Tony Santillan previously gave up a game-tying homer in the eighth inning, so Pagán’s loss probably won’t do much of anything to change the pecking order in the Reds pen. In both cases, the runs allowed were the first given up by the pitcher this season. Santillan has a 1.23 ERA and one save in 7 1/3 innings, while Pagán has a 1.69 ERA and two saves in 5 1/3 innings.

Pagán was summoned to close out the game against the Giants with a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth. He needed just seven pitches to get the job done for his second save of the season. The 33-year-old right-hander looks to be in line for the majority of save chances in Cincinnati at the moment despite Tony Santillan picking up the save in a high-leverage situation on Monday.

It sounded like Terry Francona thought Tony Santillan was his best reliever, but he was used against the bottom of the order in the seventh today. Graham Ashcraft then pitched a scoreless eighth before Pagán got the ninth. Because he’s so homer-prone, Pagan is a scary choice as a closer, though he can still pitch a scoreless inning more often than not. Scott Barlow and Santillan would be our more trusted Reds relievers at the moment.

Pagán will finish out the two-year, $16 million contract he signed last winter. The 33-year-old setup man missed time with a lat strain last season and finished up with a 4.50 ERA and a 44/11 K/BB in 38 innings.