As we head into October there are some tired arms in the bullpen and getting those last few saves could mean the difference between a championship and finishing out of the money.
Some teams will be bringing up young AAA players when the rosters expand and veterans who are struggling are at a risk of losing their closing roles. There are some warnings on the horizon so let's take a look.
Jeff Hoffman remains a major concern to lose his job. The Blue Jays are in the driver's seat in their division but with the Yankees closing fast they can't afford to blow late leads. Hoffman allowed back-to-back home runs in the 9th to blow a save on Saturday and that was his 14th home run allowed this season, tied for the most by any reliever. His ERA has ballooned up over 5 now and he has allowed 7 runs in his last 3 appearances. It might not be long before the Jays are forced to make a change.
In New York David Bednar was thought to be the safe option to save games and he has looked good for the Yankees. Bednar has allowed just 2 runs in his last 10 appearances, but the way Aaron Boone is using him might be alarming. Since being traded Bednar now has pitched multiple innings in 3 of his first 10 shots to close and Boone might start playing him as a guy who gets the best part of the lineup out. Don't look now but Devin Williams might be back in the fold. Williams has only allowed one run in his last 9 appearances, and he has 20 Ks over that span.
The Orioles bullpen is a mess, but it might be giving the job to Keegan Akin. Akin earned a save this past week and has allowed just 2 runs in his last 10 innings. The bullpen will remain a mess there as it is in Chicago as the White Sox don't get many save chances and it's a three headed committee. Stay far away from this. The same can be said about Texas where Shawn Armstrong, Phil Maton and Robert Garcia are vying for chances.
The A's had a change where they now are looking to Sean Newcomb, or is it Michael Kelly, what about Hogan Harris? Another dart throw situation. Harris did get their last save though.
In San Francisco Ryan Walker is back and in a very good spot to earn some saves for a team that plays a lot of close games, but the big closer news is coming from Arizona where lefty Andrew Saalfrank seems to be the favorite. Managers usually will deploy lefties in the bullpen on matchups only, but he has done a great job so far and might be the one to keep the job for the next month.