Closing Time: Chris Owings comes alive, Tony Watson earns save

Arizona second baseman Chris Owings entered the season with sleeper appeal, but his opening week was basically a fantasy tragedy: 0-for-3, DNP, 0-for-4, 0-for-4, 0-for-3, 1-for-1.

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With six games in the books for the Diamondbacks, Owings was hitting .067 with just one RBI, two runs scored, zero steals and six Ks. And then you dropped him in roto for DJ LeMahieu (or whoever), understandably.

But Arizona stuck with Owings, and the team's patience has been recently rewarded. He's 8-for-21 at the plate over the past week with four RBIs, four runs, two steals and three extra-base hits. Owings tripled and homered against the Rangers on Wednesday, scoring twice and driving in a pair. The home run wasn't some cheap wall-scraper down the line, either. Highlight here.

Owings demonstrated double-digit power/speed ability at multiple minor league stops, and he ranked among the PCL batting leaders back in 2013, hitting .330 at Reno as a 21-year-old. He swiped five bases in as many attempts for the D-backs this spring, and he's 2-for-2 in the regular season. Owings offers 2B/SS-eligibility, plus he plays his home games in a hitter-friendly park. There's a lot to like here.

Arizona is off on Thursday, then home for six games against the Bucs and Rockies. The following week, the team takes a trip to Coors Field. If you have a need for a middle-infielder, this seems like the right time to test-drive Owings. He's available in well over 90 percent of Yahoo leagues at the moment.

• Mark Melancon received a vote of confidence from his manager on Wednesday, the beginning of the death rattle for a closer. Melancon's velocity is down a few ticks thus far, which helps explain the horrendous ratios (1.89 WHIP, 8.53 ERA). Tony Watson earned a two-inning save against the Cubs on Wednesday, with Melancon resting. Jared Hughes made a mess of things in the eighth (0.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, BB, WP), but Watson prevented total disaster. He's the guy you'll want to own, if you're speculating on future closers.

• Miguel Castro earned a four-out save against the O's on Wednesday, although it wasn't exactly uneventful. He allowed a ground-rule double and a walk to open the ninth, but pulled out of the nosedive with a K and DP. Can't say I'm completely confident in the kid, despite the impressive early ratios.

• No need to jump on Steve Geltz, you guys. He picked up a rogue save on Wednesday, but closer Brad Boxberger did some heavy lifting of his own, striking out Papi, Hanley and Napoli in the seventh inning of a tied game. Well played, Rays.

• Chris Carter is a notorious binge/bust player who appears to be heating up, finally. He homered in a loss at Seattle on Wednesday — his first extra-base hit of the year — finishing 2-for-4 and raising his season slash to a still-terrible .122/.218/.184. Carter has reached base five times over the past two days, which of course is a nice sign. He was miserable last April as well, yet still finished with 37 bombs. When you drafted him, you had to know the lows would be very, very low.

• We end with brutal injury news regarding Joe Nathan, who left a minor league rehab appearance after only 10 pitches on Wednesday...

Nathan gave us a bumpy ride last year, sure, but let's remember that his prime years were ridiculously great. He's the active leader in career saves, seventh on the all-time list, and a six-time all-star. He posted sub-2.00 ERAs in five different seasons and sub-1.00 WHIPs six times. He's clearly on the short-list of the best closers in the game's history.