth.

Kimbrel will not come close to filling that void, but he does give skipper Brandon Hyde a relatively reliable option in a hazy bullpen.

Matt Strahm set the tone with two perfect innings to open and Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth for his eighth save.

Phillies closer Craig Kimbrel (7-4) took the loss.

Take Craig Kimbrel as an example.

The Red Sox signed David Price to the richest pitching deal in MLB history at the time, emptied the farm system for Craig Kimbrel and Chris Sale, and signed J.D. Martinez to fill the enormous shoes of David Ortiz.

With that being said, adding Kimbrel into a late-game rotation with Josh Winckowski, John Schreiber, Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen would help keep the group of talented relievers fresh more consistently.

With the crowd chanting his name, Rodriguez ended up working a walk of his own before Kimbrel fanned the Cleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez to end the game.

For a club as excellent as the Orioles, holding one of the best records in baseball, Kimbrel's was the only free-agent deal (one-year, $13 million) the front office agreed to this offseason.

Kimbrel walked the leadoff batter but retired the next three for the 432nd save — fifth on MLB’s all-time list — of his stellar career.

This past week, Oakland split a four-game series in New York against the Yankees, then took two of three at Baltimore, twice overcoming ninth-inning deficits against Craig Kimbrel.

In his most recent appearance against the White Sox on Saturday, Kimbrel’s fastball averaged 99 mph and has been able to consistently throw his knuckle-curve for strikes.

Joe Kelly got the seventh, Nathan Eovaldi the eighth and Craig Kimbrel the ninth, and each tossed a 1-2-3 inning, combining to strike out three.

Manager David Ross and pitching coach Tommy Hottovy also displayed a lot of patience in helping Kimbrel work through his struggles.

Rust might have contributed to the lack of control, but Kimbrel will have to find confidence in his stuff quickly as his coaching staff continues to have faith in him.

The quick turn still comes as a surprise considering Kimbrel’s Hall of Fame-caliber track record.

After Tyler Chatwood and Brandon Kintzler each threw a scoreless inning, Craig Kimbrel closed for his 13th save in 15 chances.

But Boston was determined to go on without Kimbrel, opting for a bullpen that’s mostly been anchored by Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, Brandon Workman and Marcus Walden.

But Kimbrel was hardly the first baseball player with exorbitant contract demands at the outset of free agency.

Craig Kimbrel, an ex-Brave who signed with the Cubs Friday, was also within the team’s radar sites.