Chad Qualls tossed a scoreless ninth inning Friday against the Twins for his seventh save of the season. Qualls worked around a two-out error by Matt Dominguez to finish off the Twins. The veteran right-hander has settled in quite nicely as the Astros' closer, notching four saves over the past eight days. He hasn't given up a run since April 19 and has allowed just one hit with an 8/0 K/BB ratio over his last 9 2/3 innings. It's time for him to be owned in more fantasy leagues.

Chad Qualls put out Paul Clemens' fire, picking up his sixth save in Thursday's win over the Angels. Clemens loaded the bases on a pair of singles wrapped around Jonathan Singleton's fielding error before walking in a run. Qualls entered and got all three batters he faced out, allowing only one of his inherited runners to score en route to save number six on the year. Qualls has a tidy 2.29 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and a 22/3 K/BB ratio in 19 2/3 innings.

Chad Qualls worked a scoreless ninth to pick up his fourth save as the Astros defeated the Orioles 3-1 on Thursday. Qualls has been perfect since manager Bo Porter named him the club's official closer on May 16. The save opportunities have been few and far between, but Qualls is two-for-two with four strikeouts, no walks, and no hits in four innings since. Overall, he has a 2.76 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.

Chad Qualls recorded the final two outs in a non-save situation against the Royals on Tuesday. With a three-run lead, left-hander Tony Sipp was allowed to start the ninth inning to face Eric Hosmer, depriving Qualls of a save chance. Still, Qualls came in and got Billy Butler to ground out before fanning Alex Gordon to end the game. He's got the support of manager Bo Porter and a 2.93 ERA in 15 1/3 innings, so despite his status as closer of the worst team in baseball he should be owned in mixed leagues.

Astros manager Bo Porter said Friday that he will use Chad Qualls to close games. Qualls converted the Astros' last save chance, but they've had so few opportunities that it's been tough to say who the favorite for saves is. The veteran reliever holds a 3.55 ERA and nice 15/3 K/BB ratio over 12 2/3 innings this season, though he's also posted a 1.66 WHIP. While he's far from a safe bet to keep the gig over the long haul, Qualls needs to be owned in all fantasy leagues for the time being.

Chad Qualls earned the save Sunday with a scoreless ninth inning against the Orioles. Qualls hit Ryan Flaherty but didn't allow any other baserunners en route to his second save of the season. Qualls' only other save came on April 6, so it's hard to say who's closing games for the Astros on a day to day basis. Qualls owns a 3.75 ERA and 1.75 WHIP on the year.

Chad Qualls blew a save and took a loss as the Astros fell to the A's on Saturday afternoon. Qualls entered the game in the bottom of the ninth inning with Houston leading 3-1 and promptly gave up a leadoff homer to Jed Lowrie. He then walked Josh Donaldson and allowed a single to Yoenis Cespedes. One batter later Alberto Callaspo tied the game with an RBI single and then Josh Reddick won it with a walkoff base hit to center field. If Astros manager Bo Porter isn't going to name a closer, he should be a little craftier with his late-inning matchups.

Astros manager Bo Porter announced that he will begin the season with a closer by committee. Expect Chad Qualls, Matt Albers and Josh Fields to divide save opportunities at the outset, though Kevin Chapman absolutely should be owned in AL-only formats as the only projected southpaw currently in Houston's bullpen, according to the website MLB Depth Charts. Qualls is the favorite to end the season with the most saves, but that says more about his competition than it does about him. This bullpen is an absolute mess, same as last year, and the Triple-A isn't hiding any saviors.

Chad Qualls, Matt Albers and Josh Fields all pitched scoreless innings against the Cardinals on Saturday. Manager Bo Porter is still trying to decide on a closer, and these three are his most likely options. Qualls was the favorite going in, but he's allowed four runs in seven innings this spring. Albers has allowed two runs in his seven innings, and Fields has given up just one run. While Porter will likely settle on one from the trio at the start, the ideal for the Astros is that Jesse Crain comes back strong and secures to job in late April or early May.

Chad Qualls gave up a homer to Ian Kinsler in his inning against the Tigers on Saturday. Qualls has allowed three runs in four innings this spring. He's the favorite to close for Houston with Jesse Crain set to miss at least the first couple of weeks this season, but he is leaving the door open for someone else to take the job.