Graham Ashcraft News: Throws scoreless eighth inning

Ashcraft allowed two hits over a scoreless eighth inning in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Giants.

Ashcraft worked around traffic with the help of a double-play grounder to earn his first hold. Cincinnati's late-game deployments are under scrutiny after the club placed closer Alexis Diaz (hamstring) on the injured list, and Ian Gibaut blew a save Opening Day. Going back to Ashcraft's days as a starter, Reds coaches have mused about the right-hander's makeup being suited for the bullpen, including as a closer. On Saturday, he worked in a set-up role for Emilio Pagan. This is a not a situation where once Diaz is healthy, he'll automatically get the closer's role back. He had trouble throwing strikes in limited Cactus League usage, which did not please manager Terry Francona.